A Trixie bet splits three selections into four separate bets: the three possible doubles and one treble. A Patent uses those same combinations and adds a single on each selection, making seven bets. At £1 on every line, the tickets cost £4 and £7 respectively. The amount entered per line is not the total outlay.
The singles explain why a Patent can return money with just one winner, while an ordinary win-only Trixie needs two. Neither statement means the whole ticket has made a profit. The distinction becomes clear when every line, including the losing ones, is counted.
This guide is for readers checking a multiple-bet receipt. Definitions and named product rules were reviewed on 19 October 2026. The examples are invented cash-funded, fixed-odds bets on separate events, not live prices, a real customer ticket or a recommendation to gamble.
What is inside a Trixie bet and a Patent?
Call the selections A, B and C. A double joins two selections, so AB, AC and BC are three different bets. The treble, ABC, is a fourth. In the ordinary win-only model, every selection in a line must win for that line to pay.
Betfair's bet-type definitions describe this four-bet Trixie and the seven-bet Patent. A Patent contains the same four multiples, plus the independent singles A, B and C. It is not a different name for one three-selection accumulator.
Assume A has decimal odds of 2.00, B of 3.00 and C of 4.00. Use £1 per line. A winning line returns its stake multiplied by the relevant decimal prices. The table lists every possible line; an amount is payable only if that line wins.
| Line | In the Trixie? | In the Patent? | Return on that winning £1 line |
|---|---|---|---|
| A single | No | Yes | £2 |
| B single | No | Yes | £3 |
| C single | No | Yes | £4 |
| AB double | Yes | Yes | £6 |
| AC double | Yes | Yes | £8 |
| BC double | Yes | Yes | £12 |
| ABC treble | Yes | Yes | £24 |
With all three selections successful, the Trixie pays £6 + £8 + £12 + £24 = £50. Adding the three singles gives the Patent £59. These are total returns including the winning lines' stakes, not profits. Subtract the complete £4 or £7 outlay to get £46 or £52 net respectively.
No boost, free-bet token, deduction, dead heat, void selection, cash-out or payout cap is included in these calculations. Every selection is assumed to settle normally as a win or a loss. Decimal odds are explained separately in our betting-odds guide.
All eight result combinations, not just the best case
If only A and B win, AB is the Trixie's sole winning line: it returns £6. The Patent also has the winning A and B singles, worth £2 and £3. Its combined return is £11. Both trebles lose because C lost.
If A is the only winner, the Trixie returns nothing. The Patent pays the £2 A single, but £2 back from a £7 ticket is a £5 net loss. Describing that outcome as a winning Patent would hide most of the cost.
The complete table below uses the same £1 unit and 2.00/3.00/4.00 odds throughout. “Net” means total return minus the entire ticket stake; a minus sign denotes a loss. These eight scenarios are mathematical cases, not equally likely outcomes or predictions.
| Winning selections; all others lose | Trixie return | Trixie net, £4 staked | Patent return | Patent net, £7 staked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | £0 | -£4 | £0 | -£7 |
| A only | £0 | -£4 | £2 | -£5 |
| B only | £0 | -£4 | £3 | -£4 |
| C only | £0 | -£4 | £4 | -£3 |
| A and B | £6 | £2 | £11 | £4 |
| A and C | £8 | £4 | £14 | £7 |
| B and C | £12 | £8 | £19 | £12 |
| A, B and C | £50 | £46 | £59 | £52 |
The number of winners alone is not enough to calculate a return. A and B produce a £6 double here, while B and C produce £12. Likewise, “two winners” does not guarantee a profit at every possible set of prices: sufficiently short odds can leave a return below the ticket's full cost.
The same unit stake is not the same budget
William Hill's Trixie explanation also separates the unit from the four-line total. For any unit amount u, a win-only Trixie costs 4u and a Patent costs 7u. Comparing their £1-line returns therefore compares £4 at risk with £7 at risk.
To hold the total outlay at £7 in our invented example, the Trixie would need £1.75 on each of its four lines; the Patent would still use £1 on each of seven. If all three selections won at the stated prices, their returns would be £87.50 and £59. That is a conditional calculation, not evidence that one format is a better choice. If none won, either £7 ticket would lose its full stake.
There is no need to increase a budget to make the two labels look comparable. Check the receipt's actual unit, number of lines and total debit. This article explains the arithmetic; it does not estimate the selections' chances, expected value or which ticket to buy.
When the simple calculation no longer applies
A void selection is not a losing selection. Under Betfair's named Fixed Odds Multiples rules, an individual void leg changes the combination: its example turns a treble into a double, and a resulting single can stand. Start with the rule for the affected sport and market, rather than inserting a void into the win/loss table above.
Those rules distinguish the Sportsbook from the Exchange, exclude Australian Multis from their stated scope, and give specific sports rules precedence where they conflict with the general rules. They are evidence of that product's treatment, not a settlement law for every bookmaker or country. Consult the terms attached to the actual receipt.
The same definitions do not establish that any three selections can be combined. Betfair's help page identifies restrictions on related selections. A same-game product should not be assumed to follow this ordinary separate-event model. An accepted receipt and its market terms matter more than a generic bet-type name.
Each-way tickets, deductions and tied results need additional treatment. Our guides to each-way stakes and place terms and dead-heat settlement explain those separate questions. Do not apply the plain win-only totals to a receipt with different components.
Check the receipt one line at a time
For an unexplained settlement, keep the original receipt and check:
- The three event and market selections, accepted prices and bet type.
- The unit stake, four or seven funded lines, and full amount debited.
- Each selection's settled result, including any void or adjustment.
- Each line's return, followed by the total and the full-ticket profit or loss.
A losing C selection removes AC, BC and ABC from the winning returns; it does not erase an independently successful AB double. Conversely, a single successful A does not rescue a Trixie, because no A-only line was purchased. This is why reconstructing the funded combinations is more useful than treating the ticket as one indivisible bet.
Frequently asked questions
Does a £1 Trixie cost £1 or £4?
If £1 is the stake on each line, the four-line win-only Trixie costs £4 in total. A £1-per-line Patent costs £7. An interface may also offer a total-stake entry, so use the confirmed receipt's breakdown rather than assuming every box describes the same amount.
Does one winner make a Patent profitable?
Not necessarily. One winner pays its single in the ordinary model, but the other six funded lines still count towards the ticket cost. At £1 per line and A at 2.00, an A-only result returns £2 from £7 staked: a £5 loss. Prices and the full outlay determine the net result.
Is a Trixie the same as a treble?
No. A treble is one line containing all three selections. A Trixie also funds each of the three doubles, making four lines altogether. Two normal winners can therefore produce a double return in the Trixie even though the treble loses. That extra coverage has its own stake cost.
Count the cost before interpreting the return
For a Trixie bet, check four funded lines; for a Patent, check seven. Then distinguish the money returned on surviving lines from profit after the whole ticket's cost. Neither structure is a winning system. Gambling can lose the entire outlay; this information is for adults of legal age where betting is lawful, not financial advice.