You've seen the button. It’s sitting right there on your FanDuel or DraftKings bet slip, tucked away near the parlays, looking both inviting and incredibly confusing. You’re staring at three games you love—the Chiefs, the Lions, and maybe a sneaky underdog like the Texans—and you’re wondering if there’s a way to win even if one of these teams lets you down. Most people just click "Parlay" and pray for the best.
But then there’s the round robin.
Honestly, it sounds like a middle school soccer tournament or some weird office networking event. In reality, it’s one of the most powerful tools in a bettor’s arsenal, provided you actually understand the math behind it. If you've ever asked yourself how does round robin work in betting, you're basically asking how to create a safety net for your parlays. It’s not magic. It’s just a series of smaller parlays bundled together to save you from that one "parlay killer" leg that always seems to ruin your Sunday.
The Basic Mechanics of the Round Robin
Think of a round robin like an "all-possible-combinations" machine.
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When you place a standard three-team parlay, you need all three teams to win. If Team A and Team B win, but Team C loses? You get zero. Your ticket is trash. A round robin takes those same three teams (A, B, and C) and automatically breaks them down into every possible two-team parlay combination.
In this case, you’d have three separate bets:
- A + B
- A + C
- B + C
If Team C loses but A and B win, you still get paid for that first parlay. It’s the ultimate "insurance policy" for people who are tired of going 4-for-5 on their picks and walking away with nothing. You aren't just placing one bet; you are placing a "set" of bets. This is why your "total wager" amount suddenly jumps up when you select this option. You’re paying for three separate tickets, not one.
Let’s Talk Real Money and Real Math
Let's get into the weeds with a 2026 NFL example because that’s where things get interesting. Say you like three teams at -110 odds.
If you put $30 on a single three-team parlay, your payout is roughly $180. If one team loses, you lose the whole $30.
Now, if you choose a "2-pick Round Robin" for those same three teams and want to risk the same $30 total, you’re actually putting $10 on each of the three possible two-team combinations.
- Kansas City (-110) + Detroit (-110)
- Kansas City (-110) + Houston (-110)
- Detroit (-110) + Houston (-110)
If all three teams win, you win all three parlays. Your total profit would be about $78. Wait. That’s a lot less than the $180 you would’ve made on the straight parlay. Why? Because you’re paying for the safety. You’re essentially buying a "miss" allowance.
If Detroit loses but KC and Houston win, you lose bets #1 and #3, but you win bet #2. That winning $10 parlay pays out about $26. Since you spent $30 total, you only lost $4 overall. Compare that to losing the full $30 on a standard parlay. See the difference? It’s the difference between a total wipeout and a "bad day at the office" where you still have gas money.
The 3-Pick, 4-Pick, and 5-Pick Chaos
It gets complicated fast. Once you move past three teams, the combinations explode.
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If you pick four teams and choose a "2-pick" round robin, the software creates six different two-team parlays. If you choose a "3-pick" round robin with those same four teams, it creates four different three-team parlays. Some sportsbooks, like BetMGM or Caesars, will even let you do "The Trixie" or "The Patent," which are specialized versions of these bets that include individual "straight" bets on each team alongside the parlays.
Most people get intimidated here. Don't.
The sportsbook does the heavy lifting. When you see something like "10x" or "15x" next to the round robin option, that’s just telling you how many individual bets are being created. If you type "$5" into the box, you are betting $5 per combination. If there are 10 combinations, your total stake is $50. Check your "Total Bet" amount twice. Every year, someone accidentally bets $500 instead of $50 because they didn't realize they were funding 100 different mini-parlays.
Why Sharp Bettors Actually Use This
Professional bettors—the guys who do this for a living—usually hate parlays. They call them "lottery tickets."
However, they occasionally use round robins when they find "correlated" edges or when they are betting on high-variance outcomes like First Basket Scorers in the NBA or Anytime Touchdown scorers in the NFL.
Imagine you have five NFL players you think will score a touchdown. The odds are high—maybe +200 or +300 each. Trying to hit a 5-man "Anytime TD" parlay is nearly impossible. The odds are astronomical. But a round robin of "2-pick" or "3-pick" combinations on those players? That’s a viable strategy. If three of those five guys find the end zone, you’re likely looking at a massive profit, even if two of them goose-egg.
The Downside: The Juice is Real
We have to be honest: round robins are expensive.
You are paying the "vig" (the sportsbook's cut) on every single combination. If you go 1-for-3 or 2-for-5, you aren't just losing; you’re losing efficiently. The "break-even" point on a round robin is often higher than people realize. If you’re betting favorites at -200, winning two out of three legs in a round robin might still result in a net loss.
This is why the strategy shines best with "plus-money" underdogs or prop bets. If you’re just betting heavy favorites, the round robin is often a slow bleed of your bankroll.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't be the person who adds a -500 favorite to a round robin just to "boost" the odds. If that favorite loses, they ruin every single combination they are attached to. In a 3-team round robin, that -500 favorite is in TWO of your three bets. If they lose, you’ve basically nuked your entire ticket anyway.
Another trap? Mixing sports with different start times. If you have a round robin involving a 1:00 PM game, a 4:00 PM game, and a Monday Night Football game, your money is tied up for days. If your first two legs lose on Sunday morning, the rest of your round robin is dead before the Monday Night game even starts.
How to Place Your First Round Robin
Ready to try it? It's easier than it looks.
- Select your legs: Pick 3 to 6 games or props.
- Open the bet slip: Look past the "Standard" or "Parlay" tab. You’ll see a "Round Robin" tab.
- Choose your way: You’ll see options like "2-Pick," "3-Pick," etc. This refers to the size of the parlays.
- Enter your stake: Remember, the amount you enter is per bet. If you see "3x" and enter $10, your total bet is $30.
- Review the combinations: Most apps allow you to see exactly which teams are paired together.
Actionable Strategy for Success
To actually make how does round robin work in betting a profitable question for your bankroll, follow these rules:
- Stick to Underdogs: Use round robins for teams with +120 odds or higher. This ensures that hitting a fraction of your bets actually covers your total stake.
- Limit your legs: Start with 3 or 4 teams. Once you get to 7 or 8 teams, the number of combinations becomes so high that you’re essentially paying a massive tax to the sportsbook.
- Watch the "By 2s" and "By 3s": If you have 5 teams, a "By 2s" round robin creates 10 bets. A "By 3s" creates 10 bets. A "By 4s" creates 5 bets. If you’re confident in your picks, the "By 3s" offers the best balance of risk and reward.
- Check for "All-In" options: Some books offer a "Full Cover" bet which includes the parlays AND the straight bets. It’s expensive, but it’s the ultimate safety net.
Round robins aren't a shortcut to getting rich. They are a volume play. They're for the Saturday afternoon when you have six college football games you like and you want to stay in the action even if one quarterback decides to throw four interceptions in the first half. It's about staying in the game.
Stop thinking of your bets as "all or nothing." Start thinking in combinations. The next time you feel a parlay coming on, look at that round robin tab and calculate the cost of a little bit of insurance. It might just save your weekend.
Next Steps for Your Betting Strategy
- Audit your past parlays: Go back through your betting history. Count how many times you missed a parlay by exactly one leg.
- Run a "Paper" Round Robin: This weekend, pick four teams. Calculate what a $40 parlay would pay. Then, calculate what a 4-team round robin (by 2s) would pay if you went 3-for-4.
- Check Sportsbook Rules: Specifically, look at how your book handles "Pushes" (ties) in a round robin. Usually, that specific parlay just reduces to a smaller size (e.g., a 3-team parlay becomes a 2-team parlay), but every book has its own quirks.