What Does ‘Lucky 31’ Mean in Sports Betting?
A “Lucky 31” is the big brother of the “Lucky 15.”
It is a “full-cover” bet involving five selections (picks), but instead of placing one big parlay, you are actually placing 31 separate bets at once.
The Breakdown
You pick five teams or horses (A, B, C, D, and E). A Lucky 31 automatically breaks them down into every possible winning combination:
- 5 Singles
- 10 Doubles
- 10 Trebles
- 5 Four-Fold Parlays
- 1 Five-Fold Parlay
⚠️ The Important Rules
- The “Safety Net”: Just like the Lucky 15, you only need one winner to get money back. Because it includes single bets, one win ensures you aren’t walking away empty-handed.
- The Cost: Because you are placing 31 bets, it costs 31x your unit stake.
- If you bet $1 per line, the total ticket will cost you $31.
Why Is It Called “Lucky”?
The name comes from the bonuses bookmakers typically add to this specific bet type (especially in horse racing):
- 1 Winner Bonus: If you only get one winner, many books will pay you double or treble the odds on that one win as a consolation.
- All 5 Bonus: If you get all 5 right, they often add a 20% bonus to your total winnings.