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Reverse Bet

Sports betting

A reverse bet is two if-bets on the same selections run in both orders, so your payout does not depend on which event settles first.

ByBetting Desk·Sports Betting Editor

Reviewed byKris Fawkes·Chief Editor

A reverse bet is a pair of if-bets placed on the same two (or more) selections but run in both orders, so the payout does not depend on which event settles first. Each if-bet only advances to the next leg if the previous one wins, but by covering every sequence a reverse bet removes the ordering risk that a single if-bet carries. It is a staking structure, not a market: you still pick ordinary selections, and the bookmaker simply links them in both directions. With two selections A and B, a reverse bet is two if-bets — "A, if win then B" and "B, if win then A" — each carrying your chosen unit stake. Total risk is two units, versus one unit for a single if-bet. If either selection loses, that half of the reverse simply fails to trigger its second leg; if both win, both if-bets pay out in full. Worked example: you stake $50 on each of two if-bets at odds of 2.00 (even money), a $100 total outlay. If A wins, the first if-bet returns $50 profit and rolls $50 onto B; if B then wins, that adds another $50 profit. The reversed if-bet does the same from the other direction. With both winning you collect roughly $200 profit on $100 risked. If A wins but B loses, one if-bet nets +$50 while the reversed one loses its $50 stake — you break even rather than losing everything. Practically, a reverse bet suits bettors who like if-bet bankroll control but do not want to gamble on getting the order right. Compare with if-bet, double-bet and parlay.

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