What Is Double Chance Betting in Cricket? (2024)

Double chance in betting is a low-risk gambling strategy, whereby you back two outcomes when there is a trio of results possible from a three-way bet (1X2). In this article, you will learn what is double chance in betting, with examples of how this kind of bet works in cricket. We also explain the best approaches to utilising this type of wager to try to safeguard your stake.

What Is Double Chance in Betting?

With this kind of wager, you secure two of the three match scenarios — home team wins or draws; away team wins or draws; home and away teams win — with just one stake, effectively hedging your bets. Although this bet entails low risk, keep in mind that the odds (and therefore potential returns) are also considerably lower than standalone bets.

This is what a double chance bet means with top international online bookmakers:

Double Chance Bet in Cricket Example

Consider a Test match between hosts India and visitors New Zealand:

1. Double Chance 1X

Your bet wins if India wins or draws against New Zealand, but your wager loses if New Zealand wins.

2. Double Chance X2

Your bet wins if New Zealand wins or draws against India, but you lose if India wins.

3. Double Chance 12

Your bet wins if either India or New Zealand wins, but you lose if they draw.

Double Chance vs. 1X2

With the traditional 1X2 market, you are essentially securing just one match outcome, whereas a double chance wager is a two-in-one bet. What does this mean exactly?

With the 1X2 bet, you can back only one outcome: a home win (1), a draw (X), or an away win (2). This means the 1X2 market gives you only a one-in-three chance of being successful. With a double chance bet, however, you can secure two match outcomes with one bet, meaning your bet would win if the hosts won or drew (1X double chance), or the visitors won or drew (X2 double chance), or either the hosts or visitors won (12 double chance).

The notable difference is that the odds on a double chance market will always be significantly lower than 1X2.

Double Chance vs. Draw No Bet (DNB)

A Draw No Bet (DNB) is one of the best alternatives to double chance betting. With a DNB, you only back a home or an away win, and get a refund of your stake if the match finishes as a draw.

The difference between the two wagers is solely in the way a drawn match is treated. A DNB eliminates the possibility of a draw, refunding your stake if the game ends in a stalemate. However, in the double chance betting market, you lose your bet if you have gone for the 12 double chance and the game ends in a draw.

Double Chance Betting in Cricket

Suppose you’re betting on the IPL game between the Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. As previously mentioned, double chance cricket odds will be lower than the 1X2 market because of the reduced risk quotient.

The double chance odds for the three combinations are given below:

Now, let's assume your double chance stake is ₹500. Here’s how the potential returns will look for any of the three match outcomes:

How To Deduce True Double Chance Odds From 1X2

What if your preferred bookmaker doesn't offer too many double chance markets for cricket? That's a real possibility, considering this low-risk, low-return wager is most commonly found in football. Even if you do get a dedicated double chance market on a cricket match of your choice, must you stick to that, or can you calculate the true odds from the 1X2 market and work out the optimum stake accordingly?

It's indeed very much possible to deduce the true double chance odds yourself straight from a bookie's 1X2 odds. Here's how to go about it:

Let’s go step-by-step and understand with examples.

Step 1: Convert 1X2 to Double Chance Odds

Since there are three possible outcomes to bet on: 1X, X2, and 12, there are three separate formulae to calculate odds for each.

Suppose India is taking on England at home. The 1X2 odds are: 2.07 (India to win), 3.93 (draw), and 2.90 (England to win). Now, applying the above formula, you calculate the following double chance betting odds:

Step 2: Calculate True Double Chance Stake

Let's go back to the example above. You have calculated true double chance odds and have reason to believe that India are definitely the favourites to win the game, but England might just pull off a draw. You wish to bet with a ₹500 stake.

Sports Suited to Double Chance Betting

That said, a double chance wager is ideal in football, as there are always three possible results over 90 minutes, and those outcomes can have vastly varying odds. Most bookmakers currently do not include extra time in the knockout stages of a football tournament. Therefore, should you back a team to win or draw, you can still win your double chance wager, even if they lose after the extra-time phase.

Double Chance in Betting — Tips & Strategies

Double chance in betting significantly mitigates your risk of losing by covering two of the three possible outcomes in a match. There are several ways in which you can use this wager and hope to boost profitability despite the lower odds.

In this section, we’ve described in detail three strategies that you can apply:

1. Pair Double Chance With Accumulator Bets

As mentioned earlier, double chance selections have much lower odds than 1X2 markets because of the lower risk factor, as you're backing two different outcomes with a single stake.

Not only will the odds for a combined wager provide far better value, but you can also boost your chances of winning. Smart betting is essentially about finding opportunities, and the more betting markets you are open to, the more chances you create of finding a market you think is the right pick.

In the screenshot below from Dafabet, you can see two football bet selections rolled into an accumulator with a double chance bet on cricket, which when combined, provide superior value.

(Source: Dafabet)

2. Bet on Underdogs

A common mistake bettors make on any team sport is not paying enough attention to the opposition. It is natural for punters to have more knowledge of the team they support, but if you want to enjoy a successful bet, it needs to be made on the match as a whole. The more you know about the other team, the better equipped you are for a potential winning wager.

During your research, you can unearth some cricket betting stats, which may encourage you to back the underdog. You are choosing to back a long shot, unless the outsiders have recently shown signs of improvement or managed a handful of shock results.

A Test match could be a long-drawn-out encounter or all over swiftly. Draws have been a rarity of late, possibly due to a bolder batting approach and the influence of T20 leagues. Test matches are often complex and rather unpredictable, which is why live betting can be used to hedge your bets.

In the screenshot below, the Pakistan vs. Bangladesh Test match shows the hosts are strong favourites with low odds of 4/7 (1.57), with Bangladesh underdogs priced at 6/1 (7.00).

(Source: Dafabet)

3. Factor in All Last-Minute Developments

Cricket is a team sport, but impact-making players are very much necessary in every dressing room. A team’s spirit can go up in flames if a key player sustains a last-minute injury, as that can affect the side’s morale and ultimately, performance on the pitch. Similarly, the buzz and momentum can evaporate all too quickly if a key player is rested at the last moment.

Imagine India is playing Pakistan in the ODI World Cup, and Virat Kohli sustains an injury in the final moments leading up to the game. In such a situation, it’s good to use a 12 double chance bet as you’re unsure about which Indian cricketer could be as impactful, and there’s also the chance of Pakistan capitalising on Kohli’s injury and winning the game.

Likewise, live betting will prove useful, as you can read the team’s body language after this sort of blow.

4. Think About How Much Is at Stake

Double chance in betting is profitable as it increases the likelihood of your wager winning by backing two different outcomes with a single stake. To work out where the best value lies, you need to look at the double chance odds from the 1X2 market.

Now, suppose you're betting with high stakes in the three-way 1X2 market. In this case, a losing wager can prove extremely costly, as you lose the entire stake. However, with a double chance bet, this risk goes down considerably, as your wager will then secure two outcomes.

Alternatively, if your preferred bookmaker is not offering the double chance market, you can also spread the total stake over the outcomes you wish to back and then place two wagers at two different betting sites, as we have demonstrated above.

5. Use Free Bets

A free bet — a wager with zero risk, can be used in conjunction with a double chance bet in cricket. Free bets are regularly offered by top online sportsbooks, but the catch with such promotions is that you only get the profit part of the wager and not the initial stake.

Suppose you want to bet double chance on an England vs. Sri Lanka Test match, where the former is the host team. From your research and the current form of two teams, you have plenty of reason to believe that England will win but cannot entirely rule out the possibility of a draw. In such a scenario, you can use a 1X double chance with your own money on one bookmaker and perhaps use a free bet to cover any of the other two possible outcomes at another bookie.

This strategy means that there is almost zero chance of you losing your bet.

Double Chance Betting in Cricket — Is It the Right Strategy for You?

Now that you know what double chance in betting is and what it entails, you need to assess whether it is a good strategy for you to have a punt on cricket.

On that note, here’s an insightful read on the average duration of Test matches and their result analysis, starting from 1877 to 2020. You can also check out this article from ESPNcricinfo on the Test matches results summary for all the Test-playing nations to get a fair idea about which teams have recorded the highest percentage of draws.

Seasoned bettors who regularly play with high stakes in the hope of a big payout will enjoy a double chance bet combined with an accumulator, whereas newbies still learning the ropes of betting on cricket could take the more conservative route; that is, a double chance wager with a free bet.

Double Chance in Betting: Advantages & Disadvantages

CricketBettingAdvice Final Say

Double chance in betting is a two-in-one wager, which allows you to secure two outcomes with a single stake, thereby reducing the chances of a losing bet. It is great to go on a winning streak, but these types of bets typically offer low potential payouts. You can implement strategies, such as combining them with accumulator bets and betting on the underdogs, to net higher returns from your double chance wager.

With a draw in Test cricket becoming rarer every year, backing both teams to win is likely to be your best bet out of the three possibilities unless the weather is going to intervene.

And finally, do check out our betting academy for insightful betting guides from our team of cricket buffs and enthusiasts for all the necessary resources you need to bet effortlessly on the sport!