Draw No Bet

By
• Learn The Lines
• May 17th, 2022

Draw no bet or tie no bet is a betting type which is popular in low scoring sports where ties are common. The most popular draw no bet sports are soccer and hockey.

Our no draw no bet guide will explain how it works, examples of draw no bet and why it is a handy option for bettors to consider in an attempt to beat the sportsbooks.

Draw No Bet Meaning

Draw no bet is a sports betting type which effectively eliminates the outcome of a tie or draw on a three way betting market meaning that you either bet on Team A to win or Team B. This is also similar to the Asian Handicap market ‘0 handicap’. 

How Does Draw No Bet Work?

As touched upon above, draw no bet, removes the draw/tie outcome from a 1X2 (three way) betting market. When placing a draw no bet wager on a team, let’s say the Edmonton Oilers against Canadiens in the NHL. If the game is tied, the bet will automatically be voided and your stake will be returned to you in full. 

If the Oilers win, you will win your bet. The only scenario where you would lose your bet and have no monetary return, is if the Canadiens were to win the contest. 

Draw No Bet Examples

Now let’s take a look at the difference between a three way 1X2 market and a draw no bet market. 

The 1X2 betting market example looks like this:

FLA Panthers –   -165

Tie – +360

DET Red Wings – +270

We can see bettors have three options here; either back Florida Panthers or the Detroit Red Wings to win the contest, or back the tie.

Now let’s look at the tie no bet option on the same game:

FLA Panthers (tie no bet) –   -265

DET Red Wings (tie no bet)  – +175

As you can see the betting market has gone from a three way (1×2) market to a 2 way market and has taken out the tie option. You will always get offered shorter betting odds on tie no bet selections because by removing the tie outcome, you are effectively making your bet safer, with now only one outcome where you lose your stake completely. 

In soccer a 1×2 bet might look like this:

Manchester United – +175

Draw – +225

Chelsea – +130

Whereas a draw no bet market might look like this:

Manchester United +110 

Chelsea  -130

Draws are common in soccer games, it is said that 22%, approximately 1 in 5 games end in a draw across a soccer season. So you can see why draw no bet is a very attractive option for bettors. 

What happens with a draw no bet selection if the match ends in a tie? 

Here’s the beauty of draw on bets / tie no bets, if the contest ends in a draw/tie, there will be no damage done and your stake will be returned in full to you. You will not win the bet but you will not lose either. 

When to consider using draw no bet as an option in sports betting

For sports where the scores are low scoring and draws are commonplace it is always worth considering draw no bet as an option to give your stake greater protection. Here are a few scenarios where you may wish to activate the draw no bet selection:

When you are confident a team won’t lose

Sometimes you might be tempted to back a favorite, who is in form and looks the most likely winner of the contest, but sport is a funny game and things often don’t go to plan. Although of course you will stand to win less than if backing your selection in a 1X2 bet, with a draw no bet option if the unforeseen was to happen like a player makes a mistake or a last minute penalty is given which results in a draw/tie, you will at least have the protection, that if the game is tied you will get your stake returned to you. Whereas if you backed a team to win on 1X2 and the game resulted in a draw you would lose the bet and your stake. 

When backing an underdog you think could win

Likewise, draw no bet is a great option if you fancy backing the underdog in a contest. When backing the favorite with draw no bet you know the odds will not be very appealing but with underdogs, you will have slightly more appealing odds with draw no bet. It is also worth noting that the underdog is the outsider of the contest for a reason and the sportsbook obviously thinks that they are the most likely to lose. So with that in mind your speculative bet on the underdog with draw no bet, at least gives you the added protection that if your pick doesn’t go onto the win contest, a draw at least returns your stake to you. 

Draw no bet as an in-play / live betting option

Draw no bet or tie no bet can also be a very savvy option whilst the games are taking place in-play as well. Let’s say you are watching a soccer match, one team has taken a 1-0 lead against the run of play and the team that is losing continues to dominate the game, you can sense that the goals will come for the dominant losing team and you fancy them to turn it around and win the contest. Of course if you were to back them to win on 1X2 live you would stand to win a very generous amount of money, with them needing to score a minimum of two goals to win the contest, but it’s a big ask. So you decide to back the trailing team with draw no bet, meaning that if they are unable to turn the game around and win, but manage to level, you will not lose your bet. You will also still be offered generous odds with draw no bet if the team you back is losing the contest. 

Combining a selection of draw no bet picks in a parlay or a multi

Parlays are hard to win as it involves all of your betting selections to win in order for your parlay to pay out. So one way you could make your parlays safer is by including all your selections with a draw no bet option. Of course if any of your parlay picks end in a draw / tie regardless if all the other selections win, then your parlay would be voided and stake returned to you. This option is perhaps most favourable when you have a parlay containing a number of short priced strong favorites, who will all most likely win but if one was to just fall short and draw, then your stake will at least be returned to you, instead of settling as a loser.