Draw No Bet vs 1X2: How the Markets Settle and What You Could Win

In draw no bet vs 1X2, the main difference is what happens if the match is drawn: a draw no bet selection usually returns your stake, while a 1X2 selection on a team loses. That protection comes with a lower price when you back the same team to win.

How draw no bet and 1X2 bets settle

1X2 is a three-way market. If you back the home team, your bet wins only if the home team wins; a draw is a separate outcome, as is an away win.

Draw no bet has two relevant outcomes for the team you select: a win pays at the quoted odds, a loss loses your stake, and a draw usually makes the bet void, returning your stake. That return is a refund, not winnings.

In the United States, 1X2 is commonly called a three-way soccer market. A two-way moneyline has no draw selection, although the exact terminology and settlement can vary by market.

This infographic compares the available outcomes in draw no bet and 1X2 betting. It highlights how each market treats a draw.

Compare the returns with the same stake

Here is a worked football example using a £10 stake on the same team.

1. If the team wins on 1X2: the bet pays at the quoted odds, returning the stake and winnings.
2. For DNB, a win: pays at the quoted odds, with the stake included in the return.
3. If the match is drawn: the 1X2 bet loses £10, while the DNB bet is void and returns £10.
4. A loss for the selected team costs £10 on either bet.

Answer: DNB returns your stake on a draw but usually offers less potential profit on a win. Neither bet protects your stake if the selected team loses.

The difference in the win return reflects the different settlement: DNB removes the draw as a losing result for your selection, so its odds are lower in this example.

How to judge DNB odds against 1X2 odds

Decimal odds imply a probability through 1 ÷ decimal odds.

For a rough fair DNB estimate, convert all three 1X2 prices into implied probabilities, remove the draw probability, then compare the selected team’s probability with the opponent’s among the remaining outcomes. Divide the selected team’s probability by the sum of those two probabilities to estimate its chance of winning conditional on no draw; the reciprocal gives an estimated fair DNB decimal price.

The 1X2 implied probabilities usually add up to more than 100% because of the bookmaker’s overround. That overround is not the same as the bookmaker’s margin as a share of stakes, and uneven margins or a separate DNB price can make a simple conversion an imperfect comparison.

Our betting tools can help with odds conversions and return calculations, while the key check is to compare your own conditional win estimate with the actual DNB price. A converted 1X2 price is an estimate, not proof that one market offers better value. Football Tips Today: Fixtures, Markets and Value Checks also covers checking 1X2 prices against implied probability.

How to find the DNB break-even point

At decimal DNB odds, the break-even chance of winning, conditional on the match not being drawn, is the reciprocal of the odds. A win returns the stake plus winnings at the quoted odds, a draw returns the stake, and a loss costs the stake.

To assess the price, compare that break-even chance with your estimate of the selected team’s chance of winning among non-drawn outcomes.

When draw protection may suit your match view

DNB may suit a match view where you think the selected team is more likely to win than lose, but see a draw as a meaningful possibility. The lower price still needs to make sense against your estimate of the team’s chance of winning when the result is not a draw.

1X2 may fit better if you believe the team has a strong chance of winning and prefer its larger potential return to a stake refund if the match is drawn. Our football betting guide can help frame a match around the home win, draw and away win, rather than choosing a market just because its name sounds safer.

DNB only changes the settlement of a draw. If your team loses, you lose your stake, and draw protection alone does not make the price good value.

DNB, double chance and Asian handicap 0

Double chance covers two of the three 1X2 results. For example, home-or-draw wins if the home team wins or the match is drawn; home DNB instead refunds the stake on a draw and pays only if the home team wins.

A single-match Asian handicap 0 selection on a team usually has the same win, draw and loss settlement pattern as DNB: a win pays, a draw pushes or voids the bet, and a loss loses the stake. A push is another term for a selection that is settled as a tie and has its stake returned.

These markets can have different prices and rules, so matching settlement on a draw does not make them interchangeable. Check which outcomes a market covers and what its price pays before comparing it with DNB.

Check settlement rules for match time and accumulators

Football match-result markets commonly settle on the score after 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalty shootouts are often excluded unless the market rules specifically include them.

Abandoned or postponed matches can be settled or voided under the bookmaker’s rules for that market and competition. The outcome may depend on how and when the fixture is rearranged, so read the applicable settlement terms.

In an accumulator, a DNB selection that is void is commonly removed and the remaining selections continue. The void leg does not count as a winning leg or add a payout, and the exact treatment depends on the bookmaker’s rules.

For a wider explanation of how odds and multiples work, our sports betting guide is a useful companion when you are assessing an accumulator.

A practical way to choose

For draw no bet vs 1X2, start with your view of all three possible match results, then compare the return and settlement of the market you are considering. Choose DNB only when the draw refund is useful to your view and its lower price still meets your own value threshold.