A Lucky 63 is the big brother of the Lucky 15 – six selections converted into 63 individual bets that take in all possible combinations. You get six singles, fifteen doubles, twenty trebles, fifteen four-folds, six five-folds, and one six-fold accumulator.
The “lucky” in it is that one winner returns you some, as opposed to a simple six-fold, where all need to win.
With a quid per bet, you’re on £63 expenditure before you get anything back. Scale that up and it can eat into your funds very quickly, but the dividends can be pure madness if there’s more than one selection to compel.
Horse racing is where most of the Lucky 63s are, particularly on big festival days with good races right throughout the card. Punters have one horse from six different races and allow maths to do its thing.
The magic is in the way the combinations multiply your profits. Win just two at reasonable odds and you’re likely to be breaking even. Win three or four and you’re on for real profit. Win five or six selections and you’re into life-altering money.
Suppose you select six horses at 4/1. Two winners gives two singles and a double – plenty to pay your stake and still get profit show. Three winners gives three singles, three doubles, and a treble. The number is becoming seriously tempting.
But here’s the reality check which everyone avoids.
You need at least two winners at reasonable prices if you are going to have any hope of profiting. Back six short-priced favourites and even a few winners might not cover your £63 investment. Place six massive longshots and solitary winners leave you deep in the red.
The perfect place seems to be bets of 2/1 to 6/1 – short enough to give a genuine hope but long enough to give rightful returns when the combinations start to jell.
The each-way Lucky 63s are popular because they double your hopes for a return via the place elements. Doubles your stake to £126 of course, but on competitive handicaps where you fancy a few each-way hopes, it can make absolute sense.
Lucky 63s for football also work, perhaps selecting six games from different leagues and competitions over the weekend. It’s the same idea – you’re covering all possibilities but have that security net of the singles.
The majority of bookmakers offer bonuses on Lucky 63s that significantly increase returns. Double the odds for a single winner, percentage bonuses in case of multiple winners, and treble the odds if all six win are some of the instances. The bonuses can make the difference between winning and losing.
The psychological worth is obvious – 63 diversified routes to victory is like having all bases covered. The reality is you must have things fall fairly nicely so that you can see substantial increases, but when they do, the reward can be tremendous.
Clever Lucky 63 betting is to team near certainties with value bets rather than taking six random punts and hoping. Say three decent chances at 2/1, two 5/1 outsiders, and one real longshot for the dream finish.
There is also timing. Early prices are usually more generous before the market really swings into action, but you have to believe in your bets because you’re betting serious money.
Is a Lucky 63 worth playing? Depends entirely upon your betting type and bankroll. If you want frequent small gains, certainly not. If you want the occasional gigantic punt with massive potential for profit and can stand the likely losses, it’s proper fun when it comes off.
