When betting on horse racing, we can go each way or back the place markets in an attempt to, quite literally, hedge our bets – banking a payout even if our selection doesn’t win the race.
You may not know it, but football betting has its own version of those risk-spreading bet types: Draw No Bet and Double Chance. Here, your selections only lose if the team you are backing also tastes defeat… it’s as simple as that.
These can be particularly useful when you fancy an underdog to ‘get a result’, but not necessarily win, or simply where you want an extra layer of assurance in your singles, multiples and accas.
So what are Draw No Bet and Double Chance bets, and when might you be best served to use them?
Draw No Bet
As the name suggests, with a Draw No Bet (DNB) wager you are covering two of the possible results in a game.
So if your team or player wins, then your bet will be successful as well – earning you a full payout. If your team loses, then your betslip also goes down the pan.
But if the contest ends in a stalemate, the draw is considered a ‘no bet’ – as the name suggests – and your stake is pushed back to you as a refund.
As such, Draw No Bet picks give you the peace of mind of knowing that there’s one positive outcome, one neutral and negative for your bets, and helps to redistribute the balance of power back to you, somewhat, when compared to standard 1-X-2 punts.
But of course, the odds will reflect this, so your payout will be smaller than if you had gone for the 1-X-2.
Double Chance
If you want to spread your risk even further, the Double Chance (DC) market will be welcome.
This time, our bet wins when the team/player you have backed either wins or draws – it’s a full payout. As ever, your betslip can be tossed asunder if your team/player loses.
Some punters prefer Double Chance to Draw No Bet as they are guaranteed a payout in victory or stalemate, however the odds applied to DC markets are even skinnier than those supplied in the DNB category.
Drawn No Bet vs Double Chance: Which is Best?
To consider which of the options is right for you, below we have created a table so you can compare three different possibilities: Draw No Bet, Double Chance and Dutching the win and draw odds together:
| Bet Type | Stake | If Pick Wins | If Pick Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNB | £10 | £37.50 | £10 |
| DC | £10 | £23.75 | £23.75 |
| Dutching | £5 win, £5 draw | £21.25 | £18.75 |
These calculations were made using odds for a real world game: Tottenham vs Liverpool in the Premier League. In this case, the underdog – Tottenham – were available at odds of 17/4 to win, 15/4 to draw, 11/4 Draw No Bet and 11/8 Double Chance.
One thing we can see straight away is that Double Chance is a far better strategy than simply Dutching the win and draw odds together. In the Dutching results, we have to take £5 from our return on either side to account for the lost stake, and that makes DC the more equitable option.
We also learn that DNB offers a far better return when our pick wins, but when they draw you only get your stake back – leaving money on the table when compared to DC.
Deciding whether to use Draw No Bet or Double Chance will depend on a few factors. First, your mindset as a punter and your appetite for risk, and secondly your confidence in the teams that you are backing – if you really have a strong inkling they will win, then DNB is the way to go. Less confident? Then perhaps DC is your best bet.
Can I Use DNB and DC in an Acca?
Yes you can – both Draw No Bet and Double Chance bets can be added in multiples to create an accumulator.
For Double Chance accas, the rules of engagement are the same as normal – you’ll see your accumulative odds, and when you enter your stake on your betslip you’ll see how much you stand to win.
With Draw No Bet accas, your payout can be altered somewhat if there are draws on your coupon. As we know, your accumulator will stay alive even if some of your picks do draw their games – in theory, your stake would be returned. But in this instance, those selections are scratched from your acca… with your odds re-calculated without them.
That’s why you might secure a smaller payout on Draw No Bet accas than you were expecting – your coupon will be recalculated in the event of a stalemate or two.
One point of order regards the Acca Insurance offers that many bookmakers offer these days. If you peruse the terms and conditions of these promos, you’ll note that only certain bet types apply – win-draw-win, both teams to score, over/under goals etc. Draw No Bet and Double Chance are usually NOT applicable to Acca Insurance deals.
But, as we’ve learned, both DNB and DC offer you a way to protect your betting balance while cheering home the teams you have backed, and for more conservative punters these are two types of betting you should really consider adding to your arsenal.