Draw no bet explained in one line: you back a team to win, and if the match ends level, you get your stake back. The draw is taken out of the equation, so only two things can happen. Your team wins and you collect, or your team loses and the bet goes down. The third outcome, a draw, hands your money back with no profit and no loss. That safety net is the whole appeal, and it comes at a price in the odds. This guide covers how the market settles, a full worked example with real numbers, and how it stacks up against double chance and a straight 1X2 bet. It sits comfortably among the most popular betting markets you will find on any football coupon.
Quick answer
Draw no bet (DNB) is a wager on a team to win, with the draw removed. If your team wins, the bet pays out. If your team loses, you lose your stake. If the match is drawn, your stake is refunded in full. It is safer than a straight win bet, so the odds are shorter to reflect that protection.
How draw no bet works
A normal match-result bet, often called the 1X2 market, has three outcomes: home win, draw, away win. Draw no bet trims that down to two. You still pick a team, but the draw no longer counts against you. If the game finishes level, the bookmaker simply returns your stake.
That refund is what makes the market easier on the nerves. You only need to be right about one thing: that your team will not lose. A win pays, a draw is a wash, and only a defeat costs you anything.
At Campeonbet this market is usually listed as Draw No Bet, with a price for each team next to it. Because one of the three results has been neutralised, the odds are shorter than the equivalent win price in the 1X2 market. You are paying for the insurance against a draw, and that cost shows up directly in the number, alongside the margin a bookmaker builds into the odds.
A typical game might look like this:
- Home win in 1X2 at 2.10
- Home Draw No Bet at 1.55
Same team, same expectation, but the DNB price is shorter because the draw can no longer beat you.
A worked example: draw no bet refund on a draw
Say Liverpool play Brighton and you fancy Liverpool to win, but you are wary of a stalemate. The Draw No Bet price for Liverpool is 1.55. You stake 20.
| Result | What happens to your bet | Stake | Returns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool win | Bet wins at 1.55 | 20 | 31.00 |
| Draw | Stake refunded in full | 20 | 20.00 |
| Brighton win | Bet loses | 20 | 0.00 |
If Liverpool win 2-0 or 1-0, the margin does not matter. The bet settles at 1.55 and returns 31.00, a profit of 11. If the match ends 1-1 or 0-0, you get your 20 back and walk away even. If Brighton win, the 20 is gone.
Compare that to a straight win bet on Liverpool at 2.10. A win there returns 42.00, a clear 11 more in profit. But a draw, which refunds you on DNB, would lose the lot on the win bet. That is the trade in plain terms: DNB gives up some upside in exchange for protection against the draw.
When draw no bet is the right call
DNB earns its keep when you are confident a team will not lose but genuinely unsure they can win. Fitting it into a wider plan is one of the betting approaches worth learning early. Three situations come up again and again.
A strong favourite away from home is the classic case. The away side should not lose, but away draws are common, and a DNB removes that risk for a modest cut in the odds.
A cagey game between two evenly matched sides is another. When a draw feels like a live possibility, the refund stops a likely scoreline from costing you.
Backing the underdog to cause an upset can also suit DNB. If you think the outsider can hold their own, you collect on a shock win and get your money back on a draw, with only a defeat hurting you. It is worth weighing how pricing underdogs against favourites shapes the value on offer before you settle on a side.
The market makes less sense when you are backing a heavy favourite at home who you expect to win comfortably. The DNB discount on the odds is not worth much when a draw was never likely in the first place.
Draw no bet vs double chance vs 1X2
These three markets all cover the result, but they share out risk and reward differently. Draw no bet sits in the middle: safer than a straight win, less protected than double chance. Mechanically it behaves like a level handicap bet, where the draw is voided rather than scored against you.
Double chance lets you back two of the three outcomes on one bet, for example home win or draw. You win if either lands. The catch is the odds are the shortest of the three, because you are covering more ground. With double chance, a draw is a winning result, not a refund.
A 1X2 bet is the purest version. You pick one outcome and that is the only one that pays. It carries the most risk and offers the best odds. A draw loses your stake unless you specifically backed the draw.
The table below shows how the same Liverpool game might price up across all three, using a draw price of 3.40 for context.
| Market | What you are backing | Draw result | Example odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1X2 (Liverpool win) | Liverpool to win only | Stake lost | 2.10 |
| Draw no bet (Liverpool) | Liverpool to win, draw refunded | Stake refunded | 1.55 |
| Double chance (Liverpool or draw) | Liverpool win or draw | Bet wins | 1.30 |
Read it from left to right and the pattern is clear. As the draw becomes friendlier to you, the odds get shorter. The 1X2 bet pays best but a draw wrecks it. Double chance turns the draw into a win but pays the least. Draw no bet splits the difference, returning your stake rather than winning or losing on the level result.
There is a neat way to see DNB for what it is. It works much like backing your team in 1X2 while also covering the draw, with the two prices balanced so a draw breaks even instead of either side winning. You are not getting something for nothing. The shorter odds pay for the refund, the same way the goals line in over/under prices in the safety of a half-goal. No market hands you protection free of charge, and anyone selling a sure thing is wrong.
A few things to check before you bet DNB
The refund only applies to a 90-minute draw unless the market says otherwise. In a cup tie that can go to extra time, a draw after 90 minutes still triggers the refund, because the bet settles on regulation time. This is the same regulation-time logic that governs half-time and full-time result bets, so it pays to know which window a market settles on. Always read the market name if the fixture can be settled on the night.
Watch the odds gap too. The whole point of DNB is the trade between protection and price. If a team is a runaway favourite and the draw is unlikely, the DNB discount buys you very little, and a straight win bet may simply be better value. The market shines when a draw is a real threat, not when it is an afterthought. Across the draw no bet markets at Campeonbet the DNB price sits right next to the standard win price, so it is easy to compare the two before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
What does draw no bet mean? Draw no bet means you back a team to win with the draw taken out. If your team wins, you get paid. If they lose, you lose your stake. If the match ends in a draw, your stake is refunded in full, so a level result costs you nothing.
Why are draw no bet odds shorter than the win odds? Because the draw can no longer beat you. In a normal 1X2 bet, a draw loses your stake. DNB removes that risk by refunding you instead, and the bookmaker prices that protection into shorter odds. You give up some potential profit for the safety net.
Is draw no bet better than double chance? Neither is better on its own. Double chance pays out on a draw but at the shortest odds. Draw no bet refunds your stake on a draw at slightly longer odds. If you want a draw to actively win, choose double chance. If you would rather break even on a draw and earn more on a win, choose DNB.
What happens to my stake if the match is drawn? You get it back in full. There is no profit and no loss. A 20 stake returns 20, which is the feature that gives the market its name.
Does draw no bet cover extra time? Usually not. DNB settles on the 90-minute result plus stoppage time. If a cup game is level after 90 minutes, the bet is refunded even if the tie is later decided in extra time or on penalties. Check the market name to be sure.
Conclusion
Draw no bet keeps things simple: back a team to win, and if the game ends level, your stake comes home untouched. You trade a slice of the odds for protection against the draw, which makes it a sensible pick when a stalemate is on the cards. Weigh it against double chance and a straight 1X2 bet on each game rather than defaulting to one. If you want to keep building your market knowledge, our beginner betting guide lays out the full menu and how each piece fits together.
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