What is a Bet Builder?
A Bet Builder is a feature that bookmakers provide their customers with that gives them the option to place multiple bets within a single match or event from a variety of markets. The process is quite straight-forward, with most of the top bookmakers making it easy to follow in terms of the steps required to build your bet.
Online betting sites have been offering bet builders as part of their repertoire for a number of years now. However, recently their popularity is on the increase among sports bettors. Many bookmakers are now expanding this service, adding in more markets and sports. Not all bettors, especially those just embarking on their journey, are familiar with how they work and it’s important for punters to feel comfortable and know how you can get the best value when combining selections from the same event.
Bet builders are extremely popular because they provide the chance for bettors to wager on exactly what they want. You are, for example, able to bet on the winner of the game, a goalscorer and the number of goals scored, as well as the number of cards, shots and corners all in one bet. The majority of bookmakers allow you to make at least 10 selections per bet on bet builder wagers.
How do Bet Builders work?
Bet builders are relatively self-explanatory and will be a familiar offering for regular sports bettors. They allow punters the opportunity to personally build a bet for football and, increasingly, a number of other sports. The feature, which has become more and more popular over recent years, allows players to customise their bets by choosing a number of selections within the same event with the odds boosted as more legs are added. An increasing number of betting sites also allow customers to combine a number of bet builders to create a cross-game bet builder over multiple fixtures.
Essentially, a bet builder involves choosing a match on which you wish to bet on, football is the most popular sport to use it on), selecting the ‘Bet Builder’ option on the screen, and depending on the interface that the bookmaker deploys, it’s likely that you will essentially be able to select your bets within that event and they would subsequently be added to your bet slip. In layman’s terms, Bet Builder is the option to place different bets on the same event and combine them into a single bet. That’s the key difference between this and an Accumulator, as the latter allows you to bet on multiple events or matches while Bet Builder is only allowed within a single game or event. Another difference between a bet builder and an accumulator is that a bet builder allows related contingencies (outcomes) while an accumulator does not. An example would be for a team to win a game plus a specific player event, such as a player to be carded – for example Newcastle United to beat Aston Villa and Joelinton to receive a card. This would not be an option in an acca but would be fairly standard on a bet builder, with odds boosted because of the added contingency.
Once you have made your selections, the bet builder will produce the overall odds for your bet, and upon confirmation by the customer, that would go through and you’ve built a bet which you can view in your ‘My Bets’ section.
It’s an easy way to place multiple bets on any single event that in turn provide more favourable odds, with most offering up to 10 selections. All that customers needs is a registered and verified account, and the required funds in their account to place the bet.
Pros and Cons of Using Bet Builders
The easy nature of building the bet makes it a simple, non-time-consuming process and so if you wish to place more than one bet on an event, this allows you to do so quickly and without the effort of scrolling through more data than you need which in turn creates indecision and hassle.
Ultimately, it puts you in control of the bet to make the picks you want for that particular event.
Further, the odds eventually add up as you continue to add more bets in different markets and start to maximise the possible returns you could see, and so it’s certainly likely to make a bigger impact on your account wallet.
That said, it could work the other way too and if you’re looking to play it safe and focus on one or two markets that stand out and offer good odds, then Bet Builders allow you to do that as well.
It gives you the chance to assess the odds as you continue to add more markets to the equation, allowing you to make an informed and balanced decision as to whether it’s worth adding more and taking on more risk or hedging your bets and playing a steady long-haul strategy.
In terms of cons, you are likely to be limited on the stake you can put down and for now at least, the feature doesn’t cover as many sports as we would like but that could improve in time. Some punters can also be tempted to make extra selections, simply because of the options available. Extra legs to your bet builder will increase the odds but they also reduce the chances of your bet coming in and can be a distraction.
Bet builders never show the other side of your picks. For example, the odds will not be shown for a specific player not to have two shots on target, only the odds for them to do so. You also need to be aware that bet builders often do not apply for extra-time, only the regulation 90 minutes plus stoppage time. This means that when betting on cup football it can be a little more difficult and you might want to focus your wager on which team will progress to the next round.
Another thing to be aware of is that with some betting sites, cash out is not available on bet builder wagers. Some bookies who do have this available will remove it as the match approaches the closing stages.
What to look for when searching for bet builder tips
Firstly you need to consider how on pick will impact on the others within your bet builder wager. Obviously you are unable to place a bet on contradictory outcomes. Look at your selections carefully. If you were, for example, backing a team to win to nil, there would be very little sense in also backing the opposition to have 4+ shots on target. It would be highly unlikely for that particular combination to come off.
You need to look at the characteristics of the teams. Do they give a lot of fouls away? Do they pick up bookings. If you thought that one team would win a match quite easily, then you could be on them to win to nil. If the opposition have a tendency to pick up yellow and red cards you could then bet on there to be 5+ cards in the game.
Best betting sites for bet builders
One of the first betting sites was bet365. They are still one of the best on the UK landscape and have become one of the first bookmakers to make bet builders available for other sports apart from football. The bet builder tab is easy to navigate, both on the website and app and you can make up to 12 selections. It is available for both pre-match and live betting. There is a cross game bet builder available and cash out is available.
Coral also have a highly regarded bet builder, as do Betfred and BetUK.
Things to remember when making bet builder picks
Check out the form of teams and individual players. Check out their characteristics. Do individuals give away or attract fouls? Does a team pick up a lot of bookings? If a player has just come back from injury or has been on the bench a long time he might be a good bet to miss time a couple of early tackles and get booked. Armed with this sort of research you can boost your odds with betting on numbers of cards or individual players to be carded, along with the result.
Cross-game bet builders: how do they work?
You can combine picks from different games with cross-game bet builders. Not every bookmaker offers this feature, however they are a great way to enhance your odds. They work in the same manner as traditiona bet builders You make various selections within a game and then combine them with a number of different selections from another game.
Can you cash out your bet builders?
Not every bookmaker will give customers the opportunity to cash out a bet builder but the likes of bet365, Sky Bet and a number of others do give them this chance.
You should consider cashing out when there is a certain player that you are waiting on – either to receive a booking, to score or to have a shot on target – who typically gets substituted in the latter stages of matches. So it’s also worth doing your research on whether players you pick come off.
On the other hand, it may not be worthwhile cashing out if the team you have backed to get a result have a reputation for scoring at the death. If you are relying on booking points, then you should research whether the sides involved have a tendency to receive cards late on.
If you do decide to cash out it means that your bet will not settle for the full potential winnings. You should always fully consider this when deciding whether you want to risk it for the full possible returns or sacrifice it for a smaller profit.
Bet builders: Different terminology
While the vast majority of betting sites have a feature to construct your wager they are not all called bet builders. Here are a few examples:
Bet Builder; bet365, Ladbrokes
#PickYourPunt: Betfred
Coral – Build Your Bet
Are bet builders available across a range of sports?
The vast majority of bookies will offer a football bet builder. However, many of the best betting sites are beginning to offer a bet builder feature for other sports such as basketball and tennis. These will not be available at every bookie. The NBA bet builder at bet365 works in a similar way to their football one. Tennis is another popular sports for bet builders. You can bet on who wins the first set, the number of aces, along with the match winner
Bet Builder Strategy Examples
Liverpool vs Sheffield United
- Liverpool vs Sheffield United – Match result – Liverpool
- Liverpool vs Sheffield United – Correct score – 3-0
- Liverpool vs Sheffield United – First goalscorer – Mohamed Salah
Wolves vs Aston Villa
- Wolves vs Aston Villa – Both teams to score – Yes
- Wolves vs Aston Villa – Total goals – Over 3
- Wolves vs Aston Villa – Match result – Villa
Arsenal vs Real Madrid
- Arsenal vs Real Madrid – Total goals – Over 4
- Arsenal vs Real Madrid – Jorginho to be booked
- Arsenal vs Real Madrid – Bukayo Saka Over 1.5 Shots on Target
There are a vast array of available markets within the Bet Builder feature, including those detailed above.
Once you have selected an event, the more popular markets all tend to be available to add to your wager, and then it’s about which additional markets either appeal given the sureness in that coming off, or ones that provide the most value.
It’s a simple process to choose too with the markets you want available to scroll through on that same screen, and it’s then down to judgement and instinct in terms of what could come off.
When did Bet Builders Become so Popular?
While they have gained traction and popularity in more recent times, there have been differing versions of the same feature that have been around for a while.
Whether it’s the Request a Bet type feature that most prominent bookmakers provide or otherwise, the variations have largely been about asking the bookie to give you the odds on a multiple-market bet that you wish to place.
That in turn led to the Bet Builder feature which simplifies the process, and in turn it continues to become a more popular tool for customers that puts them in control of what they decide to piece together.
Bet Builder Odds – Is there a Difference?
In short, yes. For example, if you were to place three single bets for a total of £10 on a specific game, the likelihood is that the odds, and subsequently the profit available, will be lower than what you would get from a treble through a Bet Builder feature.
That is part of the appeal of building your own bet using this option, and if you can identify the right markets within a specific event, the odds can be more advantageous as you’re essentially creating your own accumulator for a single event as you go along.
Bet Builders: Now a staple of football betting and growing in other sports
Bet Builder has grown into a popular feature, predominantly used for football, but it has a growing scope and popularity among other sports too.
It’s an easy-to-use option that allows you to put together your own multiple-market bet for a specific event, and that in turn bumps up the odds and the potential returns.
Given its smooth running and the speed with which you can place a wager with the top bookmakers and the financial advantages that come from it, there is certainly a lot of positive things that can be said of the Bet Builder feature.
As ever, bookies are always evolving and improving the service that they provide, and there’s no doubt that the Bet Builder feature will continue to go from strength to strength.
Check out the best betting sites in the UK with Betting.com.
