You’re staring at a four-leg parlay. You love the picks. The logic is sound. But deep down, there’s that nagging feeling—the one where three of your teams crush it and the fourth loses on a last-second garbage time bucket. It happens. It happens way too much. That is exactly why learning how to round robin on Fanatics changes the way you look at a betting slip.
Most people see that "Round Robin" tab at the bottom of the Fanatics Sportsbook app and just ignore it. It looks like math. It looks complicated. Honestly, it’s just a way to buy some insurance. Instead of needing a perfect parlay to win money, you’re breaking that big bet into a bunch of smaller, interconnected parlays. If one team lets you down, you don't lose everything. You might even still turn a profit.
Fanatics has actually made the interface pretty slick compared to some of the legacy books, but you still have to know what you’re clicking on. If you mess up the "Ways" or the "Stake per bet," you can accidentally wager way more than you intended. It’s a rush, sure, but it's a controlled rush if you do it right.
What Actually Happens When You Round Robin?
Think of a round robin like a safety net made of smaller nets. If you pick three teams—let's say the Lions, the Knicks, and the Bruins—a standard parlay requires all three to win. If you choose to how to round robin on Fanatics with those same three teams, the app creates three separate two-team parlays for you:
- Lions + Knicks
- Lions + Bruins
- Knicks + Bruins
If the Lions lose but the other two win? You still get paid for that third parlay. You won't get the massive "all-or-nothing" payout, but you aren't walking away empty-handed. On the Fanatics app, this shows up under the "Round Robin" tab once you've added at least three picks to your slip. You'll see options like "2-Pick Parlays (3x)." That "3x" is the most important part—it means you are placing three separate bets. If you put $5 in that box, your total wager is $15.
I’ve seen guys put $50 in there thinking it’s their total limit, only to realize they just put $150 or $200 on the line because they had five or six legs in the slip. Watch that "Total Stake" number at the bottom. It’s your best friend.
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Navigating the Fanatics Interface
Fanatics is a mobile-first experience. It feels different than the old-school desktop sites. When you’ve got your selections ready, you have to swipe up or tap the bet slip. Look past the "Single" and "Parlay" options.
The Round Robin section is usually tucked right below the main parlay header. What’s cool about Fanatics is how they display the "Potential Payout." It updates in real-time as you toggle different combinations. You can choose to bet on all "3-leg" combos, all "2-leg" combos, or even "Trixies" and "Patents" if you're feeling fancy.
Why the "By 2" or "By 3" Labels Matter
When you're figuring out how to round robin on Fanatics, the nomenclature is what trips people up.
- "By 2": You are betting on every possible two-team combination in your list.
- "By 3": You are betting on every possible three-team combination.
If you have five teams selected, a "By 2" round robin is 10 different bets. A "By 3" is also 10 bets. A "By 4" is 5 bets. If you check all of them? You’re betting a lot of permutations. It’s easy to get carried away. I usually stick to the "By 3" if I have five or six legs. It offers a nice balance between risk and that sweet, sweet multiplier.
The Math Behind the Madness
Let's get real for a second. The house loves parlays because the math favors them. Round robins are slightly better for the player in terms of variance, but the juice (the vig) is still there on every single leg.
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If you are betting heavy favorites—say -300 or -400—a round robin often isn't worth it. The payouts on the smaller parlays won't even cover the cost of the losing bets. You really want to use this strategy when you have "plus money" or "even money" plays. If you hit two out of three at +120, your round robin might actually break even or show a tiny profit. If you do that with a standard parlay, you’re just down 100% of your stake.
Professional bettors often use round robins for "longshot" bets. Think of a Saturday in college football. You like four underdogs to cover or pull off an upset. The odds of all four hitting are slim. But the odds of two or three hitting? That’s actually a reasonable gamble.
Common Mistakes to Avoid on Fanatics
Don't be the person who accidentally bets their entire bankroll on a 10-leg round robin. The number of combinations grows exponentially. A 10-team round robin "By 2" is 45 separate bets. If you’re betting $10 per "way," that’s a $450 ticket.
Another big one is the "Same Game Parlay" (SGP) trap. Fanatics allows you to include SGPs in round robins sometimes, but the rules are wonky. Generally, you cannot round robin individual legs within the same game. You can round robin different SGPs together, though. So, SGP from the Lakers game + SGP from the Warriors game + SGP from the Suns game. That works. It’s a high-volatility play, but it’s popular for a reason.
Watch the "All" Button
There is often a checkbox or a field that says "Select All" or applies a stake to all available round robin types. Unless you have a very specific (and very large) bankroll strategy, avoid this. It’s the easiest way to drain your account on a Tuesday night betting on MACtion and NHL puck lines.
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Strategies for Smarter Round Robin Betting
If you want to actually make this a viable part of your betting toolkit, you need a system. Don't just throw random picks together.
- The "One Anchor" Strategy: Pick one "lock" (though nothing is ever truly a lock) and round robin it with three or four high-value underdogs. This ensures that if your favorite wins, you’re constantly pairing it with those high-payout dogs.
- The Draw Strategy: In soccer, betting the draw is often +200 or higher. Round robining three or four draws is a classic "pro" move. You only need two to hit to stay alive, and three usually nets a massive return.
- Avoid Correlated Legs: If you're betting the Over in a game and the QB's over in passing yards, don't put them in a round robin together across different games. Fanatics usually catches this and blocks the bet, but if they don't, the "multipliers" aren't as good as you'd think because the outcomes are linked.
Is Fanatics Better for Round Robins Than DraftKings or FanDuel?
Honestly? It's about the same in terms of the odds. Where Fanatics wins is the FanCash. Because a round robin involves placing multiple bets simultaneously, you’re often "spending" more per ticket. On Fanatics, you earn a percentage of every bet back as FanCash, which you can use for jerseys or just turn back into bonus bets.
If you're placing 10 or 20 small bets within a round robin, that FanCash starts to add up way faster than it does on a single $10 parlay. It’s a small edge, but in sports betting, small edges are everything.
Step-by-Step Execution
- Log in and find your sports. Don't rush.
- Select 3 to 6 legs. Any more than that and the number of combinations becomes a nightmare to manage.
- Open the Bet Slip. It's usually a floating icon or a bar at the bottom.
- Tap "Round Robin". It’s distinct from the "Parlay" tab.
- Choose your "Ways". "By 2's" is the safest starting point.
- Enter your stake per bet. Note the Total Stake at the bottom.
- Review the "To Win" amount. This is usually the maximum you can win if every single leg hits.
- Place the bet.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Bet
To get the most out of your experience when you how to round robin on Fanatics, follow these specific rules of thumb:
- Check the "Total Stake" twice. The app calculates the sum of all individual bets in the round robin. Ensure that total doesn't exceed 2-5% of your total bankroll.
- Focus on +100 to +150 odds. These provide the best "break-even" math for round robins. If you're betting -200 favorites, the "insurance" of the round robin is too expensive to justify.
- Use the FanCash rewards. Always check if there’s a "Profit Boost" token available in your Fanatics rewards locker before placing the round robin. These boosts often apply to the entire set of bets, which can significantly swing the math in your favor.
- Track your "Leg Hit Rate". If you find you’re consistently hitting 60% of your parlay legs but always losing the overall bet, the round robin is your solution. If you're only hitting 30%, no amount of round robining will save your bankroll—you need to re-evaluate your pick selection first.
Round robins aren't a magic button for winning, but they are a sophisticated way to manage the inherent "bad luck" of sports betting. By spreading your risk across multiple combinations on Fanatics, you turn "almost won" into "actually got paid."