You’re looking to head into the sports betting realm, but first, you’d like to research all the different types of bets. That’s smart of you. Because in sports betting, there are a few ways you can bet and hopefully win. Action reverse bets are one such type of many bets, and today’s post explains them.
We will cover all the basics, assuming you are a first-time sports bettor or have bet recreationally in the past and would like to add more variety to your betting repertoire.
Before we go any further, it’s fair to warn you that action reverse bets are complicated. You may want to study them further than the scope of today’s post before you try it. But if you’re looking for a simple outline, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s look closer.
Action reverse Bet Basics: The If Bet
As the title of today’s post shows, there is another type of bet out there to first understand before we dive into action reverse bets. This is called an ‘if bet.’
But you’re placing a wager on 2 games instead of just one. However, you’re only putting a bet on the first game; if you win, your bet and the total payout are wagered on the next game.
If you lose the bet in the Pittsburgh-Seattle game, you lose the if bet, and the total payout subtracts from the previous bet.
Okay, now that you know what an if bet is, the action reverse bets come into play. The action reverse bets pertain to a combination of any possible if bets. If you’re new to sports betting, you may find this overview confusing, given its complexity. But you can also see how complicated action reverse bets are, even if the if bet is straightforward.
Given the overall complexity of the action reverse bet, the next section will further highlight real-life scenarios. To keep things simple, we will continue to use the NFL teams mentioned in this section.
Action reverse Bets Explained
The action reverse bet builds on the if bet, as they can work in both ways, whereas the if bet flows in just one direction. This is related to a parlay, a set of bets, while the action reverse bet is a set of if bets.
Let’s head over to the NBA, where you will see something like this:
- Phoenix Suns (-4) versus the LA Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers (-3) versus the Denver Nuggets. Say we bet the Clippers and the Nuggets.
If we did this with a parlay, our bet would look like this:
- For the $100 bet in the parlay, our overall winnings would come out to $264.64 if both teams won, and we would lose our bet if we either split or lost both games.
Or, we could just turn the parlay into an action reverse bet, which would look like this:
- Bet 1: Suns (-4) v. Clippers, $50 to win $45.45. Again, we’re betting on the underdog Clippers here, so if we win, push, tie, or if the bet gets canceled, then our bet carries to the next game – Lakers (-3) v. Nuggets.
If the Lakers v. Nuggets bet wins, pushes, ties, or gets canceled, then Clippers (+4) $50 bet to win $45.45.
The Takeaway
Okay, if this still looks confusing to you, this section will help you wade through the waters.
This allows you to place a $50 rebet on the Lakers and Nuggets if you win, tie, push, or see a cancellation regarding the Suns and Clippers game.
For more clarification, let’s look at the potential outcomes for an even better visual:
However, if one of your teams wins but the other does not, you still win $45.45.
What to Choose? Action reverse Bets or Parlays?
This one is up to you and your own intuition. If you placed the same $100 bet on the example above in a two-team parlay, you’re betting $100 to win $264.64 if both teams win. Or, you can lose $100.
The risk is lower with the action reverse because while you can lose $100, as in the parlay, you can also minimize your losses, which is impossible in the parlay. In this example, you can also win $181.82, but it’s still well under the $264.64 won in the parlay.
If you identify as a recreational or conservative bettor, you should go with the action reverse bet since it will minimize losses. While you won’t win as much, you can still walk away with a decent profit.
That said, if you’re a novice, your best bet is the if bet, as outlined in the top section of today’s post.
Action reverse Bet Strategies
Now that you know what an action reverse bet looks like, let’s dedicate the last section of today’s post to strategy. As stated above, if you’re an experienced recreational bettor, action reverse bets are for you.
However, this does not mean that you can’t use action reverse bets in favor of parlays if you’re looking to take your betting to the next level. It’s always wise to make bets that you can correlate, but this correlation cannot be blatant. One good example of a correlation is late in any sports season. Say the New York Jets play the Buffalo Bills, and the Jets have been eliminated from playoff contention since Week 12.
It’s Week 18 (as of 2021, the NFL Season runs 18 weeks), the Jets are 1-15, and the Bills are 13-3. This would be a great time to correlate an action reverse bet if you see another game like this, perhaps between the Dallas Cowboys (12-4) versus the New York Giants (4-12).
Another good time to place an action reverse is if a few events occur and you don’t have time to attain funds to “take advantage” of a situation.
- For example, say a star player misses a game because of a personal matter, and it’s the Saturday evening before the Sunday kickoff. This results in a correlation, but it’s acceptable because it was more of an abrupt correlation that works in your favor.
- For example, suppose Kyler Murray is dealing with a personal matter the night before a showdown against the Seahawks. In that case, it’s a perfect way to place an action reverse bet even if you initially planned on betting on the 49ers and Rams.
So again, look for correlations, but make sure that they’re situational in nature. The same would even go for more basic bets like moneylines or point spreads.
Conclusion
Overall, you should at least have a little bit of betting experience before you attempt an action reverse bet because they’re complex and not easy to understand.
Today’s post is also intended to give you an overview of action reverse bets and how bets work and provide a few basic strategies to help you get started.
