What is Lucky 31?

How a Lucky 31 Works

A Lucky 31 covers five selections across 31 separate bets. The breakdown is: 5 singles (one per selection), 10 doubles (every pair of two selections), 10 trebles (every combination of three), 5 four-folds (every combination of four), and 1 five-fold accumulator covering all five. Your total stake is your unit stake multiplied by 31, so a £1 Lucky 31 costs £31, and a £0.50 Lucky 31 costs £15.50.

Because singles are included, you only need one winner to receive any return at all — this distinguishes a Lucky 31 from a Canadian (Super Yankee), which omits singles and requires at least two winners to return anything. Some bookmakers offer a bonus on a Lucky 31 when all five selections win, or a consolation bonus when only one wins; these terms vary by operator and are not universal, so always check the specific rules before placing. Each-way Lucky 31s are also possible and double the number of bets to 62, with each of the 31 bets split into a win part and a place part.

A Worked Example

Suppose you back five horse racing selections at £1 each-way (total stake £62). Three of your five selections win at 5/1, 3/1, and 2/1 respectively, while two lose. The winning singles, doubles involving those three, and the one relevant treble all settle as winners, and if place terms apply, the place portions of losing selections may still return something. The exact return depends on odds, each-way terms, and whether any Rule 4 deductions or non-runners apply.

This illustrates the core appeal: you do not need all five winners to recover a meaningful return. However, it also illustrates the cost — at £1 per bet the stake is £31 (or £62 each-way), which is significant relative to the unit stake. Two or more winners at short prices may not cover the full outlay, so profitable returns typically require at least three winners, or one or more selections at bigger odds.

Why It Matters When Judging a Tipster

When a tipster advises Lucky 31s, their headline profit and loss figures can be misleading unless the staking method is stated clearly. A tipster might quote returns based on £1 per bet (£31 total) or per point staked, but if you interpret the staking differently your real-world results will not match. Always confirm whether the advised stake is per bet or per selection, and ensure proofing records reflect the full 31-bet cost rather than just the accumulator or the singles alone.

Lucky 31s also complicate strike rate and yield calculations because a single set of five selections generates up to 31 bets, each settled separately. A tipster with a modest win rate across individual selections can produce a positive return through combination bets if selections correlate poorly with one another. Equally, a run of poor form is expensive due to the high stake multiple. When reviewing a tipster's track record, check sample size carefully — a few winning multiples can inflate short-term figures, masking an underlying negative expected value.

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