For some, football betting is a calculated gamble: having studied the form guide and the history books a studious approach to wagering is done. Information and understanding about different bet types is a big element of wagering.
In this guide we take a look at a betting strategy involving the Double Chance market in football betting.
For the former mindset, a whole host of markets are available to satisfy the need for ‘risk and reward’ betting. For the latter, the only sensible choice is the Double Chance market.
What is Double Chance Betting?
The Double Chance option is simply that: bookmakers offering two chances (of the right outcome) instead of one. If we use this in a football context, there are three options at your disposal:
- Home win
- Draw
- Away win
Ordinarily, we would bet on one of these outcomes. Let’s take a look at an example: we fancy the home team, Manchester United, to beat Tottenham Hotspur. But we know that Spurs are a good side on their day, and more than capable of coming away from Old Trafford with a point. And so we have two options:
- Bet on Man Utd to win at 4/7 and cross all of our fingers and toes.
- Back Man Utd in the Double Chance market at 1/8 and relax a little.
You see, in the Double Chance market, we would back Man Utd to win OR draw – and instantly we have given ourselves a 66.6% chance of our bet being successful, hence why Double Chance betting is considered a low(er) risk investment.
We can back one of three combinations with Double Chance: home win/draw; away win/draw; home win/away win. And remember, either one of the outcomes pays the same amount, so you really are spreading your risk.
You might be looking at the Man Utd vs Spurs example above and thinking ‘those odds are a bit short!’ Well, that is the only downside with Double Chance betting: the prices are rather stingy. But that’s no surprise; bookmakers aren’t daft after all, and can see that this method of betting greatly increases the punter’s opportunity of a hitting a successful return.
But, for context, remember this: a six-fold accumulator, with each leg at 1/8, will enable you to double your money. And you can’t say fairer than that.
Double Chance Football Betting Strategies / Systems
There are two distinct types of Double Chance betting strategy, and we will go into each one in more detail further into the piece. But for now, let’s identify those two strategies and see on which side of the fence you will fall:
- Strategy #1 – Low Risk Profiteering
- Strategy #2 – Underdog Hunting
Which strategy you prefer will be dictated by your own betting philosophy, and also your understanding of world football. If you can spot an underdog who you think will sneak a draw – at least – against their more heralded opponent, then Strategy #2 is for you.
However, if you want to start building a kitty, or want to start putting more money into your bank account at the end of the month, then Strategy #1 is for you.
Strategy #1: Low Risk Profiteering
As you’re hopefully now aware, Double Chance betting targets small profits on a regular basis. You only need to take a cursory glance at league tables, form guides and head-to-head records to know where to leverage odds.
Let’s take a look at another example. Let’s imagine that Chelsea are hosting Swansea. We know that Chelsea are the defending league champions and have an unbelievable record on their own patch at Stamford Bridge. We know that Swansea are a good team and have a chance of sneaking a point off the Blues, but you can’t see them winning the match.
The ‘Chelsea/Draw’ Double Chance price is 1/20. Again, very stingy odds. But we only need to hunt down five legs of 1/20 for our accumulator from the world of football to turn a profit. A £10 acca would return £12.76 in this instance.
Sure, we’re not going to be buying a yacht in Monte Carlo any time soon. But look at the bigger picture: that’s a 27.6% return for a 33.3% risk.
The only downside of betting at these odds is that if we place 5x five-fold accumulators and one lets us down, then we are looking at a miniscule margin. So doing your homework and picking the right teams is vital.
Strategy #2: The Underdog Hunter
Have you ever watched the results come in on a Saturday evening and thought to yourself ‘I thought so-and-so would get a result there’, but never acted upon it? Then the second Double Chance strategy could be ideal for you which can be applied to sniffing out an underdog.
Let’s take a look at an example of a Double Chance double from the opening day of the season:
Bet 1: Newcastle Win/Draw against Southampton (1/2)
Newcastle were priced at 9/5 to win this game, and playing at home that is quite a long price. They have a new manager, which usually brings optimism, and a bunch of good new signings.
Southampton, meanwhile, have lost a few key players, their main stars ended last season badly, and this was their second game in three days – a tough turnaround at this early stage of the season.
Bet 2: Crystal Palace Win/Draw against Norwich (1/2)
Crystal Palace ended last season in tremendous form, and have added some shrewd new signings to build a squad that looks capable of going places during this campaign.
Norwich are newly promoted, and without significant investment in their playing squad would be expected to struggle with the step up in class.
This Double Chance double above paid out £11.26 for a stake of £5.
