A Degenerate’s Guide to Leveraging Smart Bets
As you probably know (or maybe don’t yet), I’m a big fan of using parlays and rollovers as strategic tools in my wagering arsenal. And yeah, I get it…
💭 “Parlays are sucker bets!”
True—for most bettors. But when used correctly, the math says otherwise:
If you can hit 52.5% or better on straight bets, you’ve actually got the edge with parlays of any size.
But I’m not here to rehash my whole parlay strategy. If you’re looking for the deeper dive, check out my other articles on that topic. Today, we’re talking about something specific—and useful—as football season ramps up:
🔓 What Is an “Open Parlay”?
Most books don’t offer this, but for those that do—it’s gold.
An open parlay lets you:
- Lock in one or more legs of a parlay now
- Leave open spots for future wagers you’ll fill in later
🧾 Example:
Let’s say you love Miami -8, but don’t like anything else yet.
You create a 3-leg open parlay:
💵 $5 on: Miami -8 / OPEN / OPEN
If Miami wins, your bet stays alive—you just need to fill in those remaining two open slots. If Miami loses? The ticket’s dead and those open legs don’t matter.
📈 How I Use Open Parlays Strategically
When I win that first leg (say, Miami -8), I don’t fill in the other legs just for action.
Instead, I wait for high-percentage plays from:
- 🔹 Group Buys
- 🔹 KB Consensus angles
- 🔹 Any top-tier content from The Sharp Plays
By holding out and only using my best intel, I maximize the edge on each remaining leg of the parlay.
🧠 Patience and discipline are key to profiting from open parlays.
🔁 The Rollover Alternative (My Preferred Tool)
Open parlays are great—but if timing isn’t tight, I prefer rollovers.
A rollover is simply:
📊 Placing a bet, then rolling the winnings and risk onto the next bet, and the next, and so on.
Unlike open parlays:
- 💰 You get paid after every leg
- 🤸♂️ You have the flexibility to stop whenever you want
- 🎮 You stay in control at every stage
Example:
Say I have $1,000 on Miami -8.
- If it wins, I collect my payout
- I then choose whether to roll the full amount (or a portion) onto the next play
- Or… I can cash out entirely after one leg
Open parlays lock your funds until the whole thing hits.
Rollovers? You can pivot or exit any time.
🕰️ When Open Parlays Make More Sense
Let’s say you want to pair Miami -8 and Tampa +3 at 1:00pm ET, but you’re eyeing Dallas -2 at 4:00pm ET and aren’t sure yet if you’ll bet it.
You can’t use a rollover, because the first two bets may not settle by the time Dallas kicks off. In this case, an open parlay is your only play if you want the option to include Dallas after the 1PM games.
So use open parlays when:
- ❗ Timing between legs is tight
- ❗ You want to lock in current legs and reserve space for future plays
- ❗ You need flexibility within a constrained game window
🧠 What Even Is a Rollover?
You won’t see “rollover” as a bet type in your sportsbook app. But it’s not magic.
It’s just you:
- Making a series of straight bets, teasers, or even parlays
- And rolling winnings + risk forward manually
- Until you decide to stop
You can rollover sports bets, horse racing wins, casino profits—even use it across different gambling platforms.
Hell, I’ve done rollovers from a horse race ➡️ to a blackjack hand ➡️ into DraftKings stock. It’s all the same idea: ride the wave until you want off.
✅ Final Thoughts: Which Should You Use?
- 🎯 Use open parlays when you need flexibility across a tight time window or you’re unsure about future legs
- 💼 Use rollovers whenever possible—especially when there’s spacing between games
- 🔒 Rollovers = more control
- 🎯 Open parlays = more flexibility (within one ticket)
And remember: not every book offers open parlays—but every book allows rollovers. You just have to do the work.
Let’s get creative with our strategies this season—whether you’re open parlaying or rolling over.
🎲 Good luck this season—and enjoy the action!
Stay sharp, stay disciplined, and let’s cash some damn tickets.