It takes a certain type of person to place a multiple bet. It’s definitely a different mentality than you’ll find in those ‘lumping on’ a big odds-on shot and thinking that they’ve solved an unsolvable equation when it predictably romps home in first place. Some of those betting on accumulators are very comfortable with the long game, cool, calm, considered. At the same time others drawn to multiples are more like madcap, lottery lovers who probably get help picking their selections from their pet budgie. Let’s explore the various personalities and pitfalls of acca lovers.
‘The Fonz’
Some people just breeze through life. One lucky Leicester punter must have been over the moon as a result of winning a huge sum of money from little more than a ‘beer money’ level (well okay, a bar meal!) bet earlier this year. Or at least you’d have imagined so but this ultra cool customer didn’t even bother to check the results until the next morning after a lively night out. When he did check the Punchestown punter saw that his £19 five horse accumulator had turned into the dizzying sum of £823,000 .
Commenting on his win this chilled out moneybags said “Over the years I’ve come close landing a big return a couple of times but kept hitting the woodwork, and now I’ve done it I feel remarkably calm”.
‘Big Event Punter’
Some punters, whether going for a single bet or accumulator, tend to feel the excitement of wanting a flutter when the next big event comes around. It’s hard to argue with this really as I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves feeling the desire to palce a bet on the Grand National or World Cup. Having a punt on the Grand National is something of a tradition that we all get in on. Someone who won’t regret opting for the big events is a 67 year old factory worker who bagged a cool £250,000 from a £1 bet on the last day of last year’s Cheltenham Festival. He backed 5 big priced selections as part of a Lucky 31 bet. The first four won (Arctic Fire, Penhill, Pacha Du Polder and Champagne Classic), if the fifth (Dodging Bullets) had won the punter would’ve won a million pounds! Still, not a bad day’s work!
“My heart is still pounding. My wife has always wanted a bungalow. Now we can buy one and make the dream happen.”
‘Lucky man’
A not uncommon type of acca punter has to be the random selector. Some people like making selections based on the name of horses, something they recognise or get a feel for, or because the horse looks faintly like Aunt Gertrude. The actual odds are often neither here nor there to this type of person, much like those drawn to the lottery – though at least with the horses it’s pretty much ‘odds to chance’ rather than a ‘cat in hells chance’ rip off.
A 34 year old mechanic at Wolverhampton racecourse used this (non) strategy to bag himself a fortune in Janury of last year. With just a £30 bet he made 7 different horse selections based on name alone. The finger of fate pointed his way and he left the course giddy at the fact he was £245,000 richer.
“When the seventh had won, I was jumping around the place.I’ll be working this weekend and I don’t plan on telling many people, else they’ll all be wanting discounts!” said the lucky punter, to a local newspaper.
