Double Chance offers three selections — 1X, 12, X2 — each covering two of the three 1X2 outcomes. 1X wins if the home team wins or the match is drawn. 12 wins if either team wins. X2 wins if the match is drawn or the away team wins. Its odd is lower than the corresponding 1X2 odd, because it covers more outcomes.
What do 1X, 12 and X2 mean?
Double Chance offers three selections, each covering two of the three 1X2 outcomes.
1X = home or draw
12 = home or away
X2 = draw or away
Each selection rules out exactly one of the three possible outcomes: 1X rules out an away win, 12 rules out a draw, X2 rules out a home win. Whichever one you pick, exactly one of the three 1X2 results stays uncovered.
How a Double Chance selection settles
A Double Chance selection wins as soon as one of the two outcomes it covers happens, and loses only in the one remaining case.
| Result | 1X | 12 | X2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home win | Won | Won | Lost |
| Draw | Won | Lost | Won |
| Away win | Lost | Won | Won |
Each possible result can only make two of the three selections win, never all three — the third selection always loses, regardless of which one you picked.
Why is a Double Chance odd lower?
A Double Chance odd isn't lower because the bet would be safer. It's lower because the selection covers several results and therefore corresponds to a higher combined implied probability than a single 1X2 outcome.
A selection covering two outcomes out of three has mechanically more chances of happening than a selection covering only one. The market reflects that difference in its price: the more probable a selection, the lower its odd — whether it's a home, away or Double Chance selection. The relationship between odds and probability is explained in detail on the page dedicated to implied probability.
Double Chance or Draw No Bet?
Double Chance and Draw No Bet both respond, in different ways, to the uncertainty created by the draw — without being equivalent.
Double Chance covers two outcomes out of three in a single selection. Draw No Bet covers a single outcome, but refunds the stake if the match ends in a draw rather than losing the ticket. The full comparison of both markets, with a side-by-side settlement table, is available on the page dedicated to Draw No Bet.
A fully worked, settled example
An odd of 1.25 on the 1X selection, €20 staked.
| Result | 1X | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Home win | Won | €25.00 |
| Draw | Won | €25.00 |
| Away win | Lost | €0.00 |
A home win or a draw both return €25.00 (€20 × 1.25), a net profit of €5.00 — the amount won is identical whichever of the two outcomes wins, since a single odd covers both results. An away win loses the full €20 stake. For comparison, the same €20 staked on the single "1" outcome of 1X2, at a higher odd of 2.10, would pay more on a home win but wouldn't be covered in any way by a draw.
Edge cases: extra time and abandoned matches
Double Chance generally covers regulation time only, stoppage time included; extra time and penalty shootouts generally don't count, unless stated otherwise by the operator, just as on the 1X2 market it derives from.
If a match is abandoned or stopped before full time and isn't replayed the same day, all three Double Chance selections are generally voided and refunded, regardless of the score at the time of the stoppage, whichever of the three you happened to back. This is simpler than on Draw No Bet, where only the draw outcome is refunded by the market's own construction: here, the void only concerns the match's own interruption, not a particular result within the game.
Margin on Double Chance
All three Double Chance odds carry, like the 1X2 odds they derive from, a bookmaker margin. The general mechanism behind that margin — conversion to implied probability, overround calculation — is the same across every odds market and covered in detail on the bookmaker margin page: it isn't repeated here. Nothing about combining two outcomes into one selection removes that margin — it simply reshapes how it's distributed across the three original 1X2 prices.
See the comparison with Draw No Bet →
Dig into the market
Odds movements are only part of the story. Here are the next topics to read.
Types of sports bets
Market, selection, line, odd: the main families of markets.
See the guide1X2 betting: understanding the 1, X and 2 odds
The three-way market Double Chance is built from.
See 1X2Draw No Bet: refunded if the match is drawn
One outcome covered, but a refund if the match is drawn.
See Draw No BetImplied probability of an odd
Converting an odd into a probability, and what it means.
Understand the conversionFrequently asked questions
What does 1X mean in Double Chance?
1X means the selection wins if the home team wins or the match ends in a draw. It doesn't win if the away team wins the match.
What does 12 mean in Double Chance?
12 means the selection wins if either team wins the match, whichever one it is. It doesn't win in the event of a draw.
What does X2 mean in Double Chance?
X2 means the selection wins if the match is drawn or the away team wins. It doesn't win if the home team wins the match.
Why is a Double Chance odd lower than the corresponding 1X2 odd?
Because a Double Chance selection covers two outcomes out of three, and therefore corresponds to a higher combined implied probability than a single 1X2 outcome. A more likely market translates mechanically into a lower odd.
Is Double Chance less risky than 1X2?
No. The lower odd reflects a higher combined implied probability, not a guarantee. Every market carries its own level of risk, regardless of how many outcomes it covers.
What's the difference between Double Chance and Draw No Bet?
Double Chance covers two of the three 1X2 outcomes. Draw No Bet covers a single outcome and refunds the stake if the match is drawn. The full comparison is covered on the page dedicated to Draw No Bet.
Sources & methodology
This page combines standard Double Chance market vocabulary and settlement rules published by Betfair, a licensed operator.
- Describe the market's three selections and their respective settlement rules, with a fully settled worked example.
- Connect the market's lower odd to its combined implied probability, cover edge cases (extra time, abandoned matches) and connect the market to bookmaker margin.
- Betfair — Exchange general rulessupport.betfair.com
- Betfair — Charges and commissionbetfair.com
- UK Gambling Commission — Definitions of terms