A Heinz bet gets its name from the famous “57 varieties” slogan, and that’s exactly how many individual bets you’re placing – so yes, think ketchup I guess. It’s a massive multiple bet that takes six selections and covers every possible combination of doubles, trebles, four-folds, five-folds, and one six-fold accumulator.
When you break it down, you’re getting 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, 6 five-folds, and 1 six-fold – making 57 bets in total. The beauty of this system is that you don’t need all six selections to win for a return. Just two winners will guarantee you get something back, though obviously the more that come in, the better your payout becomes.
The whole thing works because you’re covering multiple combinations. Let’s say you pick six horses running at different tracks throughout the day. Even if only three of them win, you’ll still land several doubles and possibly a treble, which might be enough to show a profit depending on the odds.
Horse racing punters love Heinz bets because they offer a safety net whilst still providing the potential for massive returns if everything clicks. It’s particularly popular on big racing days like Cheltenham or Royal Ascot when there are quality races throughout the card and punters want to get involved across multiple events.
The classic example that most racing fans know is Frankie Dettori’s Magnificent Seven at Ascot in 1996. If someone had backed Frankie’s first six rides in a Heinz bet with a quid on each selection, they’d have been looking at over thirty grand profit by the time the sixth winner came in. Not bad for a £57 outlay.
The maths gets pretty mental quite quickly with these bets. Start with modest odds like 3/1 and 2/1 on your first couple of winners, and suddenly you’re looking at returns that make your eyes water. Each additional winner doesn’t just add to your profit – it multiplies it because of all the different combinations that include that selection.
Football punters sometimes use Heinz bets for weekend accumulators, picking six matches they fancy across different leagues. The advantage over a straight six-fold accumulator is obvious – if Chelsea let you down, you’ve still got chances with all the other combinations that don’t include them.
The downside, obviously, is the cost. At a pound per bet, you’re laying out £57 before you see any return. Scale that up to fivers per bet and you’re talking nearly three hundred quid just to get involved. It’s not for casual punters having a flutter with their lunch money.
Some bookies offer “super Heinz” bets too, which add a seventh selection and bump the total up to 120 individual bets. There’s even something called a “Goliath” with eight selections and 247 bets, but by then you’re probably getting a bit carried away.
The key with Heinz betting is picking selections with decent odds. Back six odds-on favourites and even if they all win, your returns won’t be spectacular because the odds are too short to create the exponential growth that makes these bets attractive.
Smart Heinz bettors look for selections around the 2/1 to 5/1 range – short enough to have a reasonable chance but long enough to generate proper returns when multiple winners come in. It’s about finding that sweet spot between probability and profitability.
Is a Heinz bet worth doing? Depends on your approach to betting, really. If you enjoy the complexity and don’t mind the higher stakes for the potential of life-changing returns, it can be entertaining. Just remember that you need at least two winners to see any return at all, and ideally three or four to make the whole exercise worthwhile.
