Double Chance Betting Market Explained

Written By: Conor Rafter
Last Updated: June 11, 2023

Have you ever found yourself longing to bet on more than one outcome for an extra bit of protection? With Double Chance, you can do just that.

What Does Double Chance Mean In Football Betting?

The Double Chance betting market lets you bet on two outcomes in one game of football. Rather than only betting on a Home Win, Away Win, or a Draw, you can bet on two of these results in the same wager.

Here are your betting options for Double Chance bets:

  • Home Win or a Draw
  • Away Win or a Draw
  • Home Win or an Away Win

How Do The Bookmakers Define The Double Chance Market?

Here is SkyBet’s official description of Double Chance:

Sky Bet’s description of Double Chance

You’re betting on: a match ending in one of the two displayed outcomes.

Double Chance Betting Market Explained - Skybet Double Chance

If either of the two outcomes takes place, your bet wins.

Double chance is one of the most popular football betting markets. Others include:

How Are Double Chance Bets Displayed?

Many bookmakers use a number and a letter to display Double Chance outcomes. By doing so, it’s easier to understand exactly what you’re betting on compared to placing wagers on a bunch of complicated words or sentences.

What Does 1X Mean In Betting?

1X refers to the Home Win/Draw selection. The ‘1’ represents the Home team, while the letter ‘X’ stands for the Draw. When you choose this selection, a win for the home side or a draw will result in returns being added to your account.

What Does 2X Mean In Betting?

X2 is the Draw/Away Win option. In this case, the ‘X’ again refers to the Draw while the ‘2’ is an Away Win. This is similar to 1X, with the differentiating factor here being that you’re hoping for a stalemate or an Away Win to win money.

What Does 12 Mean In Betting?

12 may look like the number twelve, but the two numbers are actually representative of another Double Chance selection: Home Win/Away Win. As before, the ‘1’ is a Home victory and the number ‘2’ is an Away Win. Either of these results will see real money credited to your account wallet. 

Below is a quick rundown of all three Double Chance bet options:

  • 1X – Home Win/Draw
  • X2 – Draw/Away Win
  • 12 – Home Win/Away Win

What Is The Asian Hanidcap For Double Chance?

A bet on ‘Asian Handicap +0.5’ option is the same as Double Chance. With a +0.5 Asian Handicap, one team is given a half-goal lead before the game gets underway. 

So, rather than the match starting at 0-0 like normal, it begins at 0-0.5 in favour of the opposition. This is how it works: 

  • The team with 0.5 advantage Wins – The handicap bet wins.
  • A Draw – The team with a 0.5 goal advantage wins, so your bet wins.
  • The team with 0.5 goal advantage Loses – The bet loses.

Double Chance Asian Handicap Example

Imagine you were to bet on a game between Barcelona and Real Madrid, two giants of the Spanish game. Your bookie is offering Barcelona +0.5 at 2.50 (6/4) and you want to bet £10. A win on this selection would return £25.

Here’s a breakdown of all three outcomes and how they would affect your Asian Handicap +0.5 bet:

  • Barcelona Win – Your bet wins. 
  • A Draw – Your bet wins via the half-goal advantage.
  • Real Madrid Win – Your bet loses as Barcelona’s half-goal cannot match the whole-goal advantage held by Real Madrid.

Despite not explicitly stating that you’re betting on two outcomes – as Double Chance does – Asian Handicap +0.5 works in the exact same way. The only reason to pick one over the other comes down to which market offers better odds on your preferred selection.

Why Does the +0.5 Asian Handicap Have Different Odds To Double Chance?

Asian Handicap +0.5 and Double Chance offer the same selections and the same outcomes, so why are the odds different? 

There is no clear answer, but we can make an educated guess. 

Asian Lines are often listed in a separate tab to standard-fixed odds markets. Take Bet365’s listings, for example:

Double Chance Betting Market Explained - Asian Lines

We can see that the bookie has plenty of tabs for all sorts of markets, including Popular bets, Goals markets, and Bet Builders, among others. Asian Lines are given their own section from which bettors can view them. Now, let’s take a look at how Double Chance compares to Asian Handicap +0.5 for England Women vs Spain Women in the 2022 European Championships.

Double Chance Betting Market Explained - Double Chance England Women vs Spain Women
The double chance betting market on Bet365.
Alternative Asian Handicap
The double chance betting equivalent in the asian handicap market.

As you can see, there are some subtle differences between the prices listed on the Double Chance market and Asian Handicap +0.5. For instance:

  • Spain Women/Draw is listed at 1.72 (18/25) on Double Chance.
  • Spain Women +0.5 is listed at 1.775 (39/50) on Asian Handicap markets.

This is only a slight change, but for anyone looking to place higher-stakes wagers, these minute price adjustments can make a vast difference. Having said that, take a look at how a relatively small £25 wager would pay out for both selections:

  • £25 bet on Spain Women +0.5 – £44.37 
  • £25 bet on Spain Women/Draw – £43.18
Comparison Between Alternative Asian Handicap and Double Chance

That’s a difference of £1.19, to be precise. Clearly, a bet on the Asian Line for this market is the much better option.

Why Are The Asian Handicap +0.5 odds different to the double chance market?

The bookmakers calculate odds in both standard-fixed odds markets and Asian lines differently. Sports betting platforms will price their Asian Lines against other Asian Line options, whereas standard markets will be calculated based on other standard-fixed odds selections. 

Since the two bet types can vary in terms of what’s on offer, the result is two unique sets of odds for what is effectively the same market. 

Regardless of whether you bet on Double Chance or Asian Handicap +0.5, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable. You can stay up to date with other popular betting options, including a closer look at Asian Handicaps, by checking out our in-depth guides. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is draw no bet the same as double chance?

Draw no bet and double chance are not the same. With draw no bet, you select a team to win, and if the match ends in a draw, your stake is refunded. With double chance, you effectively remove the third potential option . So you either bet on the home team to win or draw, the away team to win or draw, or either team to win.

What does double chance 1/2 mean?

This is where you bet on either team to win the match. The 1/2 mean team 1 and team 2 – also known as the home team and the away team. If the match ends with either team winning, your bet wins. If the match ends a draw, your bet will lose.

Conor Rafter
Conor Rafter

I’m a freelance writer who loves all things sports & betting related. Having worked in this field since 2018, I’ve experienced a wide range of intriguing bookmakers and online casinos. With this expertise, I strive to create helpful, honest articles. My primary goal is quite simple: to guide and inform readers using facts and analysis.

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