For the days when you don’t feel like taking too much risk with your bet, but you’d still like to have some fun, the double chance betting market could be the right choice for you.
Double chance is a market that lets you bet on a match of your choice, but at a lower risk than many other markets. As the name itself suggests, you would have a double chance at getting your bet right.
It is a betting market that is only offered for football because football is the only popular sport that allows three potential outcomes of a game. Instead of thinking about how to bet on sports you know little about but seem less risky at the moment, choose a less risky bet.
So, what is double chance in football betting? Read on to learn more about this market.
Defining the Double Chance Bet
The double chance market is designed for bettors who prefer to play a safer bet, especially if they have doubts about the match outcome. What is a double chance in football betting?
A double chance bet covers two potential outcomes of the football match, giving you better chances of winning.
Of course, the odds will be accordingly lower as the market is less risky than the classic winner (1X2) market, where you select only one final outcome of the match. If you prefer lower-risk markets when betting on sports, this could be the right option for you.
The Three Double Chance Markets (1X, X2, 12)
Since the match winner market in football has three possible outcomes, the double chance market also features three combinations. Although they seem pretty straightforward, let’s explain briefly the double chance meaning for each market:
- 1X: This market says that the home team will win the match, or it will end in a draw. Depending on the odds for the home team, the odds for this market will be lower or higher than those for the X2 market for the same match.
- X2: Betting on this market, you predict that the match will either end in a draw or that the away team will win.
- 12: If you are really unsure about who could win the match, and there is no clear favourite, you can choose the market that covers victories for both teams.
The double chance market is rarely attractive for single bets, unless you are a high roller, where low odds can bring some profit thanks to high wagers. If you wish to wager on the double chance bet, our advice is to seek value with other betting types, such as accumulators.
Double Chance Betting in Practice: Examples
As you know, double chance betting is only used for football matches, so you can only find the available odds for football betting. Let’s see some examples of how the market works when there is a clear favourite in the match, or when the teams are assessed to be a bit closer in terms of quality.
Note that we have borrowed the odds from one of our bookmaker partners to better illustrate the double chance betting market.
Example no.1: AC Milan vs AS Roma
- Match winner market odds: AC Milan 2.05, Draw 3.15, AS Roma 3.85
- Double chance odds: AC Milan or Draw 1.22, Draw or AS Roma 1.73, AC Milan or AS Roma 1.36
Example no. 2: Burnley vs Arsenal
- Match winner market odds: Burnley 10.00, Draw 5.50, Arsenal 1.27
- Double chance odds: Burnley or Draw 3.80, Draw or Arsenal 1.06, Burnley or Arsenal 1.13
Example no. 3: Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea
- Match winner market odds: Tottenham 2.65, Draw 3.50, Chelsea 2.45
- Double chance odds: Tottenham or Draw 1.50, Draw or Chelsea 1.44, Tottenham or Chelsea 1.29
These examples show what the odds look like when there is a slight favourite in the match, when one team is a clear favourite, and when the bookmaker expects a close game and gives similar chances to both teams.
It’s clear the value lies in the third match, but it is also the riskiest when it comes to selecting the side to back.
When to Use a Double Chance Wager for Maximum Value
Since the double chance bet doesn’t bring much return on your wager because of typically low odds, you need to come up with a strategy to make the most of your bet. The strategy will, of course, depend on your betting style and preferences.
If you need some suggestions when it comes to betting on football, you can consult our betting tips for some match previews and betting recommendations.
Identifying High-Value Opportunities
We have already pointed out that the double chance market often doesn’t offer much value in terms of odds for a single match, unlike the winner market or, for US bettors, the moneyline market.
📖 Deeper Dive: If you are curious about how moneyline in betting works and what even or pick’em is, you can read our guide and get all the information you need for your bet.
However, there are ways to get a little more from your bet. You should do your research here and pick matches with better odds.
How do you do that?
First, you need to know that those odds won’t be sky high, as it is, after all, a double chance market. Look for matches where two rivals are close in terms of the chances they have of winning, or big derbies, because the odds might be better there.
Games where there is much at stake could also be a good choice here, especially if the teams are of similar quality or play a similar style of football, either defensively or in terms of scoring a lot of goals.
Leveraging the Market With Accumulators
Another way to increase the potential return when betting on the double chance market is to make an accumulator bet. In that way, you increase the cumulative odds of your bet by adding multiple selections to your bet slip.
Bookmakers also often give accumulator boost bonuses that increase with the number of legs you add to your accumulator. These bonuses can go up to 100%, but you would need at least 20 selections on your betslip to get that offer.
Considerations for Using Double Chance
This accumulator strategy is not without its additional risks, though. Adding multiple selections to your accumulator means that all of them must win for your bet to be a winning one. If you are not chasing big wins, then adding a smaller number of selections would be less risky.
Since the odds on double chance markets are not too generous, bettors are also tempted to increase the wager on these bets to increase their potential winnings from this bet.
💡AskGamblers tip: Be careful about increasing your wager on the double chance accumulator bets, as you don’t want to end up chasing losses in case your bet loses. You should also avoid betting on lopsided matches as the odds on a favourite are typically low.
Double Chance vs Other Low-Risk Bets
When we talk about lower-risk bets, we must start by pointing out that all bets are risky, and the odds are there to tell you just how risky they are. Apart from the double chance market, the Draw No Bet (DNB) market could also be considered to be on the lower end of the risk scale.
The DNB market can offer even slightly higher odds than the double chance, but it means that you would get your stake back in case of a draw, not a payout on your bet.
Handicap markets are also designed to level the grounds a bit and give a slight push to the underdogs. While they can’t really be considered bets with the lowest risks, they can bring you extra value.
We suggest that you read more about handicap in betting and how the market works before you decide on your next bet.
Good luck!
