Double Chance Bets Explained

Double Chance Betting

Double chance betting is a less popular betting market. It's presumed to be less risky in betting terms as it offers a way to increase the probability of NOT LOSING by covering 2 of 3 possible results. It's less popular because the odds are really short meaning if you win, you don't get as much back as you staked. 

There are three potential final results in any soccer match: the home team wins, the away team wins, or the match ends in a draw. With double chance betting, you get to pick two out of these three outcomes simultaneously. If you're focusing on the home team for example, you have two options:

1. Home team wins or draws: This bet wins if the home team either wins the match or it ends in a draw. It only loses if the away team wins. This is a good bet if you believe the home team is unlikely to lose but are not confident enough to bet on them winning outright.
   • Check out our Home Team Double Chance Predictions page
2. Home team wins or away team wins: This bet excludes the draw option. It's less commonly used, as it essentially means you're betting against a draw. You win if either team wins, and only lose if the match ends in a draw. This is suitable if you expect a decisive result but are unsure which team will prevail.

If you're focusing on the away team, you have two options:

1. Away team wins or draws: This bet wins if the away team either wins the match or it ends in a draw. It only loses if the home team wins. This is a good bet if you believe the away team is unlikely to lose but are not confident enough to bet on them winning outright.
   • Check out our Away Team Double Chance Predictions page
2. Away team wins or home team wins: This bet excludes the draw option. It's less commonly used, as it essentially means you're betting against a draw. You win if either team wins, and only lose if the match ends in a draw. This is suitable if you expect a decisive result but are unsure which team will prevail.

Double-chance betting generally offers shorter odds than betting on a single outcome due to the increased probability of winning. It's a conservative approach, preferred by bettors who seek to mitigate risk, especially in matches where outcomes are unpredictable or closely matched. 

Double Chance Lower Probability Risk

In double chance betting, you are covering two of the three possible outcomes of a match (win, lose, draw). This naturally increases your chances of winning the bet. So if you bet on the home team to either win or draw, you only lose your bet if the home team loses, which is just one out of the three possible outcomes. This higher probability of winning makes the bet less risky in terms of the likelihood of losing the entire stake.

Double Chance Higher Financial Risk

However, because the probability of winning a double chance bet is higher, the odds offered by bookmakers are lower. Lower odds mean less profit on your bet if you win. In the case of very likely outcomes, like a strong team playing at home against a struggling opponent, the odds can be quite low.

Let's use Liverpool vs Everton as an example, in almost all circumstances Liverpool is the favoured team in their home derby, but it's always an unpredictable game. Suppose the odds for a double chance bet on Liverpool (Liverpool wins or draws) are 1/10. This means for every 10 units you bet, you only win 1 unit if your bet is successful.

Double Chance Example

To make a significant profit, you would need to wager a large amount of money which isn't a particularly responsible way to bet. The risk here is financial: while you have a high probability of winning the bet, you also risk a large amount of money for a relatively small return. If the unexpected happens and Liverpool loses, the financial loss is substantial compared to the potential gain.

Example Calculation

• Bet: 10 units on Liverpool double chance (Liverpool wins or draws) at odds of 1/10.

• If Liverpool wins or draws, you get back your original 10 units plus 1 unit in winnings.

• If Liverpool loses, you lose the entire 10 units.

This example illustrates that while double chance betting is less risky in terms of probability, the financial risk is higher because you must bet more to win less, and the potential loss is significant in comparison to the potential gain.

The Double Chance Acca

Combining double chance bets into a multiple bet, such as a treble or an accumulator (acca), is a strategy that might mitigate the financial risk of low odds, while simultaneously increasing the potential return for the same stake. However, it's important to understand that this approach also alters the risk profile of the bet.

Basics of Treble and Accumulator Bets

• Treble Bet: This is a single bet that links three selections in different events. All three selections must win for the bet to be successful.

• Accumulator (Acca): Similar to a treble but can include four or more selections. Again, all selections must win for the bet to pay out.

Mitigating Financial Risk

By combining bets, especially those with low odds like double chance bets, into a treble or an accumulator, you can increase the overall odds and potential payout. For instance, instead of placing three separate bets with low odds, combining them into a treble means the odds are multiplied. This allows for a higher return on the same stake.

Example

• Bet 1: Liverpool vs Everton, double chance on Liverpool, at odds of 1/10.

• Bet 2: Another match with a double chance bet at similar odds.

• Bet 3: A third match with a similar bet.

Combining these into a treble, the odds are multiplied (1/10 x 1/10 x 1/10), leading to higher potential winnings for the same stake compared to placing the bets separately.

Increased Risk

While this strategy can increase potential returns, it also increases the risk. In a multiple bet like a treble or an accumulator, if even one selection loses, the entire bet is lost. This contrasts with individual bets, where each bet is independent, and the loss of one does not affect the others.

There's a trade-off between potential return and risk. While you increase the potential payout for the same stake, the likelihood of all selections winning decreases with each additional bet. This is particularly true in sports where upsets can and do happen.

Double chance and over 2.5

Double chance and over 2.5 means you're combining the double chance bet with a total match goals count of 3 or more goals (Read our over 1.5 goals guide for info on the 0.5 goals requirement). This type of bet is a combination single bet that is likely part of the match specials section, where the sportsbook has offered a special price for this bet. Remember, double chance has 3 types of variable bet and you select 1 of the followin: Home Win or Draw, Away Win or Draw, and finally Home Win or Away Win. Either of these 3 could be paired with an over 2.5 Goals addon, making it a new single bet. As a single bet, all parts of the bet must win, so the double chance element must win and the over 2.5 element must also win. If either fails, the bet is lost.

Double chance and both teams to score

In the 'Double Chance and Both Teams to Score' bet, you're merging the concept of a double chance bet with the requirement that both teams score at least one goal each in the match. The double chance bet aspect allows you to cover two of the three possible outcomes in a football match: either Home Win or Draw, Away Win or Draw, or Home Win or Away Win. This is combined with the BTTS element, where the bet is successful only if both teams manage to score regardless of the final result.

For instance, if you choose 'Home Win or Draw' and BTTS, you win the bet if the home team wins or draws, provided both teams score. It's important to note that this kind of bet focuses on both the match result (through the double chance) and the scoring abilities of both teams (through the BTTS requirement). As with all combination bets, both components of the bet must be successful for the bet to win. If either the double chance result or the BTTS condition is not met, the bet is lost.

If you like the combinations bet with double chance bet, we recommend compiling them, bet builders as they offer the most flexibility. Some bookies allow you to edit live bets and cash out part way through, so you can make better use of the combination when part of a bet builder bet. Check out our Bet Builder Stats page for fixture based stats and team comparisons 

Double Chance In Bet Builders

You can use the double chance market in same game multiples. Most betting sites with bet builder features will have the double chance market as standard. Look out for the Double Chance segment in the bet builder area as a category of selections. These bet builder apps don't usually let you select Win and Draw as separate singles, so if you're looking to cover the double bet, then double chance is normally the only way to achieve this in the bet builders we list.