Draw No Bet Explained: How It Works and When to Use It

Draw No Bet is the football betting market that most bettors use more than they realise, under a different name: Asian Handicap 0.0.

The mechanism is identical: back a team to win, and if the match draws, your stake comes back.

The draw is the most unpredictable outcome in football and the one that carries the highest bookmaker margin in 1X2 markets.

Removing it from the equation gives you a two-outcome market with better pricing than backing the outright win on a team you are not fully confident will win rather than draw.

Draw No Bet is a football betting market where you back a team to win a match.

If they win, you collect your winnings at the offered odds. If they lose, your stake is gone. If the match draws, your stake is returned in full.

This guide covers the mechanics, the cost of the draw-removal protection, how it compares to 1X2 and Asian Handicap, and when DNB genuinely offers better value than the alternatives.

How Draw No Bet Works

The settlement is simple. Three possible match results, three possible bet outcomes:

Only the result at full time plus stoppage time counts. A match that draws after 90 minutes and then goes to extra time or penalties settles as a draw for DNB purposes, meaning your stake is returned.

DNB is available on most major UK bookmakers for Premier League and Champions League matches. On some platforms it appears as a dedicated market; on others it is listed as Asian Handicap 0.0.

The Cost of Draw Protection

Draw No Bet odds are always lower than the outright 1X2 win odds for the same team. The difference is the price you pay for the draw protection.

Example: Arsenal at home to Southampton.

The 0.22 odds difference between 1.57 and 1.35 is the draw protection.

You are accepting a lower payout on a win in exchange for your stake back on a draw. Whether that trade-off is worth it depends on how likely you think the draw is.

When the Trade-Off Is Worth It

If you assess Arsenal have a 64% chance of winning and a 20% chance of drawing, the draw protection is worth a significant chunk of the odds reduction. A 20% chance of losing your stake entirely vs getting it back is meaningful.

If you assess Arsenal have a 75% chance of winning and only a 10% chance of drawing, the draw protection costs you 0.22 in odds for insurance against a 10% event. That may not be worth it, as the outright win at 1.57 may produce better expected value.

Draw No Bet vs 1X2 vs Asian Handicap 0.0

These are identical bets. The only practical difference is where you find them. UK recreational bookmakers typically list DNB as a dedicated market. Pinnacle and Asian-facing bookmakers use Asian Handicap 0.0. If you are comparing prices across bookmakers, AH 0.0 at Pinnacle is often better priced than DNB at Bet365 on the same match, because Pinnacle runs 2-3% margin vs Bet365’s 6-8%.

When to Use Draw No Bet

The Right Scenarios

• A tight match where one side is a slight favourite but the draw is a realistic outcome. DNB backs the better side without full draw exposure.
• A home side with strong attacking output but a tendency to concede. The DNB on the home team gives draw protection without sacrificing the win odds entirely.
• Cup ties and knockout rounds where a draw leads to extra time that does not affect DNB settlement. This scenario will see the normal-time draw get protected.
• Matches where team news has made the outcome uncertain in a way the odds have not fully adjusted for. DNB reduces the cost of being wrong by returning the stake on a draw.

When 1X2 Is Better

• You want to back the draw. DNB removes this option entirely.
• The underdog at a high price is your selection. DNB odds on a 6.00 underdog might be 4.50, but the reduction is proportionally large and the protection covers only a 15-20% draw probability.
• You specifically want the value available in the 1X2 draw odds. Some matches have a higher draw probability than the bookmaker’s pricing reflects. Therefore, backing the draw on its own merits is the correct play.

This article covers the 0.0 line in the context of the full Asian handicap market.

The Draw-Removal Margin Advantage

Removing the draw from a 1X2 market eliminates much of the margin the bookmaker extracts from the three-way outcome structure. Premier League 1X2 markets typically carry 6-8% overround across three outcomes. DNB markets on the same fixtures typically carry 4-6%.

For bettors placing a high volume of match result bets across a season, systematically using DNB rather than 1X2 on appropriate fixtures reduces the total margin paid by 1-3 percentage points per bet. Over 150-200 bets in a season, that saving is meaningful — particularly if combined with sharp bookmaker pricing at Pinnacle where the AH 0.0 equivalent carries only 2-3% margin.

The margin advantage is part of the same framework as finding value in any market.

DNB in Accumulators

DNB legs in accumulators work differently from standard 1X2 legs when a draw occurs. If one leg of a multi-leg accumulator is DNB and that match draws, the accumulator is not void — it simply continues without that leg. A five-fold accumulator with a DNB draw becomes a four-fold. The odds recalculate based on the remaining legs.

This is a meaningful advantage over standard accumulators for bettors who regularly include tight match selections: a DNB draw in a leg costs you the contribution of that leg to the combined odds, but does not lose the entire bet.

Responsible Gambling

Draw No Bet reduces result risk on individual matches compared to 1X2, but the bookmaker’s margin still applies and repeated DNB betting at poor prices will produce losses over time. The draw protection is not free — it is paid for through reduced odds on the win outcome.

• GambleAware (UK): begambleaware.org
• GamCare (UK): gamcare.org.uk — 0808 8020 133
• National Council on Problem Gambling (US): 1-800-522-4700
• Gambling Therapy (international): gamblingtherapy.org

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Draw No Bet in football?

Draw No Bet is a football betting market where you back a team to win. If they win, you collect your winnings. If the match draws, your stake is returned. If they lose, the stake is lost. It removes the draw as a losing outcome, replacing it with a stake return.

Is Draw No Bet the same as Asian Handicap 0.0?

Yes — they are the same bet under different names. AH 0.0 is the label used on Asian-facing platforms and at bookmakers like Pinnacle. Draw No Bet is the label used on most UK recreational bookmakers. The settlement rules are identical: win if team wins, stake returned if draw, lose if team loses.

What happens if there is a draw on Draw No Bet?

Your stake is returned in full. No profit, no loss on the bet. The match settles as a void for your selection, and your original stake is credited back to your account. This settlement is based on the 90-minute result. Extra time and penalties do not count.

Is Draw No Bet worth it?

It depends on the specific fixture and how likely you assess the draw to be. DNB pays lower odds than the 1X2 win and the difference is the price of the draw protection. If the draw is a genuine 20-25% probability, the protection is worth the reduced odds. If the draw is unlikely (10% or below), backing the outright win at 1X2 odds may produce better expected value.

How does Draw No Bet work in an accumulator?

If a DNB leg in an accumulator results in a draw, that leg is treated as void and removed from the accumulator. The bet continues with the remaining legs and the combined odds are recalculated. A five-fold with a DNB draw becomes a four-fold. The stake does not increase — it is carried through at the same amount on the remaining legs.

What is the difference between Draw No Bet and Double Chance?

Draw No Bet backs one team to win and returns the stake on a draw. Double Chance combines two of the three 1X2 outcomes into a single bet (e.g., Home win or Draw). DNB gives you a stake return on the draw; Double Chance gives you a full win on the draw if your Double Chance includes it. DNB is generally better priced than the equivalent Double Chance on the same fixture.

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