What Is Draw No Bet? Draw No Bet Meaning Explained
Draw no bet is a two-way betting market in which you wager on a specific team to win a football game, and if the match ends in a draw, your stake is refunded.
Since the draw outcome is removed, the odds for each team in the draw no bet market are typically shorter than in a standard full-time result market. That is because a full-time result wager is a three-way market, where you can bet on the draw and profit from the scoreline being level at the full-time whistle.
Draw no bet is the sort of football market you might choose if you think the draw is a real possibility and don’t want to risk losing your money.
It’s a simple case of assessing whether you should take the longer odds on the regular full-time result market or make a draw no bet wager, where you would get a smaller return for the same stake size.
Note: In this article, “football” refers to the global game known as “soccer” in the United States and Canada. Odds may appear in fractional, decimal, or American formats depending on your region, but the principles behind the bet remain the same.
Example of a Draw No Bet in Football
The following example shows how a football betting site removes the draw from the equation with the draw-no-bet market.
You might fancy Arsenal to beat Tottenham Hotspur, and you are faced with choosing between the following two options:
Draw No Bet Market
- Arsenal win: 1/2
- Tottenham win: 7/5
Full-Time Result Market
- Arsenal win: 11/10
- Draw: 12/5
- Tottenham win: 12/5
As you can see, if you chose the full-time result option, you would get longer odds, but you would lose your bet if the game ended in a Tottenham win or a draw.
If you chose the draw no bet option, then you would get smaller odds, but you would get your money back if the game ended in a draw.
Differentiating Between Draw No Bet vs. Double Chance Bet
It’s essential to distinguish between draw no bet wagers and the double chance market, which involves backing two combined full-time results.
You either choose:
- Home Team Win + Draw
- Away Team Win + Draw
- Home Team Win + Away Team Win
Double chance differs from draw no bet in that the odds are even shorter, but you profit from a draw if you’ve selected a team along with the draw on the double chance market.
Double chance bets are very conservative but can work well if opposing a firm favorite at the right time.
Draw No Bet Strategy, Tips, and Market Variations
Now that we've established what draw no bet means, it's time to look at a few different strategies that we would recommend for this betting market:
It’s Great for Opposing Favorites
We like to choose the draw no bet market when opposing one of the favorites.
If we think a team is priced too short to win a football match, we can back their opponents, knowing that the draw gives us insurance should the game end all-square.Consider a Draw No Bet Multi-Leg Bet
You can place a draw no bet multi-leg bet, also known as a parlay, an accumulator, or a multi (depending on where you’re from).
You can pick out teams on the DNB coupon and win money, provided they all avoid defeat. If one of the selections results in a draw, your stake is refunded for that match. However, you can still win a return based on the outcome of your remaining selections.Back a Few Longshots & Still Get Big Odds
The draw no bet market is not particularly well-suited to backing favorites. If a team trades at 4/6 to win a football match, you can expect their draw no bet odds to be 2/7 or thereabouts.
However, a team at 10/3 on the 1x2 betting market is still a relatively attractive proposition on the draw no bet market at 5/2.
Draw No Bet Pros and Cons
- Money back if the result is a draw
- Works well if betting on an underdog
- Draw no bet multi-leg bets can reap rewards
- Smaller returns than 1x2 betting
- DNB odds not worthwhile for strong favorites
- Can't profit if the game ends as a draw
