Even though it has been around for a long time, double chance betting is still fairly new, compared to other betting methods. This match betting type of bet is used in most sports, with exceptions coming from the individual sports.
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What is Double Chance Betting?
Double chance betting is a way for you to cover two out of three possible outcomes in a certain match.
- 1X – Home Team Win or Draw – You have a winning bet if the home team wins or draws the match.
- X2 – Away Team Win or Draw – You have a winning bet if the away team wins or draws the match.
- 12 – Home Team Win or Away Team Win – In this case, your bet is a winner if either team wins the match.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Double Chance Bets
The advantages for double chance bets are quite obvious. You are not sure whether a certain team will win but you think there is no way they will lose. With this type of bet, you will cover two out of the three outcomes which brings you a step closer to a winning bet.
On the other hand, because of the increased certainty, the odds are much lower. For example, lets say you were backing Tottenham to win a tough away match at 2.05 odds. The X2 odds for that same match would be no more than 1.30.
Types of Bets & Markets
The double chance bet is mostly used for European team sports, especially football and basketball. US sports tend to go to overtime until a winner is decided, which means a draw is impossible, thus making this bet type obsolete. However, there is only one place where you won’t find these bets for sure and that’s with individual sports betting. In those sports a winner is always decided during regular time and this type of bet is not needed. Even though some of the combat sports might end in a tie sometimes, those occurrences are extremely rare. Since football is the most popular sport when it comes to this sort of betting, bookmakers created even more markets. For instance, you can now place a double chance bet for each half, not just on the full match.
Possible Outcomes
To explain the three primary situations, you can use for a double chance betting; we’re going to use Chelsea and Manchester City as an example. The match is being held at Stamford Bridge, meaning Chelsea is going to be the home team. You essentially have three different possible bets you can place in this betting strategy:
- Win Chelsea or Draw (X1) (Home Team or Draw (X1))
- Draw or Win Manchester City (X2) (Away Team or Draw (X2))
- Chelsea or Manchester City (12) (Home Team or Away Team (12))
And within these three different types of bets, how can you cover possible outcomes for you to win? In the first betting option, you win if either the match ends in a draw or Chelsea wins. In the second option, you win if either Manchester City wins or if the match ends in a draw.
And then, in option three, you only win if either Manchester City or Chelsea wins; if the match ends in a draw in the third option, that means you’ll lose the double chance bet. Steps to follow when double chance betting will usually mean thinking about the relative form of the teams. Double chance betting is best served when betting on underdogs. It can be great for when an undervalued away team wins: it could be because a punter may find the other side to be extremely undervalued or the underdog is deemed to have good value.
When to place a Double Chance Bet?
So is double chance betting worth the time? Now, this is the biggest point of contention for most of you because at the heart of any punter’s modus operandi is the possibility for long-term profits for when your team wins matches.
This type of bet is a good option for riskier games because since the overall odds will be higher, the shorter price on the double chance market will not seem like too much of a rip-off. They’re also a good type of bet to put in your accumulator bets, especially in football given the popularity of double chance betting.
Lastly, some also say that it is a good complement for handicap betting. Integrating this type of bet with an overall betting strategy will help add to an overall increase in odds and improve long-term profitability.
Placing a Double Chance Bet
Lets say you are rooting for Chelsea and you think they will win in an away match against Everton. However, you are not completely sure, so you decide on an X2 bet.
On the other hand, imagine that you are an Everton supporter and you believe they will beat Chelsea with the help of the home crowd. Nevertheless, a draw is certainly possible, so you go with a double chance 1X bet.
Conclusion
Double chance betting is a risk-minimizing type of bet that is perfect for betting on underdogs or matches where you can’t decide whether your side will draw or win. Draws matches are less common than wins, but they can be factored into this kind of bet for bigger profits. As long as the sport has three possible outcomes, the double chance betting market is a possibility.
This article used football as the vehicle for an explanation since it is the universal sport for this type of bet. Take into account that the odds will be lower on double chance bets than on standard win-only bets or draw-only bets, but if you choose your fixtures correctly, you’ll have secured winnings and improve your overall game.
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