Draw No Bet Explained: What It Means and How It Works

What does draw no bet mean?

A normal match result bet, often called 1X2, has three outcomes: home win, draw and away win. Draw no bet takes the draw out. If the match is drawn, the bet is void and your stake is returned, as if you had never placed it.

DNB is mostly used in football (soccer), but you will also find it in other sports where draws can happen, such as Test cricket, and occasionally the NFL, where a regular-season game can end tied. In US terms, it works like a two-way moneyline where a tie is a push.

How draw no bet is settled

DNB settles on 90 minutes plus stoppage time. In a cup tie that is level after 90 minutes and goes to extra time or penalties, your bet is void, even if your team goes through.

How draw no bet odds are calculated

DNB odds come from the match result odds. The draw is taken out and its probability is effectively shared with the win. You can estimate fair DNB odds with this formula: DNB odds = win odds × (draw odds - 1) ÷ draw odds.

You can also build DNB yourself with two bets. Split your stake so the draw bet returns your total stake: put total stake ÷ draw odds on the draw and the rest on the win. With £100, home win odds of 2.20 and draw odds of 3.40, that is £29.41 on the draw and £70.59 on the home win. A draw returns about £100, and a home win returns about £155.30, the same as £100 at roughly 1.55.

Comparing the two is useful. If the DNB price on offer is noticeably lower than the price you can build yourself, the bookmaker is taking a bigger margin on that market.

Draw no bet vs Asian handicap 0

Draw no bet and Asian handicap 0 are the same bet. Both pay out if your team wins, refund your stake on a draw and lose if your team loses. Asian handicap 0 is sometimes labelled PK or level.

Because they sit in different markets, the odds can differ slightly. If both are available, take whichever pays more.

If you want a slightly higher price and can accept some draw risk, Asian handicap -0.25 sits between DNB and a straight win: a draw costs you half your stake instead of none.

Draw no bet vs double chance

Double chance covers two of the three outcomes. A bet on 1X wins if the home team wins or draws. DNB, by contrast, only pays on a win and refunds on a draw.

The more outcomes a bet covers, the lower its odds. The straight win price is the highest, DNB sits in the middle and double chance is the lowest.

When draw no bet makes sense

DNB reduces risk on one outcome; it does not remove risk. Your team can still lose, and over many bets the lower odds add up, so only take DNB when the price still looks good against your own estimate of the chances.

It suits a specific view: you think a team is more likely to win than lose, but you see a draw as a real possibility. Typical situations include:

• A favourite facing a well-organised defensive side that is happy to sit deep.
• An underdog you think is underrated, where you would rather not back the draw itself.
• Tight fixtures between evenly matched teams, where draws are common.