Home › How to Bet › Yankee Bet Explained
By The Guv'nor · Last updated October 2026
The Yankee bet explained in a line: it's 11 bets on four horses in four different races: six doubles, four trebles and one four-fold accumulator. You need at least two winners to get anything back, and a £1 Yankee costs £11 (£22 each-way). It belongs to the "full cover" family, from the three-horse Trixie up to the 247-bet Goliath.
Below is every full cover bet in one table, then the bit most guides skip: what the bookie's margin does to each one. I'm essentially a statistics/maths geek, so expect numbers. If you're new to betting altogether, start with my guide on how to bet on horse racing.
Full cover bets in one table: bets, cost and winners needed
A full cover bet backs every combination of your horses in doubles, trebles and bigger accumulators. Some versions add a single on each horse too, which is why the bet counts climb so fast.
| Bet | Horses | What's in it | Winners for a return | Cost: win / each-way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trixie | 3 | 4 bets: 3 doubles, 1 treble | 2 | £4 / £8 |
| Patent | 3 | 7 bets: 3 singles, 3 doubles, 1 treble | 1 | £7 / £14 |
| Yankee | 4 | 11 bets: 6 doubles, 4 trebles, 1 four-fold | 2 | £11 / £22 |
| Lucky 15 | 4 | 15 bets: 4 singles plus the Yankee | 1 | £15 / £30 |
| Super Yankee (Canadian) | 5 | 26 bets: 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four-folds, 1 five-fold | 2 | £26 / £52 |
| Lucky 31 | 5 | 31 bets: 5 singles plus the Super Yankee | 1 | £31 / £62 |
| Heinz | 6 | 57 bets: 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, 6 five-folds, 1 six-fold | 2 | £57 / £114 |
| Lucky 63 | 6 | 63 bets: 6 singles plus the Heinz | 1 | £63 / £126 |
| Super Heinz | 7 | 120 bets: 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 four-folds, 21 five-folds, 7 six-folds, 1 seven-fold | 2 | £120 / £240 |
| Goliath | 8 | 247 bets: 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, 8 seven-folds, 1 eight-fold | 2 | £247 / £494 |
Three things hold for all of them:
- Your stake is per line. "50p Heinz" means 50p on each of the 57 bets, so £28.50 in total. Check the total on the betslip before you hit the button.
- The horses go in different races. Coral's help pages describe these bets as selections on separate events, because a double needs two results that can both happen.
- Each-way doubles the bet count. An each-way Yankee is 22 bets: one Yankee on the horses to win and another on them to place, settled win-to-win and place-to-place. Place terms are covered in each-way betting explained.
Turn each winner's odds into a decimal (3/1 becomes 4.0), add 1 to each, multiply them together and take 1 off. That's what a "Lucky" bet or Patent returns per £1 a line. For a bet without singles (Trixie, Yankee, Super Yankee, Heinz and the rest), also take off the decimal odds of each winner.
Example: two 3/1 winners in a Yankee. 5 x 5 = 25, minus 1 = 24, minus 4 and 4 = £16.
Trixie and Patent: the three-horse bets
Trixie bet explained
A Trixie is four bets on three horses: the three doubles (AB, AC, BC) and the treble (ABC). No singles, so one winner gets you nothing. Two winners land one double; three winners land the lot.
Worked example: three horses all at 3/1, £1 a line (£4). One winner returns nothing. Two return £16, because £1 at 3/1 makes £4 and that £4 rolls on at 3/1 to make £16. Three winners return £112: three £16 doubles plus a £64 treble.
Patent bet explained
A Patent is the Trixie with a single on each horse added: seven bets, £7 for £1 a line. The singles mean one winner always returns something, though at short prices not enough. Same three 3/1 shots: one winner returns £4 from £7, two return £24 and three £124.
The Patent costs 75% more than the Trixie for the same three horses, and the extra £3 only buys the singles. On bigger prices those singles start earning their keep: a £1 single on a 10/1 winner pays £11 on its own.
The Yankee bet explained: four horses, 11 bets
Call the four horses A, B, C and D. A Yankee covers every combination of two or more of them:
- 6 doubles: AB, AC, AD, BC, BD, CD
- 4 trebles: ABC, ABD, ACD, BCD
- 1 four-fold: ABCD
That's 11 lines: £11 for £1 a line, £22 each-way. Two winners land one double, three land three doubles and a treble, four land all 11.
Worked example: what a Yankee pays
| Winners | Which ones | Returns | Profit or loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Any one | £0.00 | -£11.00 |
| 2 | 2/1 and 3/1 | £12.00 | +£1.00 |
| 2 | 4/1 and 5/1 | £30.00 | +£19.00 |
| 3 | 2/1, 3/1 and 4/1 | £107.00 | +£96.00 |
| 4 | All four | £821.00 | +£810.00 |
The two shortest prices winning makes a quid; the two biggest make £19. The size of the prices matters as much as the number of winners.
Yankee and Lucky 15
Add a single on each horse to a Yankee and you've got a Lucky 15: 15 bets, £15 for £1 a line, and one winner returns something. With the same four horses the singles add £18 to the all-four return (£839 instead of £821). The question of which to pick, plus bonuses and the each-way version, is all in Yankee vs Lucky 15. If you're after four horses to put in one, that's what my lucky 15 tips page is for.
Super Yankee (Canadian) and Lucky 31: five horses
Super Yankee bet explained
A Super Yankee and a Canadian are the same bet under two names: 26 bets on five horses, made up of 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five four-folds and a five-fold. £1 a line costs £26, or £52 each-way. Like the Yankee, it needs two winners to return anything.
Canadian bet explained
Nothing extra to explain, if I am honest: some betslips say Canadian, some say Super Yankee, and it's the same 26 bets.
Lucky 31 explained
The Lucky 31 is the Super Yankee plus five singles: 31 bets, £31 for £1 a line. One winner returns something. "Lucky" bets get the name from the bonuses bookies offer on them, but the terms vary: Coral's own help page on Lucky 15, 31 and 63 bets says a single winner does not get a consolation bonus. Check your bookie's terms before you count on any.
Worked example, five horses all at 3/1 and £1 a line: two winners return £16 on the Super Yankee (£26 staked) and £24 on the Lucky 31 (£31 staked), so both lose. Three winners return £112 and £124, and all five £3,104 and £3,124.
Heinz, Lucky 63, Super Heinz and Goliath
Heinz bet explained
A Heinz is 57 bets on six horses, every double up to the six-fold; the name is a nod to Heinz's "57 varieties" slogan. A £1 Heinz is £57 (£114 each-way). With six horses at 3/1, two winners give back £16, three £112 and four £608.
Lucky 63
Lucky 63 is the Heinz plus six singles: 63 bets, £63 at £1 a line, one winner for a return. Same bonus caveat as the Lucky 31.
Super Heinz
Seven horses, 120 bets, £120 for £1 a line, two winners for a return.
Goliath bet
Eight horses, 247 bets, from 28 doubles up to an eight-fold. A £1 Goliath costs £247 (£494 each-way). At 10p a line that's £24.70 and at 20p it's £49.40. Small stakes make sense here, because with eight horses at 3/1 you need four winners before you're in profit: three winners return £112, four return £608.
Which bet suits which strike rate? The margin maths
Every price you take has a margin built in, and in a multiple that margin multiplies along with your winnings.
What the bookie's margin does to each bet
Say each of your horses, over the long run, gives back 90p for every £1 you put on it as a single. That's a 10% edge to the bookie. In a double that becomes 0.9 x 0.9 = 81p, in a treble 73p, and in an eight-fold about 43p. If each horse gives back £1.10 instead, an eight-fold is worth about £2.14 per £1. Here it is across every line of every bet:
| Bet | Lines | Each returns 0.90 | Each returns 1.00 | Each returns 1.10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patent | 7 | -16.3% | 0.0% | +18.0% |
| Lucky 15 | 15 | -19.8% | 0.0% | +23.0% |
| Trixie | 4 | -21.0% | 0.0% | +24.0% |
| Yankee | 11 | -23.3% | 0.0% | +27.7% |
| Lucky 31 | 31 | -23.4% | 0.0% | +28.5% |
| Super Yankee | 26 | -25.9% | 0.0% | +32.1% |
| Lucky 63 | 63 | -26.9% | 0.0% | +34.5% |
| Heinz | 57 | -28.7% | 0.0% | +37.1% |
| Super Heinz | 120 | -31.6% | 0.0% | +42.8% |
| Goliath | 247 | -34.6% | 0.0% | +49.2% |
A punter 10% worse than fair on each horse loses about 10% on singles, 23% on a Yankee and 35% on a Goliath. One 10% better than fair wins 28% on the Yankee and 49% on the Goliath. Full cover bets don't create an edge; they magnify the one you've got, good or bad. The Patent and "Lucky" versions sit closer to zero because their singles dilute the compounding. (The Lucky 15 row, with bonuses, is unpacked in full in Lucky 15 explained.)
How many winners you need, and how often you get nothing
Then there's strike rate. Shorter prices win more often but need more winners to pay; two outsiders can carry the whole bet.
| Bet | All at 2/1 | All at 4/1 | All at 8/1 | Chance of nothing back (4/1 shots) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trixie | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | 91% |
| Patent | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | 1 of 3 | 55% |
| Yankee | 3 of 4 | 2 of 4 | 2 of 4 | 85% |
| Lucky 15 | 3 of 4 | 2 of 4 | 2 of 4 | 45% |
| Super Yankee | 3 of 5 | 3 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 78% |
| Lucky 31 | 3 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 37% |
| Heinz | 4 of 6 | 3 of 6 | 2 of 6 | 70% |
| Lucky 63 | 4 of 6 | 3 of 6 | 2 of 6 | 30% |
| Super Heinz | 4 of 7 | 3 of 7 | 3 of 7 | 63% |
| Goliath | 5 of 8 | 4 of 8 | 3 of 8 | 56% |
What I take from that:
- Short prices and big full cover bets don't mix. A Goliath of 2/1 shots needs five of eight to win before you're up. If your horses win often but pay little, stick to singles or a Trixie.
- Bigger prices suit the bets without singles. At 8/1 two winners put a Yankee, Super Yankee and Heinz in profit, but you'll get nothing back from a 4/1-shot Yankee about 85 times in 100.
- The singles buy fewer blank days, not a better bet. A Lucky 15 of 4/1 shots returns something far more often than a Yankee (nothing back 45% of the time against 85%), but those small returns are usually a loss on the day.
All of this assumes independent horses in different races. In practice longer prices often give back less than shorter ones, the favourite-longshot bias I go through in value betting in horse racing, so the 90p in my tables is a kind assumption for outsiders.
How I use full cover bets
Look, I used to be a Quantitative Researcher at a Tier 1 investment bank, so when a bet multiplies whatever edge you have, my first question is whether I've got one. If the prices aren't right, a Yankee just loses you money faster than four singles.
I judge my betting on profit month to month, not strike rate. Anyone can talk about high win rates when they tip odds-on horses all day. I like outsiders and each-way value, and as the tables show, outsiders at the right price are where these multiples make sense.
The other thing is staking. I divide my bank into points, for example 1pt = £5 on a £100 bank, and a full cover bet is still a bet inside that bank. A £1 Yankee is £11, which is 2.2 points on that bank before it's even started; a £1 Goliath is nearly 50 points. If you're unsure about one of the horses, skip it rather than adding it to make the numbers up, and never chase a losing day with a bigger multiple. Losers are a thing, and understanding that is the key to being a winner longer term.
Some people like to throw everything into a Yankee or a Lucky 15, and that's completely fine. Just do it with a stake you'd be happy to lose, and don't expect a 300/1 touch every day.
- The Guv'nor
Full cover bet questions
How many winners do you need on a Yankee?
Two. With one winner a Yankee returns nothing, because it has no singles. Whether two winners make a profit depends on the prices: two 2/1 shots return £9 from an £11 stake at £1 a line, two 4/1 shots return £25.
What happens if one of my horses is a non-runner?
The bet usually stands on the rest. Coral's general rules, for example, say void selections in multiples are treated as non-runners and the stake runs on to the remaining selections, so a double becomes a single and a treble a double. So a Yankee with a non-runner leaves three singles, six doubles (each pair twice) and two trebles on the other three horses, which is a Patent plus a Trixie, and the stake stays at 11 lines. Check your own bookie's rules, and if a late withdrawal shortens the others' odds, see Rule 4 deductions.
How much is a 10p Yankee each-way?
£2.20. That's 22 bets (11 to win, 11 to place) at 10p each. A 10p win-only Yankee is £1.10.
Can I put two horses from the same race in a Yankee?
No. Full cover bets are built from doubles and accumulators, which need the selections in separate events, so most betslips won't offer these bets if two of your horses are in the same race.
More in this guide
- How to bet on horse racing: the beginner's guide
- Lucky 15 explained, with a Lucky 15 calculator
- Each-way betting explained
- Horse racing odds explained: fractions and decimals
- Horse racing betting terms A-Z
- Horse racing betting strategy
I run Bolts Up Daily. I was a Quantitative Researcher at a Tier 1 Investment Bank (essentially a statistics and maths geek), and I now use those skills to analyse UK and Irish racing, profitably enough that most of your favourite bookies won't take a bet from me. Every horse I tip, I'm betting on myself, and every bet comes with a stake in points. I own racehorses too. Look, I can't guarantee every tip is going to win (anyone that can is a fraudster), but I care about profit, not strike rate.
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