Guide · 5 min read
Draw no bet and double chance explained
Draw no bet gives your stake back on a draw; double chance covers two of the three results in one bet. Both are built from the ordinary 1X2 market, so you can work out what they should cost. This guide shows the maths and how the markets combine into sure bets.
Updated 22 October 2026
Contents
Draw no bet: stake back on a draw
With draw no bet (DNB) you back one team to win. If it wins, the bet wins. If the other team wins, you lose. If the match ends in a draw, the bet is void and your stake comes back.
In effect you are buying insurance against the draw, and that insurance has a price: the DNB odds are clearly lower than the plain win odds. In football, DNB is normally settled like 1X2, on regular time including stoppage time.
Double chance: 1X, X2 and 12
A double chance bet covers two of the three results:
- 1X: home win or draw
- X2: draw or away win
- 12: home win or away win, i.e. "no draw"
Unlike DNB, a draw wins the bet (for 1X and X2) instead of voiding it. In exchange the odds are lower still. 1X is the same as the home team on the Asian handicap +0.5.
Fair prices from 1X2 odds
Both markets can be rebuilt from the ordinary three-way market. That tells you whether a DNB or double chance price is good or poor.
Step 1: reciprocals. 1/2.40 = 0.41667, 1/3.40 = 0.29412, 1/3.00 = 0.33333. They add up to 1.04412, so the bookmaker's margin is about 4.4%.
Step 2: rebuild DNB home. Back the home win and put just enough on the draw that a draw returns your whole stake. Of €100, €70.59 goes on home and €29.41 on the draw (29.41 × 3.40 = €100). If home wins: 70.59 × 2.40 = €169.41. That is DNB odds of ≈ 1.69.
As a formula: DNB home = odds 1 × (1 − 1/odds X) = 2.40 × (1 − 0.29412) = 1.694.
Step 3: without the margin. Strip the margin out and only the ratio of home to away remains: fair DNB home = 1 + odds 1 / odds 2 = 1 + 2.40 / 3.00 = 1.80. The gap between 1.69 and 1.80 is the margin built into the 1X2 prices.
Step 4: double chance. 1X = 1 / (0.41667 + 0.29412) = 1.41. X2 = 1 / (0.29412 + 0.33333) = 1.59. 12 = 1 / (0.41667 + 0.33333) = 1.33.
If the same bookmaker offers DNB home at 1.65, its direct market is worse than your own rebuild from its 1X2 prices. If another bookmaker offers 1.75, that price sits between the rebuild and the fair value. Reciprocals and margins are covered step by step in betting basics.
Which market does what?
| Market | Home win | Draw | Away win | Odds in the example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (win) | Win | Loss | Loss | 2.40 |
| DNB home | Win | Stake back | Loss | ≈ 1.69 |
| 1X | Win | Win | Loss | ≈ 1.41 |
| 12 | Win | Loss | Win | ≈ 1.33 |
None of these markets is "better" in itself. They split the same probabilities differently, and each one carries the bookmaker's margin. What matters is whether the price on offer is above the fair value, which is the idea behind value betting. Value bets are coming soon in ArbVantage.
Combinations for sure bets
Because double chance and DNB each cover part of the 1X2 market, pairing them with the missing result at another bookmaker covers every outcome:
- 1X against 2, X2 against 1 and 12 against X: two bets that cover all three results. It is a sure bet if 1/odds A + 1/odds B is below 1.
- DNB home against DNB away: on a draw both stakes come back (result zero); otherwise it works like a two-way sure bet.
- DNB home against X2: on a draw the DNB bet is void and X2 wins. Breaking even on both a home and an away win is only possible if (DNB odds − 1) × (X2 odds − 1) is at least 1. That is rare, but when it happens the draw becomes a bonus, much like a middle.
Bookmaker A offers 1X at 1.45, bookmaker B the away win at 3.40. S = 1/1.45 + 1/3.40 = 0.68966 + 0.29412 = 0.98378.
Of €100, €70.10 goes on 1X and €29.90 on the away win. Home win or draw: 70.10 × 1.45 = €101.65. Away win: 29.90 × 3.40 = €101.66. Either way about +€1.65, provided both bets are accepted at these odds and stand.
How the stake formula works and what can go wrong is explained in sure betting; whether a small margin is worth it at all is covered in what is a good arbitrage percentage. If one of the bookmakers passes Austria's 5% betting fee on to you, calculate with the odds after the deduction; see the Austrian betting tax.
When draw no bet is not the same as AH 0
On paper, draw no bet is identical to the Asian handicap 0: a win wins, a draw returns the stake, a defeat loses. In practice there are differences that can break a sure bet:
- In-play: some bookmakers settle a live handicap only on goals scored after the bet, while DNB is settled on the final score.
- Abandonment and postponement: the deadlines after which a bet is voided differ between bookmakers and markets.
- Other sports: in ice hockey, DNB can be settled on 60 minutes or including overtime. If one bet is on regular time and the other is not, they do not match.
So whenever you combine two different markets, read both bookmakers' betting rules before you place the second bet.
Frequently asked questions
Is draw no bet the same as Asian handicap 0?
In settlement, yes: a win wins, a draw returns the stake and a defeat loses. Differences appear in-play, on abandoned matches and in sports with overtime. Check both bookmakers' betting rules before you set one market against the other.
Is double chance worth it?
Double chance is neither good nor bad in itself. It combines two results and pays lower odds for that, which also include the bookmaker's margin. It is interesting when its price is above the value you rebuild from the 1X2 odds, or as one leg of a sure bet.
How do I combine draw no bet with a bet on the draw?
DNB home and a bet on the draw together cover a home win and a draw, much like 1X. On an away win you lose both stakes. For a sure bet you therefore also need a bet on the away win, or you simply compare the pair with the best 1X price.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Asian handicap (the 0 line)
- Wikipedia: Fixed-odds betting
- Tipico: terms and betting rules (regular time including stoppage time)
- RIS: Gebührengesetz 1957, § 33 TP 17 (Austrian betting fee)
As of October 2026. Settlement rules differ between bookmakers and can change; your bookmaker's betting rules are what counts. All figures are worked examples with the stated odds.
Not betting, legal or tax advice. 18+. Betting involves risk and no profit is guaranteed: odds change, bets get voided and accounts get limited. Only bet money you can afford to lose. Our responsible gambling page lists free help, and the disclaimer applies.