Patent bet explained: seven bets and the total stake
A patent is a full-cover bet on three selections made of 7 separate bets: 3 singles, 3 doubles and 1 treble. The total stake is 7 times the unit stake, so a KES 20 unit costs KES 140.
What a patent is
A patent is a full-cover bet on three selections. Instead of one accumulator that needs all three to win, the slip is split into every possible bet that can be made from them: each selection alone, each pair, and all three together.
It is close to the Trixie covered in the guide on Trixie and Yankee bets, with one difference: a patent includes the single bets. Operators sometimes use other names for the same structure, so count the bets listed on the slip rather than relying on the label.
Why it is seven bets
A bet made from k selections out of n is one bet. The number of different groups of k that can be drawn from n selections is written C(n, k). For a patent n = 3 and k runs from 1 to 3.
Working through each term: C(3, 1) = 3 singles, C(3, 2) = 3 doubles (A+B, A+C, B+C) and C(3, 3) = 1 treble (A+B+C). The total is 3 + 3 + 1 = 7 bets.
There is a shortcut. Each selection is either in a bet or out of it, which gives 2 × 2 × 2 = 8 combinations, and removing the empty one leaves 8 − 1 = 7. The same rule gives 2n − 1 for any n.
| Selections | Singles | Doubles | Trebles | Fourfolds | Total bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 (patent) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
Compare the patent with its neighbours: a Trixie is 3 doubles and 1 treble, so 4 bets, and a patent is that plus 3 singles, so 7.
Finding the total stake
The unit stake is the amount placed on each of the seven bets. The slip shows a larger total, and the total is what leaves your balance.
| Unit stake | Working | Total stake |
|---|---|---|
| KES 20 | 20 × 7 | KES 140 |
| KES 50 | 50 × 7 | KES 350 |
| KES 100 | 100 × 7 | KES 700 |
To work backwards, divide your ceiling by 7. A ceiling of KES 500 gives 500 ÷ 7 = 71.43, so the largest whole-shilling unit stake is KES 71 and the total is then 71 × 7 = KES 497. The session budget planner does this kind of division for a monthly figure.
Illustrative example: all seven bets priced
Illustrative example
Three invented selections at decimal odds A = 1.80, B = 2.50 and C = 2.00, with a unit stake of KES 20. Total stake = 20 × 7 = KES 140.
The odds of a double or treble are the product of its legs, as set out in the guide on calculating accumulator odds and payout. The return of each bet is KES 20 times its odds.
| Bet | Working | Odds | Return if it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single A | 1.80 | 1.80 | KES 36 |
| Single B | 2.50 | 2.50 | KES 50 |
| Single C | 2.00 | 2.00 | KES 40 |
| Double A + B | 1.80 × 2.50 | 4.50 | KES 90 |
| Double A + C | 1.80 × 2.00 | 3.60 | KES 72 |
| Double B + C | 2.50 × 2.00 | 5.00 | KES 100 |
| Treble A + B + C | 1.80 × 2.50 × 2.00 | 9.00 | KES 180 |
What each outcome returns
What you receive depends on which selections win, because a bet pays only if every leg in it wins. The table adds up the returns of the bets that survive and subtracts the KES 140 stake.
| Winners | Bets that pay | Total return | Result after KES 140 stake |
|---|---|---|---|
| A, B and C | 3 singles, 3 doubles, treble | KES 568 | +KES 428 |
| B and C only | singles B, C and double B + C | KES 190 | +KES 50 |
| A and B only | singles A, B and double A + B | KES 176 | +KES 36 |
| A and C only | singles A, C and double A + C | KES 148 | +KES 8 |
| B only | single B | KES 50 | −KES 90 |
| C only | single C | KES 40 | −KES 100 |
| A only | single A | KES 36 | −KES 104 |
| None | none | KES 0 | −KES 140 |
Check the first row: singles 36 + 50 + 40 = 126, doubles 90 + 72 + 100 = 262, treble 180, and 126 + 262 + 180 = KES 568. For B and C: 50 + 40 + 100 = KES 190.
One winner pays only its own single. At a KES 20 unit, a lone winner recovers the KES 140 stake only if 20 × odds is at least 140, which means odds of 7.00 or more. In this example none of the selections is that long, so one winner always leaves a loss.
What the patent does and does not change
The patent returns something when a single selection wins, which an accumulator does not. The price is a larger total stake and a smaller top return. A KES 140 accumulator on A, B and C at 9.00 would return 140 × 9.00 = KES 1,260 if all three win, against KES 568 for the patent.
It does not reduce the bookmaker's margin. Every price carries margin, and the doubles and treble compound it, as explained in why accumulators carry more margin. The average result of the slip is the sum of the average results of its seven bets, so lines that each cost money on average still cost money in total.
The KES 20 floor and the seven bets
Section 71(1) of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 says a player in an online gambling activity shall not bet an amount of less than twenty shillings in a competition. The minimum online stake entry sets out the section. The Act does not say whether each line of a patent counts as a separate bet for this purpose, so this guide does not state a rule where the Act is silent.
The arithmetic is simple if each line is held to the floor: 7 × KES 20 = KES 140 as the least total outlay. The operator's displayed terms say which unit stake is accepted.
Before you place one
- Count the bets on the slip and confirm that unit stake × 7 equals the total shown.
- Write down the total stake first and compare it with the ceiling in your betting budget and limits.
- Work out the result for one winner and for none, because those are the outcomes that lose money.
Gambling is addictive. Play responsibly.
Questions and answers
How many bets are in a patent?
Seven. With three selections there are 3 singles, 3 doubles and 1 treble, and 3 + 3 + 1 = 7.
What is the difference between a patent and a Trixie?
A Trixie has the 3 doubles and the treble, which is 4 bets. A patent adds the 3 singles to those, which makes 7 bets. The extra three bets mean the total stake is 7 times the unit stake instead of 4 times.
Does one winning selection return the whole stake?
Not by itself. One winner pays only its own single, and that single is one of seven bets. The return is the unit stake times that selection's odds, so the whole KES 140 is covered only if those odds are 7.00 or more at a KES 20 unit.
How many selections must win for a patent to return something?
At least one, because the patent contains singles. With no winners every bet loses and the return is KES 0. Each extra winner switches on more doubles and, if all three win, the treble.
How do I find the unit stake from a total budget?
Divide the total you are prepared to lose by 7. A ceiling of KES 500 allows a unit stake of at most 500 divided by 7, which is KES 71.43, or KES 71 when rounded down to whole shillings.
Does the KES 20 online minimum apply to each of the seven bets?
Section 71(1) of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 says a player in an online gambling activity shall not bet an amount of less than twenty shillings in a competition. The section does not say how the lines of a combination bet are counted, so the operator's displayed terms decide what unit stake is accepted. If each line is treated as a bet of its own, the least total outlay would be 7 x KES 20 = KES 140.
Sources
- Gambling Control Act, 2025 (No. 14 of 2025), s.71(1), accessed 2026-10-22