What is a Lucky 31 bet and how does it work?
A Lucky 31 horse racing bet is made up of 31 bets – from singles and doubles, through to trebles, fourfolds and a fivefold. It is similar to a Lucky 15 and can appeal if you have five horse racing fancies that you’d like to back. They might all be favourites to win their respective races, they may all be ridden by the same jockey, or they could be horses that you’ve successfully backed before.
Here we’ll explain more about a Lucky 31, enabling you to make an informed decision about whether to place Lucky 31 bets yourself.
How does a Lucky 31 work?
While some people prefer backing their selections as singles, and others are drawn to an accumulator (acca), a Lucky 31 lies somewhere between those two extremes, offering the prospect of a big win while ensuring one horse losing doesn’t mean you lose your entire stake. In fact just one horse needs to win to ensure some sort of return on a Lucky 31.
A Lucky 31 is appropriately named as it is made up of 31 bets in total. The 31 bets are five singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five fourfolds and a fivefold containing all the horses you’re looking to back. Your stake is multiplied by 31, so a £1 Lucky 31 bet would cost you £31 overall. That’s £1 on each of the 31 bets that make up a Lucky 31.
| Bet type | Selections in bet | Number of bets |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | Horse 1 | horse 2 | horse 3 | horse 4 | horse 5 | 5 |
| Doubles | 1,2 | 1,3 | 1,4 | 1,5 | 2,3 | 2,4 | 2,5 | 3,4 | 3,5 | 4,5 | 10 |
| Trebles | 1,2,3 | 1,2,4 | 1,2,5 | 1,3,4 | 1,3,5 | 1,4,5 | 2,3,4 | 2,3,5 | 2,4,5 | 3,4,5 | 10 |
| Fourfold | 1,2,3,4 | 1,2,3,5 | 1,2,4,5 | 1,3,4,5 | 2,3,4,5 | 5 |
| Fivefold | Horses 1,2,3,4 and 5 | 1 |
Grand National Lucky 31
It you want to place a Grand National Lucky 31, you’ll also need to find four more horses from different races to bet on. Then combine those four selections with your Grand National horse, select the Lucky 31 option in your betslip, set your stake, and your Grand National Lucky 31 will be placed.
How to work out Lucky 31 winnings
Manually working out your potential winnings from a Lucky 31 can be a lengthy task, given it involves 31 separate bets. Fortunately, most bookmakers will display the amount you would win once you’ve added your selections to your betslip.
If you’re betting with a bookmaker that doesn’t display the full breakdown of your winnings, you can use our Grand National accumulator calculator to calculate what could be won from the doubles, trebles, fourfolds and fivefold included in your Lucky 31 bet. Otherwise, convert your odds from fractional to decimal format, and follow the steps below.
Single bets: decimal odds x stake = return (including stake)
Doubles: horse 1 odds x horse 2 odds = return (including stake)
Trebles: horse 1 odds x horse 2 odds x horse 3 odds = return (including stake)
Fourfolds: horse 1 odds x horse 2 odds x horse 3 odds x horse 4 odds = return (including stake)
Fivefold: horse 1 odds x horse 2 odds x horse 3 odds x horse 4 odds x horse 5 odds = return (including stake)
Is a Lucky 31 bet worth it?
It’s really up to the individual placing the Lucky 31 to decide whether or not the Lucky 31 is worth it, as we all have different levels of aversion to risk, and reasons why we bet. The table below summarises the main pros and cons of placing Lucky 31 bets.
| Pros of placing a Lucky 31 | Cons of placing a Lucky 31 |
|---|---|
| Potential to win large amounts from a small stake | Higher risk than placing bets on individual selections |
| Unlike an acca, the bet remains alive until your final horse has run | Outlay is likely to be bigger than if placing a normal accumulator |
| Far more chance of winning something than with an accumulator | 3 or even 4 of your 5 horses may need to win to give an overall profit |
| Provides a halfway house between singles and accumulators | All 31 bets must have the same stake |
How Does a Lucky 31 Each Way Work?
An each way bet gives you the chance to win your bet if your horse either wins a race or finishes in the top few places. This principle can be extended to Lucky 31s when you’re placing an each way Lucky 31 bet. Instead of betting on a single horse to win or place in a race, you’re hoping for a number of horses all to win or be placed. The table below explains how your bet would fare in each different scenario.
| Scenario | Win part of bet | Place part of bet |
|---|---|---|
| All 5 horses win | Winner | Winner |
| 1-4 horses win, all 5 horses are placed* | Partial winner | Winner |
| All 5 horses are placed* | Loser | Winner |
| 1-4 horses are unplaced* | Loser | Partial winner |
| All 5 horses are unplaced* | Loser | Loser |
*The exact number of places will vary depending on the bookmaker you bet with and the race you bet on. For the Grand National, this will be at least 4 places, and typically 5 or more.
Lucky 31 vs Canadian Bet
Lucky 31s and Canadians are very similar in that all 26 components of a Canadian are included in a Lucky 31. The only difference is five singles are also part of a Lucky 31.
| Bet type | Canadian | Lucky 31 |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | 0 | 5 |
| Doubles | 10 | 10 |
| Trebles | 10 | 10 |
| Fourfolds | 5 | 5 |
| Fivefold | 1 | 1 |
| Total bets | 26 | 31 |
Download our Grand National Betting Guide
Grand National Lucky 31 FAQs
Is a Lucky 31 worth it?
A Lucky 31 bet can be a good option if you are keen to back 5 horses but don’t want it to be ‘all or nothing’, as you’ll still get a return on your bet for just one winner.
How many horses do you need for a Lucky 31?
You need a total of 5 horses from different races if you’re placing a Lucky 15 bet.
Useful links and ‘how to’ guides
We hope you now have a better understanding of placing Lucky 31 bets on horse racing. The natural next step is to place your Grand National Lucky 31 bets.
The options open to you are betting in a bookmakers or at a racecourse, or making the most of the huge amount of generous offers and free bets by betting online.
You can also find out how much your accumulator will pay out by using our Grand National accumulator calculator, although most betslips will automatically calculate your potential winnings for you, before you go ahead and place your acca.
Whichever option you choose, we’ve got all your Grand National 2024 betting needs catered for at grandnational.org.uk.
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