Draw No Bet

What is understood by the term Draw No Bet?

Draw No Bets (DNB) are equivalent to the Asian Handicap 0 (=AHC 0) bet. This is due to the fact that many bookmakers, especially in the non-European world, designate a draw with a 0 and not an X. In that sense, it belongs to the family of Asian Handicap Bets. Be that as may, the principle is clear: If the match ends in a draw, your bet is canceled and the amount of your wager returns to your betting account. Important: Bear in mind that different bookmakers use different terminology when referring to this type of bet, though it always boils down to essentially the same thing. That said, in addition to “draw no bet”, you will also bump into terms such as “no draws”, “draw – money back” or perhaps even “draw – void bet”, though the differences between all of these are nonexistent and should not bother you. Especially the term “void bet” is occasionally a source of confusion. After all, just because the match ends in a draw does not mean that the bet itself was void. It merely means that your wager will be returned to you. It is as if the bet had never been placed. Hence the name, “Draw No Bet”.

How does a Draw No Bet wager work?

With Draw No Bet, the draw option disappears. If a match does indeed end up in a draw, your entire wager will be returned to your account. Which also constitutes a so-called cashback option – giving you a considerable advantage over other standard forms of sports bets. Your risk minimization, clearly a positive aspect of this kind of bet, isn’t merely due to your money-back option: Because a draw is no longer a possible betting outcome, instead of the standard three, you are left only with two possible outcomes. In other words, you are turning a 3-way bet into a 2-way bet in the blink of an eye. In the process, your risk is minimized while, at the same time, your chances of winning increase. Let us take a look at a match in the German Bundesliga between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 as a concrete example:

Let us assume that you place 10 $ on BVB. Three outcomes are possible: If Dortmund manages to win the match, you will receive 12.50 $ – as always, the amount of your wager will simply be multiplied by the betting odds. If Schalke wins, you will lose your bet and go home empty-handed. If the match ends in a draw, the bookmaker will calculate on odds of 1.00. At least in theory, your wager will be multiplied by 1, meaning you will be paid back the exact amount of your original wager – in our case, 10 $. If there’s an advantage, there also has to be a hidden snag, right? Because the chances of winning increase, this also affects the odds, of course, meaning that the odds for Draw No Bets are going to be significantly lower. Here are the odds for a 3-way bet on the same match:

How do Draw No Bets work within the framework of combo bets?

A Draw No Bet sports wager functions in combo bets very much like it does for individual bets. In the event of a draw, the DNB is given odds of 1.00, which effectively means that it is erased from your betting slip – just as if you had never placed it. However, this in no way voids the combo bet as a whole! Which also means, it isn’t automatically lost as a consequence. Whether your combo bet consists exclusively of Draw No Bets or only includes one line of this kind, is essentially irrelevant. It will work the same. Here is an example: Let us assume you have placed a 3-way combo bet. Two of your bets are successful, while your third bet, a DNB, ends in a draw. Although only two of the three bets are correct, you will still end up ahead. Your winnings would be calculated in line with the following example:

What strategies can you pursue with Draw No Bets?

Due to the aforementioned maximization of winnings and minimization of risk, Draw No Bets are becoming increasingly popular on the European market. The option of being able to eliminate the draw in football, a result which countless sports tipsters hate, is very attractive to many. As you have no doubt noted, there are many teams who seem to have a gift for playing to a draw. In those instances, DNB can be particularly appealing. This type of bet is also a nice way of mitigating high risk in combo bets. Naturally, it is most commonly used if you are looking at a balanced match significantly more likely to end in a draw. But bear in mind: Draw No Bet odds may diverge considerably from those being quoted for traditional 3-way results bets. That said, we absolutely recommend comparing odds carefully! A popular alternative to DNB is the so-called Double Chance Bet, which allows you to bet on two possible outcomes within a single wager. Here, though the odds are lower, you can also win money in the event of a draw and will not merely have your original wager returned to you. In order to provide you with a general idea of the differences in odds for both of these types of bet, let us take a match between Arsenal and Tottenham as an example:

Precisely which of these two forms of betting is more appropriate, ultimately depends on the match itself and the bookmaker. In general, however, when you look at the overall package of betting odds, risk minimization and chances of winning, we note a clear preference for Draw No Bets.