How one man’s patience defeated the bookies – to the tune of over £100,000

They say good things come to those who wait but ordinarily this is not a motto adhered to by fans of football accumulators.

In most people’s book the first rule of placing an acca is to ignore the early kick-off no matter how much of a banker it is.

It could be Manchester United at home to Wycombe Wanderers but if it kicks-off at 12:45 it has to be vetoed just in case.

The same rules usually apply to splitting up the weekend with ardent acca punters opting for two separate slips rather than placing one bet which covers two days knowing they can’t wait 24 hours to see the outcome of their bet if all their Saturday selections come in.

However, having said all this, betting habits could be set to change forever after one canny punter proved that patience is the key to success with a testing 10-fold bet spread out over four weeks!

George Wood, 22, from Leicestershire took Ladbrokes to the cleaners when his £5.05 acca came in at odds of over 23,000/1.

Rather than sticking to a pre-made coupon, the Leicester City fan meticulously perused the fixtures over a four-week period with his first selection being West Brom v Everton on September 28 and his final leg coming in with Manchester City’s 5-1 win over AFC Bournemouth on October 17.

Here’s the stunning acca in all its glory …

While most people would have been biting their nails for 13 days – or at least scrambling to the lay off the bet – Wood claims he was always confident of the win and had even ordered a new car before the City result came in.

“I just knew I was going to win. I had that gut feeling, so I went ahead and ordered the new car regardless because I knew it was going to happen. I didn’t get to sleep until 4am, it’s crazy but I’m over the moon,” he said.

“I’m putting the money to good use by paying off my mum’s debts, buying a house, and then heading off on a luxury holiday to Mexico. I plan to set up my own business and invest in the stock market,”

Ladbrokes could do nothing but admit defeat on this occasion and heralded Wood’s cunning selections.

Spokesperson Jessica Bridge commented “George has the patience of a saint, and his mammoth win really just shows that good things come to those who wait.”

She added: “We couldn’t be happier that he’s won a life-changing amount of money and we’re paying out with a big smile.”

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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