Bets with odds of 263,109/1 do not usually hold much hope of winning - but one punter found out on Saturday (April 30) that sporting miracles can happen.
The Ladbrokes customer walked away with a huge cash win of £158,000 after placing a 60p accumulator - also known as an 'acca' - bet on that day's Premier League and Championship games. The reason why the odds were so stacked against them was because they had betted on all 16 matches being played in the two divisions.
However, despite the rather ambitious prediction, it was the punter who ended up with a big smile on their face and a large cheque as they all went the way they had said. But there was still room for a bit of late drama and jeopardy.
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Two games in the Premier League caused a bit of scare for the punter. The first was Burnley's clash away at fellow relegation-threatened club Watford.
The hosts were 1-0 up following an early own goal by James Tarkowski and they kept this lead until late on. But just as when it looked like all hope had gone, the midfield duo of Jack Cork and Josh Brownhill popped up with goals for Burnley in the 83rd and 86th minutes to give the visitors a 2-1 win.
Elsewhere, a tight encounter between Southampton and Crystal Palace heading into second half stoppage time at 1-1. But the punter's prayers were answered when former Manchester United forward Wilfried Zaha slammed home a winner for Palace in the second added minute.
This meant the football fan - who had early success on their bet thanks to Liverpool's 1-0 win at Newcastle United - had to wait and see if Manchester City could beat Leeds United. The Premier League leaders did just that with a comfortable 4-0 score.
Alex Apati from Ladbrokes said: "Our punter has played an absolute blinder here, correctly predicting the outcome of all 16 games in the top two tiers of English football on Saturday - and we've no doubt some of their winnings will be spent on a Wilfried Zaha shirt after the Palace man's dramatic winner kept the bet alive. What makes the acca even more impressive is that there was just one draw across all 16 games, and our customer managed to pick it out; truly remarkable stuff and we're delighted for them."
The betting slip in full:
Liverpool to beat Newcastle – 2/5
Aston Villa to beat Norwich – 4/11
Crystal Palace to beat Southampton – 2/1
Burnley to beat Watford – 17/10
Brighton to beat Wolves – 9/5
Man City to beat Leeds – 2/7
Preston to beat Barnsley – 6/5
Bournemouth to beat Blackburn Rovers – 7/5
Derby to beat Blackpool – 16/5
Bristol City to beat Hull – 6/5
Huddersfield to beat Coventry – 2/1
Middlesbrough to beat Stoke – 4/5
Cardiff v Birmingham to finish a draw – 9/4
Millwall to beat Peterborough – 1/2
Nottm Forest to beat Swansea – 8/15
West Brom to beat Reading – 7/5
Odds: 263,109/1
Total stake: 60p
Total returns: £157,865.59
