What Is an If-Win Only Bet?

If you’re a fan of parlay bets, you’ll like “If Win Only Bets,” as they’re very similar. However, unlike regular parlays, these bets require you to wager on events that happen sequentially. (We strongly suggest you look up our Parlay Betting Explained section for more info.)

If Win Only sports betting may sound a little complicated for a newcomer but don’t worry, it’s actually a lot easier to understand than it sounds! We’re here to give you a full breakdown of your question about What is an If Win Only bet, how to make one, and tips for using them yourself.

Definition of an If-Win-Only Bet

An If Win Only bet is a sequence of 2-7 single bets that happen sequentially, creating a parlay of sorts. Before you place the bet, you choose an amount you’d like to risk on each game. Each bet must win for the next bet to be triggered: if one bet loses, the chain is broken, and you’re left with whatever returns you’ve already made. Think of it as a chain of “IF” statements; if my first bet wins, my second bet will be bet on, and if my second bet wins, my third bet will be bet on.

In If Win Only sports betting, a bet allows you to minimize your losses if multiple bets in your selection lose. If one bet loses, the chain is broken, and the outcome of later games does not matter. Even if they all lose, your bets aren’t placed, so you don’t lose any more money. This makes them great for bettors with a low bankroll, as it allows them to bet on multiple single games at once with a lower risk. Let’s take a look at some examples to get a better understanding of how they work. 

Examples of If Win Only Bets

In our first example, we’ll look at the easiest kind of If Win Only Bet you can make – a two-legged version. We want to bet that the Miami Heat will beat the L.A. Clippers on Saturday night, and we also want to bet on the Golden State Warriors to beat the Boston Celtics on Sunday night. We’ve got $10 to make an If Win Only Bet, so let’s see how it plays out.

The NBA odds we get for the two games are +100 on Miami vs L.A. and +200 on the Golden State Warriors vs the Celtics. We make the bet, and Miami wins against L.A.! So, the first leg of our bet has won, giving us a $20 return ($10 profit). Since we won our first bet, that triggered the second selection in our bet, so the next bet of $10 will be made on the GSW to beat the Celtics. On Sunday night, the Warriors beat the Celtics at +200, so our $10 bet gives us a $30 return ($20 profit). Since it’s the last bet in our sequence, there are no more bets to be made, and we collect a total profit of $30.

In this next example, we aren’t so lucky. The following week we go to make the same bet at the same odds, but this time the Heat don’t beat the Clippers. Since our first bet lost, the second bet in our sequence will not take place. This means that our total return is -$10.

In our last example, we decided to up the ante a little bit and make a three-team wager. The first bet is on the Green Bay Packers to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers at +250, then the New England Patriots to beat the New York Jets at +100, and finally, we bet on the Miami Dolphins to beat the Atlanta Falcons at -100. 

Our first bet of the night wins as the Packers beat the Steelers, which gives us a $25 profit on our $10 wager. As we won the first bet, the second bet in our sequence is triggered, so $10 is a bet on the Patriots to beat the Jets. However, the Patriots lose, which means we lose $10, and the sequence ends. Our total profit is $25 from the first bet, minus the $10 from the second bet, which gives us a total profit of $15. The outcome of the third game is irrelevant since the sequence was broken when we lost the second bet.

Also Learn About: Top Bookmakers Betting Guide

Tips For Using If Win Only Bets

Now that your question of What is an If Win Only Bet has been answered, here are some tips for using this yourself:

1. Start With Your Strongest Prediction – This is called making an “anchor” bet, as you need your first bet to win before your other selections see any action. It’s always best to start with your strongest bet, as it sets you up well for the rest of the bet.
2. Recognize The Risks – Like parlay bets, If Win Only Bets are long shots that won’t come in very often. Don’t go into one of these bets expecting all of your selections to win, as the more bets you add to it, the greater your chances of losing early – even if you think you have a good shot at winning them all!
3. Stay Disciplined – The point of making an If Win Only Bet is to get a big return by making multiple bets at once. However, with big returns, you have to expect more frequent losses. When those losses come, it’s important that you don’t immediately place a straight bet on the game that was supposed to be next in the sequence; just take the loss, and move on.

What Are The Pros and Cons of If Win OnlyBets?

While If Win Only sports betting is a great way to increase your profit from single bets by stringing them together, they do have their drawbacks, so let’s take a look at the pros and cons.

🔷 Pros:

🔹 Good For Small Bankrolls – If you don’t have much money in your account, making an If Win Only Bet is an efficient way to bet on multiple single events.

🔹 Increased Returns – By using If Win Only Bets, you can parlay your initial investment into a much larger return.

🔹 Reduces Number Of Losing Bets – As the sequence of bets is stopped after one losing bet, it doesn’t matter if you predict three or four events incorrectly, as you only lose one bet. This limits your losses compared to making multiple single bets.

🔶 Cons:

🔸 Aren’t As Profitable As Single Bets – Single Bets are always going to be more profitable than any kind of parlay bet, so if you’re looking to make money in the long run, Win Only Bets aren’t recommended.

🔸 Hard To Stay Disciplined – If you lose the first leg of an If Win Only Bet, it’s tempting to make another wager on the remaining legs, which can end up risking you more money than you initially intended to bet.

🔸 Relying On Luck – If you want to make a big return from an If Win Only Bet, you’re relying on a lot of luck to do so. You almost always need your first one or two bets to win in an If Win Only Bet if you want to see any decent profit, and it’s easy to go through long stretches where this doesn’t happen.

Why You Should Use If Win Only Bets

If you’re looking to make a parlay of multiple single bets and want to get a big return, then If Win Only Bets are the best type for you. If Win Only sports betting allows you to bet on multiple events and ensure that your bankroll is preserved, even in the event that you predict multiple outcomes incorrectly. However, as the placement of each bet is sequential, these events must happen at different times; otherwise, they can’t be selected in your bet.

FAQs: If Win Only Bet