ES
NFL Predictions 
MLB Predictions 
NBA Predictions 
NHL Predictions 
Soccer Predictions 
A round-robin turns a list of picks into every smaller parlay those picks can make, with the same stake on each parlay. Three teams “by 2s” becomes three two-team parlays, so one losing pick costs you only the parlays it is in, not the whole bet.
That is the trade in one line: a round-robin costs more to place than a single parlay and pays less when everything wins, and in exchange it can still pay when one pick loses.
A round-robin with this week’s prices
Here is one built from three underdog moneylines for Sunday, September 27, 2026, at DraftKings as listed on ESPN on September 24. It is an example of the arithmetic, not a pick:
- Tennessee +120: Tennessee Titans at New York Giants
- Pittsburgh +160: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
- Cleveland +124: Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns
A round-robin by 2s makes three parlays. At $10 each, the bet costs $30. To price each parlay, turn the moneylines into decimals (+120 is 2.20, +160 is 2.60, +124 is 2.24) and multiply the pair:
| Parlay | Decimal | $10 returns |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee + Pittsburgh | 5.72 | $57.20 |
| Tennessee + Cleveland | 4.928 | $49.28 |
| Pittsburgh + Cleveland | 5.824 | $58.24 |
If all three win, all three parlays pay: $164.72 back, a $134.72 profit on $30. If exactly two win, one parlay pays, and the profit is $19.28 to $28.24 depending on which one. If only one wins, all three parlays lose and so does the $30.
Round-robin or one parlay
The same three picks as one three-team parlay, with the whole $30 on it, multiply out to 12.8128. That returns $384.38 if all three win and nothing if any one loses.
So the round-robin gives up $219.66 of the all-win payout ($384.38 against $164.72) to get paid when two of three win. Whether that is worth it depends on how often you expect to go two for three.
When winning picks still lose money
The prices matter as much as the picks. Try the same structure with three favorites: Green Bay -245 against Atlanta on Thursday, Buffalo -345 against the Chargers and Detroit -298 against the Jets on Sunday.
| Parlay | $10 returns |
|---|---|
| Green Bay + Buffalo | $18.16 |
| Green Bay + Detroit | $18.81 |
| Buffalo + Detroit | $17.23 |
All three winning returns $54.20, a $24.20 profit on $30. Two of three winning returns at most $18.81, which is an $11.19 loss. With heavy favorites, a round-robin by 2s needs all three to win just to make money, which is the same condition as a straight three-team parlay. That parlay, with $30 on it, would return $72.77 against the round-robin’s $54.20.
How many parlays you are buying
Each extra pick adds parlays fast. “By 2s” covers every pair; a full round-robin covers every size from two up to all of them.
| Picks | Parlays by 2s | Parlays of every size |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 6 | 11 |
| 5 | 10 | 26 |
| 6 | 15 | 57 |
| 7 | 21 | 120 |
| 8 | 28 | 247 |
The stake is per parlay, so the cost grows with the table. Eight picks by 2s at $10 each is $280, and every size is $2,470. The three underdogs above, by 2s and 3s, is four bets and $40: if all three win, it returns $292.85, the $164.72 from the pairs plus $128.13 from the three-team parlay.
Some of these combinations have their own names in British betting. Three picks in three doubles and one treble is a Trixie, the same as the four-bet round-robin above; four picks in six doubles, four trebles and one fourfold, 11 bets, is a Yankee.
House rules that apply to round-robins
A round-robin is settled as a set of parlays, so parlay rules apply. FanDuel’s Massachusetts house rules, approved by the state’s Gaming Commission on March 27, 2025, say “Round Robin wagers are subject to settlement in accordance with the parlay rules,” and that a void leg shrinks a parlay: “a treble including one void leg will become a double.”
Those rules also say round-robins “cannot combine different selections when there are related contingencies,” meaning picks whose outcomes depend on each other. Caesars’ Massachusetts house rules add two points: Bonus Bets cannot be used on bets that split across several results, “including, but not limited to round robins,” and cash out is available on selected markets for all wager types, “including parlays, teasers, round robins.”
Picking the legs
A round-robin does not make a pick better; it only spreads the stake. The two tables above use real prices on the same weekend and come out in opposite places, and the difference is the prices, not the structure.
If you would rather start from someone else’s card, DocSports has handicapper picks, and our moneyline guide shows how to turn any price into the chance it implies. This week’s games are on our NFL predictions hub.
