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What Is Lucky 31 Betting and How Does It Work

Lucky by name, but is it lucky by number? When you log into your trusted online sportsbook, a 5-pick accumulator often feels like the right call. Too often, a couple of selections win and a double lands, but the return still feels underwhelming. It spreads those selections across multiple bets, where results don’t always follow expectations.

Last updated: 13-05-2026

Jo Davies

Betting & Casino Writer

Fact checked by:

Chad Nagel

Sports Betting & Casino Editor

9 minread9 minutes read

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What is lucky 31 betting

Table of Contents

What Makes Up a Lucky 31 Bet

A Lucky 31 bet builds on the idea of an accumulator but spreads it across multiple bets. Instead of needing all selections to win together, it creates 31 different combinations from the same pick.
These combinations are made up of 5 selections:

5 singles
10 doubles
10 trebles
5 fourfolds
1 fivefold

Some markets, like betting on cricket, can be tricky to price. It is often worth comparing odds before locking in a section on where to bet on cricket.

How Lucky 31 Betting Works Step by Step

The setup is a type of system bet that is available at online betting platforms for soccer and other sports. Instead of relying on all selections to win together like an accumulator, it breaks them into smaller combinations. It gives you more ways to win, but each added selection also changes how the overall return plays out.

Start with 5 selections across different sports. I have chosen:

PSL match: Over 2.5 goals at 1.85
Rugby handicap at 1.90
Cricket total runs at 1.80
Tennis favourite at 1.55
Horse racing selection at 2.60

The system splits those picks into 31 bets. Your stake goes on each one, not the total. So even a R10 unit quickly turns into R310.

How Winning Selections Turn into Returns

What you get back comes down to how many selections win.

If only one comes in, it’s just the single.
With two, you’re looking at the singles and one double.
Get three right, and the trebles start to come into play alongside the others.
By four winners, most of the combinations are landing.
Hit all five, and everything connects.

Say only 2 selections win — the PSL and rugby picks at odds of 1.85 and 1.90. That double comes out at roughly 3.50. Even with the singles, the return can still fall short of what you’ve put in across all 31 bets.

Which Sports Work Best in a Lucky 31?

5 selections work best when you make them from different sports and markets.

Sport	Ideal Market	Risk Profile	Why It Works
Football (PSL & international)	Match odds, totals	Medium	Goal markets shift quickly, but shot volume and xG from sources like Opta or FBref give a clearer picture of what’s likely
Rugby	Handicaps, totals	Medium–High	Territory and set-piece dominance often drive scoring gaps, which can make handicap lines easier to read using data from SA Rugby
Cricket	Match winner, totals	Medium	Pitch conditions and match format play a big role, with trends often reflected in data from Cricket South Africa.
Tennis	Match winner	Low–Medium	Fewer variables compared to team sports, especially in straight match markets, where form and surface matter
Horse Racing	Win/place	High	Strong tradition in system bets, but outcomes can turn quickly, making it the most volatile part of the combination

Top Tip: Before backing a football selection, check data from StatsBomb. Metrics like shot quality and chance creation can show whether a team’s performance matches the result, which helps spot when outcomes may not be repeatable

Why Lucky 31 Betting Works (and Where It Fails)

In practice, it spreads your selections across multiple bets. So instead of everything depending on one outcome, different combinations can still go your way. That’s the upside and the trade-off shows quickly.

Singles give you something back if one or two picks win, but they don’t carry much weight. Most of the return sits in the doubles, trebles, and higher lines. Lose one selection, and a big chunk of those combinations disappears with it.

The Singles Coverage

If one or two selections come in, the singles return part of your stake. It helps, but it’s rarely enough to cover what’s been placed across all 31 bets.

Take odds of 1.80. On a single, that return is straightforward. Inside a Lucky 31, it barely offsets the total stake.

The High Exposure Problem

Every added selection increases both the number of bets and the total outlay. With 5 picks building 31 bets, even small stakes stack up faster than expected.

Then one result goes the other way. Every combination that includes it drops out at once. What’s left might still return something, but a large part of the bet is already gone.

Lucky 31 Pros and Cons

Pros

Multiple ways to get a return
More flexible than a standard accumulator

Cons

Total stake increases quickly
Returns can be low with only a few winners

Why Do Your Chances Drop as You Add More Selections?

Each selection has its own chance. When they are added together, those chances shrink.
Take three selections at 1.85, 1.90, and 1.80. On their own, each looks fairly likely. Those odds roughly translate to win chances of about 54%, 53%, and 56%.

Put them together, and the chance drops to around 16%. Add another selection, and it drops again.
This is where Lucky 31 bets can be misunderstood. You don't get better odds by adding more combinations. It just spreads outcomes across different bets, while the odds of multiple selections winning together keep dropping.

Lucky 31 vs Other Betting Systems

A Lucky 31 sits somewhere between a straight accumulator and smaller system bets. It gives you more ways to get a return, but it also means more bets — and more stake — on the line.

Bet Type	Selections	Total Bets	Singles Included	What to Expect
Trixie	3	4	No	Needs 2 winners to get anything back
Yankee	4	11	No	No singles, so one loss hits hard
Lucky 15	4	15	Yes	Singles offer some cover
Lucky 31	5	31	Yes	More coverage, but higher exposure
Accumulator	Any	1	No	All selections need to win

It can feel like a safer version of an accumulator because of the singles. In practice, most of the return still comes from doubles and trebles. With 5 selections in play, the total stake also climbs quickly compared to smaller systems like a Lucky 15.

Drivers of Real Value in Lucky 31 Bets

A Lucky 31 doesn’t fall apart because of the system. It usually comes down to the selections.

Strong picks on their own are a good start, but they also need to work together. Mixing different sports and markets helps, especially when outcomes don’t overlap. Betting on a rugby handicap and a tennis match, for example, won’t influence each other in the same way as two goal markets, even when using recommended rugby betting platforms.

Then there’s the balance of odds.

Stacking low odds can feel safe, but it often leads to smaller returns unless most combinations land. On the other hand, adding one or two higher-priced selections can lift the overall return, but also increases the risk of combinations falling short.

A final selection, maybe a bet on a few MMA operator markets, gets added just to complete the bet. That one choice ends up sitting across most of the doubles, trebles, and higher combinations. If it loses, a large part of the bet goes with it. Match trends can also be supported by official league statistics, which track scoring patterns and team performance over time.
A stronger approach is to treat each selection as if it were a single bet. If one pick doesn’t stand on its own, it probably doesn’t belong in the Lucky 31.

Risk & Bankroll Management

When you have 31 bets, the total stake can add up very quickly. It’s easy to focus on potential returns and overlook the total stake. Say you have R2,000. At R10 per bet, the full Lucky 31 costs R310. Increase that to R50, and the total jumps to R1,550 on one slip.

I find that the best way to look at it is to treat each one as an individual bet. It helps to remind you that each line carries its own risk. Losing runs come with the territory. With so many combinations in play, results don’t always follow even when the selections look solid.

When Lucky 31 Betting Works

It sounds obvious, but a Lucky 31 works better when each selection is strong. Adding bets just to make up the numbers isn’t going to make it a good choice.

Balancing the odds also matters. Mixing odds can improve the chance of a stronger return.
The last thing to consider is independence. Different sports and different markets take away some of the risk of one outcome affecting another.

Let’s say that we take a PSL total market and mix it with a rugby handicap and a tennis match. It creates separation between outcomes. With a spread like that, you don't have to rely on one outcome.

When to Avoid Lucky 31 Betting

One of the most common mistakes is when the 5th section is added just to complete the bet. Another is adding selections just for the sake of it.

I might be tempted to use two or more bets that count on the same thing happening, like a win and a card bet. One of the bigger mistakes is adding cover bets, which can cause a Lucky 31 to fall apart quickly.

If you can’t build a strong set of selections, it’s usually better to leave the bet.

What a Lucky 31 Really Comes Down To

When you decide to make a Lucky 31 bet, you are not only spreading your stake over 31 bets, but you are making more ways to win.

Don’t forget the important things, though. Make sure that all the bets are strong and that you keep your betting under control, so you don’t blow through your budget.

FAQs

What is a Lucky 31 bet?

It is a system bet which is made up of 5 selections for a total of 31 individual bets. They include singles, doubles, trebles, fourfolds, and a fivefold accumulator.

How many bets are in a Lucky 31?

As the name suggests, it is made up of 31 bets built from 5 selections across different markets.

Is a Lucky 31 better than a Lucky 15?

Not necessarily. The Lucky 31 has the chance of higher returns, but a Lucky 15 bet is easier to win.

Can a Lucky 31 be profitable long-term?

That depends on selection quality, odds, and discipline. The system itself doesn’t guarantee profit, and returns can vary due to how probabilities combine.

Which sports work best for Lucky 31 betting?

Sports with independent outcomes tend to work better. Football, rugby, cricket, tennis, and horse racing are commonly used, especially when selections come from different events.

Jo Davies Betting & Casino Writer

Jo Davies is a content writer with a well-rounded background that brings a practical, real-world edge to her work. Before moving into writing, she built experience across a range of industries, including health and safety, administration, petrochemical, medical, skills training, and hospitality. That journey has helped shape her ability to communicate clearly and approach topics with structure and understanding. 