Draw no bet is pretty much what it says on the tin, though there’s a bit more to it than the name suggests. Essentially, you’re backing a team to win, but if the match ends in a draw, you get your money back instead of losing it. Simple as that, really.
This type of bet has become massively popular over the last few years, especially with football punters who fancy a team but worry about the game ending all square. It takes the sting out of those frustrating 1-1 draws that used to kill your weekend accumulator stone dead.
Think about it like this – you fancy Leicester to beat Brighton away, but you know Brighton are stubborn at home and draws happen all the time in football. With a regular win bet, you’d lose your stake if it finishes 2-2. With draw no bet, that same 2-2 result just gives you your tenner back, and you live to fight another day.
The beauty of draw no bet is that it essentially turns every football match into a two-horse race rather than the usual three-way affair. You’re either winning or getting your money back – there’s no middle ground where you walk away empty-handed because of a boring goalless draw.
Obviously, the bookies aren’t mugs. They know they’re offering you better terms, so the odds get shortened accordingly. If Man City are 4/5 to beat Wolves in a regular match winner market, they might be something like 3/5 in the draw no bet market. You’re paying for that insurance with reduced potential winnings.
Here’s where it gets clever though – if your bookie doesn’t offer draw no bet on a particular match, you can create the same effect yourself with a bit of mental arithmetic. Let’s say you want to back the home team with £20, and the draw is priced at 5/2. You’d put roughly £7 on the draw and £13 on your home win. If it’s a draw, your £7 at 5/2 returns about £24.50, covering your total stake. If the home team wins, you lose the £7 on the draw but collect on the £13 home win. Bit more fiddly, but it works out the same.
The Asian handicap markets offer another way to achieve the same thing. Asian handicap 0 is basically draw no bet under a different name – your team needs to win outright, but draws mean all bets are void and stakes returned.
Draw no bet works particularly well when you’ve spotted value on an underdog but don’t fancy them to actually lose the match. Take a Championship team hosting Premier League opposition in the FA Cup. You might think the Championship side won’t get beaten, but winning outright feels a stretch. Draw no bet gives you a free swing at the upset whilst protecting your stake if it’s a typical cup tie stalemate.
Some punters use draw no bet as part of their regular betting strategy, especially on matches where they expect tight, cagey affairs. European competitions often throw up these types of games where teams are happy to take a point and build from there.
The downside? Well, apart from the reduced odds, you miss out on those matches where your gut says draw but you end up backing a winner anyway. There’s something to be said for the traditional three-way bet when you’re feeling confident.
Is draw no bet worth using? Depends on your appetite for risk, really. If you’re the type who gets properly wound up by last-minute equalisers ruining good bets, it’s probably worth the slightly lower returns for the peace of mind. Conservative punters love it because it removes one of the most common ways to lose football bets.
Draw no bet isn’t revolutionary – it’s just a sensible way to back teams when you’re not entirely convinced they’ll get over the line.
