Draw No Bet, commonly shortened to DNB, is a football betting market where you back one team to win while the draw is treated differently from a normal Match Result bet.
The basic rule is simple:
| Match result | If you backed Team A DNB |
| Team A wins | Bet wins |
| Match is drawn | Stake normally returned |
| Team A loses | Bet loses |
So if you back Arsenal Draw No Bet against Chelsea, an Arsenal win makes your wager a winner, a qualifying draw normally means your original stake is refunded, and a Chelsea win makes the wager lose.
This is the key Draw No Bet meaning.
DNB sits between a standard team-to-win bet and Double Chance. You receive protection against the draw, but that protection usually comes with lower odds than backing the same team to win in the ordinary 1X2 market.
Understanding that price trade-off is essential. Draw No Bet does not make a football prediction safe, and it certainly does not guarantee profit. It simply changes what happens if the match finishes level.
For the underlying home/draw/away market, start with our 1X2 betting guide.
What Is Draw No Bet?
A standard football 1X2 market has three outcomes:
1 means the home team wins.
X means the game finishes in a draw.
2 means the away team wins.
With Draw No Bet betting, you normally choose one of the two teams rather than selecting the draw.
The draw becomes the refund outcome.
Imagine:
Nigeria vs Ghana
You select:
Nigeria Draw No Bet
If Nigeria win 2-0, the DNB bet wins.
If the match ends 1-1, the relevant stake is normally returned.
If Ghana win 1-0, the bet loses.
That is why DNB is sometimes described as backing a team while removing the draw as an ordinary losing outcome.
However, “removing the draw” does not mean removing risk. The opposing team can still win and cause the entire stake to lose.
How Does Draw No Bet Work?
A Draw No Bet market normally offers two selections:
Home Team DNB
and
Away Team DNB
There is no separate draw selection because a qualifying draw normally voids the DNB wager.
Suppose the fixture is:
Manchester United vs Liverpool
Hypothetical DNB prices:
Manchester United DNB: 2.10
Liverpool DNB: 1.75
If you back Liverpool DNB at 1.75:
Liverpool win → your bet wins.
The match is drawn → your stake is normally refunded.
Manchester United win → your bet loses.
The precise settlement period still matters. A standard full-time football DNB market is normally based on the defined regulation-time result rather than whatever happens later in extra time, unless the sportsbook states otherwise.
Draw No Bet Examples
Consider:
Arsenal vs Tottenham
You place:
₦5,000 on Arsenal Draw No Bet at 1.60
Three possible scenarios illustrate the market.
If Arsenal win 2-1:
Potential total return:
₦5,000 × 1.60 = ₦8,000
Potential profit:
₦3,000
If the game finishes 1-1:
The DNB selection is normally void.
Your ₦5,000 stake is returned, so there is ordinarily no profit or loss from that selection.
If Tottenham win 2-0:
The DNB selection loses.
Your ₦5,000 stake is lost.
This is fundamentally different from backing Arsenal in the standard 1X2 market, because a draw would lose a straight Arsenal-win wager.
What Happens When a DNB Bet Wins, Draws or Loses?
The market has three possible settlement paths even though you only choose between two teams.
Selected Team Wins
If your chosen side wins during the market’s qualifying settlement period, your DNB selection is settled as a winner at the accepted odds.
For example:
Stake: ₦10,000
DNB odds: 1.70
Potential total return:
₦10,000 × 1.70 = ₦17,000
Potential profit:
₦7,000
Match Finishes in a Draw
A qualifying draw normally causes the DNB selection to be voided.
Your relevant stake is returned.
You do not ordinarily receive the quoted DNB winnings because your selected team did not win.
You also do not ordinarily lose the stake because the market protects against the draw.
Selected Team Loses
If the opposition wins, DNB provides no protection.
Your selection loses.
That point is important because phrases such as “draw protection” can sometimes cause bettors to think DNB is a low-risk guarantee.
It is not.
One entire Match Result outcome can still defeat the selection.
How Draw No Bet Odds Work?
DNB odds are normally lower than the ordinary Match Result price for the same team.
Suppose:
Arsenal to win: 2.10
Arsenal DNB: 1.55
Why is the DNB price lower?
Because the straight Arsenal-win wager loses under two outcomes:
Draw.
Arsenal lose.
The Arsenal DNB wager only loses if Arsenal lose.
A draw results in a refund rather than an ordinary losing settlement.
The sportsbook therefore offers a lower potential return in exchange for that additional draw protection.
This leads to an important principle:
You are not getting the draw refund for free. It is reflected in the price.
How to Calculate a DNB Return?
DNB winnings use the same decimal-odds calculation as other winning fixed-odds wagers.
The formula is:
Stake × Accepted Odds = Potential Total Return
Suppose:
Stake: ₦4,000
DNB odds: 1.80
Potential total return:
₦4,000 × 1.80 = ₦7,200
Potential profit:
₦7,200 − ₦4,000 = ₦3,200
If the qualifying match finishes level instead, you would normally receive the ₦4,000 stake back rather than ₦7,200.
For a complete explanation of decimal prices and implied probability, read our betting odds guide.
How Are Fair Draw No Bet Odds Calculated?
This is where DNB becomes more interesting.
Imagine you estimate the true probabilities for a football match as:
Home win: 50%
Draw: 28%
Away win: 22%
If you want to calculate a theoretical fair Home DNB price, the draw is removed from the win/loss portion because the stake comes back when the match is level.
The remaining decisive-result probability is:
50% + 22% = 72%
Of that 72%, the home side represents:
50 ÷ 72 = 69.44%
The theoretical fair Home DNB price would therefore be approximately:
1 ÷ 0.6944 = 1.44
For Away DNB:
22 ÷ 72 = 30.56%
Fair odds would be approximately:
1 ÷ 0.3056 = 3.27
These are theoretical fair prices based on the assumed probabilities, before sportsbook margin.
Your probability estimates can be wrong, but understanding the calculation shows why DNB odds are not simply arbitrary reduced versions of the standard win price.
Why Are DNB Odds Lower Than Straight-Win Odds?
Compare these two hypothetical selections:
Arsenal to win at 2.00
Arsenal DNB at 1.55
With Arsenal to win:
Arsenal win → win
Draw → lose
Arsenal lose → lose
With Arsenal DNB:
Arsenal win → win
Draw → refund
Arsenal lose → lose
The bookmaker therefore gives a shorter price for DNB because one previously losing result has been converted into a refund.
The real decision is not simply:
“Do I want protection?”
It is:
“Is the reduction in odds worth the protection against the draw?”
That question is central to evaluating Draw No Bet properly.
Does Draw No Bet Include Extra Time and Penalties?
Do not automatically assume so.
For a standard football Full-Time Draw No Bet market, settlement normally follows the defined full-time result, which commonly means regulation time plus applicable stoppage time.
Extra time and penalty shootouts are separate stages unless the market specifically says they are included.
Suppose:
Nigeria vs Senegal
After regulation time:
1-1
After extra time:
Nigeria win 2-1
If you backed Nigeria in an ordinary regulation-time DNB market, the qualifying result was a draw.
That DNB selection would therefore normally be void and the stake returned.
Nigeria eventually winning in extra time would not automatically turn it into a winning DNB wager.
Always check the specific market wording.
Draw No Bet in Knockout Football
Knockout matches create one of the biggest sources of confusion.
Suppose:
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich
The score after regulation time is:
1-1
Bayern then won on penalties.
Several different markets would produce different outcomes.
A standard Bayern Draw No Bet wager could be void because regulation time finished level.
A Bayern To Qualify selection could win because Bayern advanced.
A standard 1X2 draw selection could also win because the relevant Match Result was level.
These markets are answering different questions.
Do not choose DNB when what you really intend to bet on is which team qualifies.
Draw No Bet vs 1X2
This is one of the most important comparisons.
Suppose:
Chelsea vs Arsenal
You want to back Arsenal.
Under standard 1X2, selecting Arsenal means:
Arsenal win → win
Draw → lose
Chelsea win → lose
Under Arsenal DNB:
Arsenal win → win
Draw → stake returned
Chelsea win → lose
The DNB price will usually be lower than Arsenal’s straight 1X2 win price because the draw no longer causes an ordinary loss.
| Result | Arsenal 1X2 Win | Arsenal DNB |
| Arsenal wins | Win | Win |
| Draw | Lose | Refund |
| Chelsea wins | Lose | Lose |
Use our 1X2 betting page if you need the full three-way market explained.
Draw No Bet vs Double Chance
DNB and Double Chance are frequently confused because both can reduce the effect of a draw.
They do it differently.
Suppose you want to support Arsenal.
Arsenal DNB:
Arsenal win → win
Draw → refund
Arsenal lose → lose
Arsenal or Draw, 1X Double Chance:
Arsenal win → win
Draw → win
Arsenal lose → lose
The crucial difference is the draw.
With DNB, the draw normally returns your stake.
With 1X Double Chance, the draw is a winning outcome.
Because Double Chance gives you an actual win under two result categories, its odds are generally lower than the corresponding DNB price.
So the usual price hierarchy for the same team is broadly:
Straight Win → higher odds
Draw No Bet → middle
Double Chance → lower odds
Actual sportsbook prices determine the exact relationship.
For the full comparison, read our Double Chance guide.
Draw No Bet vs Asian Handicap 0
Asian Handicap 0, sometimes written AH 0, normally has the same basic settlement pattern as Draw No Bet.
If you back Team A at Asian Handicap 0:
Team A wins → bet wins
Draw → stake returned
Team A loses → bet loses
That is effectively the same core outcome structure as Team A Draw No Bet.
For this reason, bettors often treat DNB and Asian Handicap 0 as equivalent markets.
However, do not assume every sportsbook labels, prices or applies every rule identically. Always check the actual market and settlement terms.
The equivalence is about the fundamental win/draw/loss settlement pattern.
Draw No Bet in Accumulators
DNB can also appear as one leg inside an accumulator.
This creates an important settlement question:
What happens if the DNB match ends in a draw?
Under the normal structure, that leg becomes void rather than losing the entire accumulator.
Suppose your accumulator contains:
Arsenal DNB at 1.60
Barcelona to win at 1.50
Inter to win at 1.80
Combined original odds:
1.60 × 1.50 × 1.80 = 4.32
You stake ₦5,000.
If Arsenal’s DNB match finishes level, that leg would normally become void and effectively contribute 1.00 to the accumulator.
The remaining combined odds would be:
1.00 × 1.50 × 1.80 = 2.70
If Barcelona and Inter both win, the adjusted potential return would be:
₦5,000 × 2.70 = ₦13,500
The entire accumulator would not ordinarily lose merely because the DNB selection drew.
Always follow the sportsbook’s actual accumulator and void-bet rules.
What Happens if a DNB Accumulator Leg Draws?
This deserves emphasis because many bettors misunderstand it.
A draw on a DNB leg is not ordinarily treated the same way as a losing leg.
Instead, the selection is normally void.
The other accumulator selections continue.
Think of the void leg as being recalculated at 1.00 for ordinary accumulator maths.
If every other leg wins, the multiple can still produce a return at the reduced combined odds.
If another leg loses, the accumulator still loses.
Draw No Bet therefore does not protect the entire accumulator. It only changes the settlement of that particular DNB leg.
Live Draw No Bet Betting
Some sportsbooks also offer live Draw No Bet markets.
The basic meaning remains the same, but the price changes as the game develops.
Suppose Arsenal start as favourites but concede after 20 minutes.
Their live DNB price can become much larger because they now need to recover.
If they equalise later, the price can move again.
Live DNB markets can also be suspended following major events such as goals, penalties or red cards.
Do not assume the odds you initially tap are the odds that will be accepted.
Check the final ticket.
For in-play mechanics, use our live betting guide.
When Can Draw No Bet Be Useful?
Draw No Bet can be useful when your analysis favours one team but you believe the draw represents a meaningful part of the risk.
Imagine two fairly competitive teams.
You believe the away side is stronger, but its opponent has a solid home record and draws frequently.
You may not want to accept the full risk of an away-win 1X2 selection.
X2 Double Chance may feel too short.
Away DNB sits between them:
a win produces a return;
a draw gives the stake back;
a defeat still loses.
But usefulness depends on price.
A DNB market is not automatically valuable simply because it offers a refund on the draw.
What to Analyse Before a DNB Bet?
Draw Probability
The importance of the DNB protection depends heavily on how likely you believe the draw is.
If your analysis gives the draw very little probability, paying for draw protection through shorter odds may not be attractive.
If the draw is a serious possibility, DNB can become more relevant.
Home and Away Performance
If you want the away team DNB, examine its away performances rather than only its overall league position.
Likewise, assess the home side’s actual home record.
Venue can materially affect football performance.
Recent Form
Form should be analysed rather than simply counted.
Consider opposition quality, performances, scoring, defensive numbers and whether recent results were representative.
Five unbeaten games do not automatically make a team an attractive DNB selection.
Team Availability
Injuries, suspensions and confirmed line-ups can change the balance of a fixture.
The effect depends on the players missing and available replacements.
Avoid reacting identically to every reported absence.
Match Context
A draw can have different strategic value depending on the competition.
A side may be satisfied with one point in a league match.
A team protecting an aggregate advantage may play conservatively.
A relegation battle or final group fixture can create different incentives.
Understanding what each team needs can help you assess draw probability.
Price
Finally, compare probability with odds.
If DNB protection reduces the price too far, the market may not offer attractive value even if you strongly favour the team.
That is why the most important DNB question is not simply:
“Can this team avoid defeat?”
It is:
“At this price, is backing the team to win with the draw refunded worthwhile?”
Is Draw No Bet a Safe Bet?
No football wager involving an uncertain result should be described as safe.
Draw No Bet provides a specific form of protection:
The qualifying draw normally returns the stake.
It does not protect you if the opposing team wins.
If Arsenal DNB and Chelsea win, the selection loses just like an ordinary Arsenal-win wager.
DNB therefore reduces one category of Match Result risk. It does not remove overall betting risk.
Is Draw No Bet Better Than Double Chance?
Neither market is universally better.
DNB normally gives a better price than Double Chance because a draw only refunds the stake.
Double Chance normally gives a shorter price because the draw actually counts as a win when it is part of the selected combination.
Suppose:
Arsenal Win: 2.10
Arsenal DNB: 1.60
Arsenal or Draw 1X: 1.30
Those numbers are hypothetical, but they illustrate the trade-off.
More result protection normally means a lower price.
The correct decision depends on your probability estimate and the actual odds available.
Common Draw No Bet Betting Mistakes
A common mistake is believing that Draw No Bet means the team only needs to avoid defeat. That is incorrect. A draw gives a refund, not a winning DNB return.
Another mistake is confusing DNB with Double Chance. Under Double Chance, the draw can be a winning result. Under DNB, it normally avoids the wager.
Some bettors also assume that extra time automatically counts in knockout games. Standard full-time DNB markets should not be treated that way unless the wording specifically includes extra time.
Another error is assuming that the shorter price automatically means the wager is smart. DNB protection has a cost in the odds.
Finally, bettors sometimes forget how void DNB legs affect accumulators. A qualifying draw normally removes that leg rather than automatically winning or losing the entire accumulator.
How to Place a Draw No Bet Wager?
Where the sportsbook offers the market, open the football fixture and look for Draw No Bet, DNB, or a corresponding Asian Handicap 0 market where appropriate.
Choose the home or away side you want to go back.
Before confirming, check the market label carefully.
Make sure you have not accidentally selected:
Match Result;
Double Chance;
To Qualify;
or another handicap line.
Then confirm the team, accepted odds, stake and potential return.
After placement, check the wager in your betting history.
If you are still learning the broader betting process, use our Betting Guides hub or football betting guide.
Understand What You Are Paying for With DNB
The most useful way to understand Draw No Bet betting is to compare the three possible outcomes:
Your team wins → you win.
The match draws → your stake normally comes back.
Your team loses → you lose.
That structure makes DNB different from both a straight 1X2 bet and Double Chance.
A straight win normally gives you higher odds but no draw protection.
Double Chance gives stronger draw protection because the draw can count as a winning result, but usually at a shorter price.
Draw No Bet sits between them.
The key question is whether the shorter DNB odds provide enough value for the draw protection you are receiving.
Before placing a DNB wager, understand the settlement period, check whether extra time applies, review the accepted odds and know exactly what happens if the game finishes level.
Continue with the main Betting Guides, 1X2 Betting, Double Chance, Betting Odds and Football Betting guides.
Draw No Bet FAQs
What does Draw No Bet mean?
Draw No Bet means you back one team to win. If your team wins, the bet wins. If the qualifying match result is a draw, the stake is normally refunded. If your team loses, the wager loses.
Do I win a Draw No Bet if the match draws?
No. A draw normally voids the bet and returns your relevant stake. It does not produce the quoted winning return.
What happens if my DNB team wins?
The wager is settled as a winner at the accepted DNB odds, subject to the sportsbook's applicable rules.
What happens if my DNB team loses?
The bet loses. Draw No Bet protects against a qualifying draw, not against the opposition winning.
Is Draw No Bet the same as Double Chance?
No. In DNB, a draw normally returns your stake. In a corresponding Double Chance selection such as 1X or X2, the draw is itself a winning outcome.
Is Draw No Bet the same as Asian Handicap 0?
They normally have the same basic win/draw/loss settlement structure: win if your selected team wins, refund on a draw and loss if the opposition wins. Check the sportsbook's specific rules.
Does Draw No Bet include extra time?
A standard full-time football DNB market should not automatically be assumed to include extra time or penalties. Check the market's settlement period.
What happens to DNB in an accumulator if the match draws?
The DNB leg is normally void and effectively removed from the accumulator at odds of 1.00, while the other selections continue according to the sportsbook's rules.
Why are Draw No Bet odds lower than normal win odds?
Because a draw changes from a losing outcome in an ordinary team-win bet to a refund in DNB. That additional protection is reflected in a shorter price.
Which is better, straight win or Draw No Bet?
Neither is universally better. A straight win usually offers higher odds but loses on a draw. DNB usually offers lower odds but refunds the stake when the qualifying result is level.
Is Draw No Bet good for accumulators?
It can be used where supported, but it does not make an accumulator safe. Every non-void required leg still needs to settle successfully for a conventional multiple to win.
