What is Canadian (Super Yankee)?

How a Canadian works

A Canadian covers every possible combination of doubles, trebles, four-folds, and a five-fold from five selections. That breaks down as 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four-folds, and 1 five-fold, giving 26 bets in total. At a unit stake of £1 per bet, the total outlay is £26 before any each-way additions. If you opt for each-way, every one of those 26 bets is doubled (win and place), making it 52 lines and a £52 total stake at £1 per line.

Because the bet is fully covered, a single winning selection cannot produce a return — you need at least two winners for the doubles to pay out. Each additional winner activates more combinations and increases returns significantly, since winning odds compound across the multiple legs. The structure sits between a Yankee (four selections, 11 bets) and a Heinz (six selections, 57 bets), making it a mid-range full-cover bet in terms of cost and potential return.

Worked example

Suppose you place a £1 Canadian (£26 total) on five football teams to win at odds of 2/1, 3/1, 2/1, 4/1, and 3/1 in decimal terms 3.0, 4.0, 3.0, 5.0, and 4.0. If only two selections win — say the 3.0 and 4.0 shots — just one of the 10 doubles lands, returning £12.00 from a £1 stake on that line. Your overall return is £12, meaning a net loss of £14 on the full £26 outlay. It illustrates how the Canadian can still leave you significantly down even with two winners, depending on the odds of those winners.

If four of the five selections win — the 3.0, 4.0, 3.0, and 5.0 shots — you collect on 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 four-fold from those four winners. The returns would be substantially larger, potentially well above the £26 stake, though the exact figure depends on each combination's compounded odds. This sensitivity to how many selections win, and at what odds, is what makes the Canadian both potentially rewarding and quite unforgiving when results only partially come in.

Why it matters when judging or following a tipster

When a tipster recommends a Canadian, assess whether they are advising the full 26-line bet or cherry-picking combinations. Some tipsters quote returns based on all five selections winning at advised prices, which flatters the strategy considerably. A more honest measure is to track returns across all 26 lines consistently, accounting for the many partial outcomes where two or three selections win but the overall bet still produces a loss or only a small profit.

The Canadian also interacts with advised odds versus starting price. If a tipster advises selections at early prices and those drift before the off, your actual return on each compound line may be lower than quoted. Check whether the tipster's proofing records the odds at which you could realistically have placed the bet. Given the 26-stake cost, even modest slippage per line adds up. For followers managing a defined bankroll, a £26 outlay per Canadian recommendation is a meaningful commitment and should be sized accordingly using a consistent staking plan.

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