Same Game Parlay Bets: How Single Game Parlays Work

Same game parlays (SGPs) are a subcategory of standard parlays that consist of multiple wagers from a single game.

Online sportsbooks began allowing SGPs in 2020, with FanDuel Sportsbook being the first to allow correlated parlays. Most other online sports betting brands followed suit, and SGPs are a prominent feature in sportsbooks’ marketing efforts today.

In this guide, BettingUSA will explain how same game parlays work, where to find SGPs online, which sportsbooks offer the most diverse SGP options, and whether they’re good bets.

Same Game Parlay Betting Sites

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Same Game Parlays Explained

A parlay is a ticket consisting of multiple bets. Each segment (or leg) of the parlay must win or tie for the ticket to cash. If even a single leg loses, the parlay becomes worth less than the paper it’s printed on.

Same game parlays are like standard parlays because they’re high-risk, all-or-nothing wagers consisting of multiple legs. The only difference is that every leg in a same game parlay originates from a single game or event.

It’s a bigger difference than one might think.

The Impact of Correlation

In the past, sportsbooks prohibited SGPs because savvy bettors could exploit them for easy profits. Their exploitability is the result of a concept called correlation.

By definition, correlation is “a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.” In sports betting, correlated wagers are ones in which the probability of one wager winning increases or decreases based on the outcome of another wager.

Let’s consider an example. In football, the 1^st half and game totals are strongly correlated because the score at the end of the 1^st half significantly impacts the final score. If the 1^st half over hits, then the likelihood of the game total going over increases. There is a strong positive correlation.

Likewise, there is a negative correlation between a player on the Eagles scoring the first touchdown and their opponent winning the game.

Sportsbooks derive the odds of traditional parlays by simply multiplying the probability of each together to create a new probability. They treat each leg as an independent event, resulting in payouts that don’t reflect the impact correlated legs have on one another. If sportsbooks used the traditional method to calculate correlated parlays, bettors could easily parlay positively correlated wagers and put the books out of business.

That’s why sportsbooks prohibited correlated parlays in the past. But sports betting technology has evolved to the point where it can now account for positive and negative correlations and adjust the odds accordingly.

In other words, the reason books now embrace SGPs has little to do with goodwill. It’s because they’re learning how to properly price a format that bettors want.

Same Game Parlay Plus (SGP+) Wagers

Same game parlay plus wagers take the SGP format one step further by combining multiple SGPs into a single parlay.

The mechanics of placing SGP+ wagers (also known as same game parlay extra or SGPx at DraftKings) vary slightly from one betting site to the next, but the process usually goes something like this:

Bettors can place SGP+ wagers by adding at least two individual SGPs to the betting slip. Once the betting slip contains two or more SGPs, it will display an option to combine them into a singular SGP+ with significantly higher payout odds. Bettors can also combine multiple SGPs and single bets into an SGP+ if they wish.

For example, the following screenshot shows a betting slip with two distinct SGPs:

• A two-leg SGP from the Seahawks-Lions game priced at +875
• A three-leg SGP from the Titans-Dolphins game priced at +575

In this example, the betting slip also offers an option to combine both SGPs into a singular SGP+ with payout odds of +6,481. If every leg in each parlay wins, the bettor’s $10 wager will pay $658.13.

Same Game Parlay Pricing in Practice

Previously we explained there is a strong correlation between 1^st half and full game totals. To illustrate how that impacts pricing, let’s consider the odds FanDuel offers on a same game parlay consisting of two legs.

The lines on each individual wager are:

• 1^st half total: over 23.5 (-115) / under 23.5 (-105)
• Game total: over 47 (-110) / under 47 (-110)

If FanDuel didn’t adjust the odds for correlation, a 2-leg parlay consisting of the 1^st half and full-game under would have odds of approximately +273.

The correlated odds are a mere +148. This is a drastic but expected differential, as game totals and derivative totals are highly correlated.

Consider what happens if the bettor takes the under for the first half and over for the game. Now, the odds jump all the way to +634, indicating a strong negative correlation. No surprise there.

The overarching point is that books are getting better and better at accounting for correlation. Finding value is still possible, but it’s nowhere near as easy as exploiting positive correlations was in the past.

How to Place Same Game Parlays Online

The process of placing a same game parlay doesn’t vary tremendously between online sportsbooks.

We’ll use the BetMGM Sportsbook app as an example:

1. Launch the app and sign up or log in to your existing account
2. Navigate to a league that supports same game parlay wagers by either tapping on the associated icon near the top of the screen or selecting the “A-Z Menu”
3. Note that same game parlays are not available for all sports. Usually, bettors can find SGPs for football, soccer, baseball, and basketball
4. Most sportsbooks indicate SGPs are available via an icon beneath each game listing on the league’s main betting menu
5. For example, BetMGM includes a “Build Parlay” button beneath each game on its main NFL betting page
6. Hit that button to launch BetMGM’s unique SGP builder feature, where bettors can quickly assemble and place SGPs
7. From the builder, bettors can add point spreads, totals, moneylines, game props, and player props to their parlays
8. When satisfied, enter an amount to bet and select “Place Bet” or continue browsing (BetMGM will save the parlay in your bet slip)

Note that BetMGM displays the odds for each individual leg in the parlay builder and betting slip. Some online sportsbooks only display the final odds for the parlay as a whole without showing each leg’s individual odds.

Be wary of sportsbooks that don’t show the individual odds because it obfuscates the heavy impact of correlation on the odds. Betting sites should be transparent about how they calculate every parlay’s odds.

Which Sportsbooks Offer Same Game Parlays?

The US online sports betting industry is so competitive that if one book rolls out an innovation, it’s almost inevitable that the rest will follow.

That’s certainly the case with same game parlays, which originated on FanDuel Sportsbook and have since spread like wildfire.

Here’s a look at some of the major sports betting brands that support SGPs:

FanDuel Same Game Parlays

• Sports available for: NFL, NBA, MLB, Soccer
• Displays individual leg odds? Yes
• Eligible wagering formats: Spreads, Moneyline, Totals, Alt. Lines, Alt. Totals, Player props, Game props
• Focused promotions?  Yes

FanDuel Sportsbook has the most evolved SGP product, which makes sense, given that it was first to market. Bettors can create SGPs from various major sports markets, and FanDuel offers a robust menu of alternative lines and props.

FanDuel is also one of the few sites to display the odds of each SGP leg, offering a layer of transparency that enables bettors to make more informed decisions.

In addition, FanDuel regularly rolls out various SGP-focused promotions, such as risk-free bets and insurance for bettors brave enough to write SGP tickets. FanDuel’s same game parlays promos will undoubtedly trim the house edge, and bettors should take advantage of them.

FanDuel clearly denotes which games are same game parlay eligible with a green SGP icon. Additionally, FanDuel dedicates a portion of its home to displaying popular SGP wagers.

BetMGM Same Game Parlays

• Sports available for: NFL, NCAAF, NBA, MLB, Soccer
• Displays individual leg odds? Yes
• Eligible wagering formats: Spreads, Totals, Moneylines, Alternative Lines, Player props, Game props
• Focused promotions? Yes

BetMGM obviously designed its Same Game Parlay platform with new bettors in mind. The entire process is highly streamlined. Bettors can choose from pre-generated 3-leg parlays, or they can build custom tickets with the Parlay Builder.

The Parlay Builder is a valuable tool for new bettors because it walks them step by spoon-fed step through the process of creating SGPs. However, it’s almost too streamlined, and experienced bettors will likely be turned off by the lack of betting options. Fortunately, the BetMGM SGP Parlay Builder shows each individual leg’s betting odds.

Caesars Sportsbook Same Game Parlays

• Sports available for: NFL, MLB, NBA, Soccer
• Displays individual leg odds? Yes
• Eligible wagering formats: Spreads, Totals, Moneylines, Alternative Lines, Player props, Game props
• Focused promotions? Yes

Caesars Sportsbooks offers SGPs allowing fans to combine tons of different same game wagers.

Just some of the options include dozens of alternatives lines and totals, passing and receiving props, field goal props, and even obscure bets like who will score the last touchdown or how many extra points both teams will kick in total. Bettors can also combine multiple SGPs into Super Parlays.

DraftKings Same Game Parlays

• Sports available for: NFL, NCAAF, MLB, Soccer, NBA
• Displays individual leg odds? No
• Eligible wagering formats: Spreads, Totals, Moneylines, Alternative lines, Player props, Game props
• Focused promotions? Yes

The DraftKings Sportsbook SGP product (called Same Game Parlays) is similar to FanDuel’s in many respects. Bettors can click or tap an individual game and toggle the feature “on” to view DraftKings’ available SGPs.

The main drawback of DraftKings’ approach to same game parlays is that it doesn’t list the odds of individual legs. Bettors can only see what the entire parlay will pay. One way around this is to simply bypass the SGP feature and select bets as normal. DraftKings allows bettors to do this for frontline bets like totals and spreads but not alternative lines and props.

DraftKings Sportsbook also lets bettors combine multiple bets from one game with wagers from another, but only for frontline bets. For instance, bettors can parlay the Dolphins-Jaguars moneyline and total with the Rams-Giants spread and total, creating a 4-leg parlay across two games.

Same Game Parlay Betting Tips

The allure of same game parlays can be strong. Instead of waiting an entire day or multiple days for a traditional parlay to settle, bettors get their fix within a span of a few hours.

However, bettors must avoid blindly writing same game parlay tickets. Sportsbooks juice parlays at a significantly higher rate than straight bets due to the nature of compounding tax. Bettors pay vigorish on each leg, and that vigorish adds up. The more legs, the higher the tax.

One of the main differences between traditional parlays and SGPs is that the juice is difficult to calculate. For a regular parlay, bettors can just multiply the probabilities of each leg together and convert the answer to American Odds. If it matches what the book offers, bettors can rest assured that they’re not paying an added tax.

Calculating the juice on SGPs is a whole other ballgame, as correlation significantly impacts the odds. For example, a parlay consisting of three-legs, all at -110 odds, typically has American Odds of +595. But if they’re positively correlated, the odds could be +400, +300, or +200, depending on the degree of correlation. Without knowing how books adjust for correlation, there’s no way of knowing the juice.

The point is to be wary.

Bettors who enjoy same game parlays can do the following to mitigate the house edge:

• Line shop: Before placing an SGP, check if other books offer the same SGP at a lower price.
• Know the odds of each same game parlay leg: If a book doesn’t display the odds for each leg, look for them elsewhere.
• The fewer legs, the better: Sportsbooks charge vigorish on every single bet. The more wagers bettors string together, the higher the vigorish.
• Look for value: It’s extremely difficult to find value betting NFL spreads, totals, and moneylines. Any high-volume line is going to be scrutinized by bookmakers, and therefore more accurate. Look for value elsewhere – props and alternative totals are excellent places to start.
• Take advantage of promotions: Same game parlays are the flavor of the month, and until some other popular innovation pops up, sportsbooks will heavily promote them. As a result, bettors should find a bevy of SGP-focused promos, like profit boosts, odds boosts, parlay insurance, and bonus bets. Take advantage of them.