What is a Patent Bet?

A patent bet combines seven individual wagers on three selections: three singles, three doubles and a treble. 

In this article, we explain how and when to place a patent bet at online bookmakers. 

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How To Calculate Patent Bets

Because there are seven individual bets in a patent, the total cost is seven times your unit stake.

So if you were to place a £15 Patent bet, your total outlay would be £105.

Here are the seven bets involved in a Patent bet:

• 3 x singles
• 3 x cross-doubles
• 1 x cross-treble

Patent Bet Example

Let’s take a look at how a patent bet works based on a trio of horse racing selections.

In this example, the unit stake is £5, meaning the total bet cost is £35.

• Selection 1: Boothill (2.05, Ascot) – 7/2 
• Selection 2: Dashing Roger (2.10, Newmarket) – 6/1 
• Selection 3: Botox Has (2.25, Wetherby) – 15/2

All three selections went on to win their respective races, making it a patent to remember. Here is a full breakdown of how the returns are calculated:

Note: We've used decimal odds here to simplify the calculations.

Singles  

• Boothill - £22.50 (4.5 x £5) 
• Dashing Roger - £35 (7.0 x £5) 
• Botox Has - £42.50 (8.5 x £5)

Doubles 

• Boothill/Dashing Roger - £157.50 (£5 x 4.5 x 8.5) 
• Boothill/Botox Has - £191.25 (£5 x 4.5 x 8.5) 
• Dashing Roger/Botox Has - £297.50 (£5 x 7.0 x 8.5) 

Treble 

Boothill/Dashing Roger/Botox Has - £1338.75 (£5 x 4.5 x 7.0 x 8.5)

Total: £2085.00 (singles total + doubles total)

Many of the best horse racing betting sites offer best odds guaranteed, which is something to factor in if you're working out the potential returns of a patent bet before placing it.

Research the best horse racing odds is crucial before placing a patent bet and It's also worth remembering that you can usually use free bets to maximise your returns.

You can find Cheltenham Betting Offers and Grand National free bets and other lucrative promotions for the biggest horse racing meetings. 

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What Sports Can You Place Patent Bets on?

Patent bets are most popular in horse racing but there's no reason why you can’t use this bet type at football betting sites, or on any other sport you fancy.

The most important factor when considering where and when to place a patent is the odds on your selections.

Patent bets are most effective when combining larger-priced selections, so it wouldn't usually be advisable to combine three odds-on football selections in this way.

For example, if you were to put three 4/6 football winners in a £5 patent, the overall return would be £89.81, which is only £54.81 profit on the original £35 outlay.

You could instead opt for three Premier League first goalscorer selections in your patent bet, or a trio of touchdown scorer selections on a busy NFL Sunday.

It's also worth remembering that you can go cross-sports with your patent selections. One selection could be a first goalscorer, one could be a try-scorer in a rugby international and the third might be the winner of a golf tournament.

Furthermore, you don’t have to stick to sporting selections. One of your selections could be the winner of an entertainment show like Strictly Come Dancing or even a political section like next Prime Minister.

How do Each-Way Patents Work?

Each-way patent bets are popular with horse racing punters because you can pick up a tidy return without backing a single winner.

The key to this, obviously, is to back horses that go off at generous prices. 

For example, if you were to combine three 10/1 chances in a £1 each-way patent, and all three were placed, you would pick up £63 (based on all three selections returning at 1/5 odds) for a bet that cost £14.

If you were to place a £1 each-way patent bet on three horses - all priced at 5/1 - and all three placed, the total return would be £26 (assuming 1/5 place terms). 

That's a £12 profit on your initial £14 outlay.

Remember, if you are betting each-way, you are effectively placing two bets on each selection: win and place. So while a £1 win-only patent would cost £7 in total, a £1 each-way patent bet would cost £14.

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Is a Patent Bet Worth It?

A patent is a great way to maximise the potential returns of three selections across a range of races or sporting events, but it’s not perfect for all types of betting.

If you want to maximise the earning potential of three generously-priced selections with the insurance of a return for just one winner, then it’s ideal.

Here are the main pros and cons: