What Is Request-a-Bet?
Request-a-bet is a bookmaker service where you specify a custom betting combination that isn't standard. You ask for a bet on a specific combination, and the bookmaker calculates odds for you.
Example: You might request "Odds on Manchester City winning, Liverpool winning, and over 2.5 goals in the Barcelona game." Most bookmakers don't have a single bet option for that exact combination, so you request it.
Request-a-bet is useful because it lets you combine markets that aren't automatically available as accumulators.
Build Your Own Bet
Build your own bet (often called "Bet Builder" or similar) is a bookmaker feature that lets you construct custom bets from available markets.
Instead of:
- Leg 1: Manchester City to win
- Leg 2: Over 2.5 goals
You can build:
- Leg 1: Manchester City to win AND over 2.5 goals
This is a single bet combining two markets. The odds update automatically as you select markets.
Build your own bet is more common than request-a-bet because most major bookmakers now offer it as standard.
How to Use Build Your Own Bet
Step 1: Select a match.
Step 2: Choose markets from that match (or multiple matches).
Example markets for a single match:
- Match result (1X2)
- Over/Under goals
- BTTS (Both Teams to Score)
- Total goals in first half
- Corners
- Player to score
- etc.
Step 3: The odds calculate automatically. You can add more markets or more matches.
Step 4: Your odds keep updating as you add complexity. A combination of three markets from one match might give you 5.00 odds. Adding a fourth match might multiply that to 15.00.
Advantages of Custom Bets
Specificity: You can create exactly the combination you want, rather than settling for what bookmakers offer.
Example: You want "Match result AND over 2.5 goals AND BTTS" on three different matches. Standard accas don't easily combine these. Build your own bet does.
Odds transparency: You see odds update in real-time as you add selections. You know what you're getting before committing.
Multi-market combinations: You can combine different markets in single legs, reducing correlation risk.
Example: Rather than "Home win + Away win in different legs" (correlation risk if they're from same league), you can do "Home win + BTTS" (less correlated).
Disadvantages of Custom Bets
Complexity: The more complex your bet, the harder it is to analyze whether you're getting good value.
Bookmaker margins: Combining markets might have wider margins than single markets. The bookmaker charges for the complexity.
Accessibility: Not all bookmakers offer full build-your-own-bet functionality. Some restrict which markets can be combined.
Bet limits: Some bookmakers limit how many markets you can combine or how high your odds can be.
When to Use Custom Bets
When standard accas don't fit your analysis
You've analyzed a match and you think:
- Manchester City will win (80% confident)
- But the match will have over 2.5 goals (75% confident)
Rather than two separate bets, combine them: "Man City win AND over 2.5 goals."
This captures both predictions in one bet at better odds than either would alone.
When you want to reduce correlation
Two legs: "Home win" and "Away win" are somewhat correlated (they affect each other).
Better: "Home win AND BTTS" (home might win 2-1, BTTS lands).
Custom bets let you find correlations and avoid them.
When standard markets aren't good enough
You want to bet on "Team A to win AND Team B to NOT win in same acca" (contrarian positions). Custom bets let you build that.
Examples of Useful Custom Bets
Safe acca with BTTS insurance:
- Leg 1: Man City win AND BTTS (if Man City wins 2-1, it lands)
- Leg 2: Liverpool win AND BTTS
- Leg 3: Arsenal win AND BTTS
Combined odds: Roughly 6.00-8.00 Probability: Higher than straight accas because BTTS hedges win risk slightly
Over/under contrarian:
- Leg 1: Over 2.5 goals
- Leg 2: Under 2.5 goals (in different match)
- Leg 3: Player to score
This lets you take opposite positions in different matches within one acca.
Match result with goals control:
- Leg 1: Home win + over 1.5 goals (match must be winning 2-0 or higher)
- Leg 2: Away win + under 3.5 goals (narrow away win)
- Leg 3: Draw + over 2.5 goals
These create safer combinations than straight accas.
Request-a-Bet vs Build Your Own Bet
Request-a-bet: You tell the bookmaker what you want, they calculate odds. Usually takes time (hours or next day response).
Build your own bet: You select from available markets in real-time, odds calculate instantly.
Modern bookmakers heavily promote build-your-own-bet because it's fast and requires no customer service time. Request-a-bet still exists but is less common.
Bookmaker Build-a-Bet Restrictions
Different bookmakers have different restrictions:
Markets that combine: Some bookmakers won't combine, say, "player to score" with "team to win" in the same match. They see these as correlated and restrict combinations.
Legs limit: Some cap how many markets you can combine (often 5-10 maximum).
Odds limits: Some cap maximum odds. You can't create an acca with extremely high odds.
Eligible markets: Some markets (like player props) can't be combined. Check the specific bookmaker.
Same-match rules: Combining too many markets from the same match might be restricted because they're correlated.
Calculating Custom Bet Value
The harder you find it to analyze expected value, the worse the odds usually are.
Simple accas (match result only) have tight margins (4-5%).
Complex custom bets combining multiple markets have wider margins (8-15%) because:
- The bookmaker needs to protect against model risk (complexity)
- Fewer people are betting these, so less competition on odds
- The bookmaker charges for the customization
This means custom bets need to be very good value analytically to beat simple accas.
- Request-a-bet lets you ask bookmakers for custom combinations.
- Build-your-own-bet (bet builder) is the modern equivalent where you select markets in real-time.
- Custom bets are useful for creating specific combinations your analysis supports, and for reducing correlation by mixing markets (e.g., "Win AND BTTS" instead of just "Win").
- Disadvantages include bookmaker margin widening with complexity, potential restrictions on which markets combine, and difficulty in valuing extremely complex bets.
- Use custom bets strategically for combinations that make analytical sense.
- Simple accas (match result only) usually have better margins than complex custom bets.