What does double chance mean in betting — 12, 1X, X2 in football, hockey

By Paul Stewart, Mon 13 December 2021 16:21


What does double chance mean in betting — 12, 1X, X2 in football, hockeyThe concept of the term double chance. ✔ Example in football and hockey.

A number of tools are used to insure bets. And the double outcome is one of them. What does this term mean? And how to use it efficiently? Read the article to the end.

What does the concept of double chance mean?

Double Chance is a bet on two possible outcomes of a sports event out of three. Double Chance in bets is a derivative of the main outcomes of 1X2. The probability of prediction increases twice and mathematically equals to 66.6%

Bookmakers indicate this bet by a combination of letters and numbers: 1X, X2, and 12.

  • "1X" means that the first team (athlete, host) will win or draw. 1.22 offered on 1X in the Champions League Final Manchester City vs. Chelsea clash.
  • "2X" means that the second team (athlete, guest team) will win or draw. 2X in bets on the decisive match of the Champions League is estimated at 2.02.
  • "12" is means that team 1 or team 2 will win the match. 1.34 is given for 12 as a double chance in the game between "citizens" and "aristocrats"

Example of calculating a bet on double chance

Let's calculate the bet on double chance for the hockey match between the Washington Capitals and the Boston Bruins. Bookmakers estimated the opponents' chances as follows: 1X – 1.68, X2 – 1.50, and 12 – 1.25.

The score on the scoreboard after the final whistle is 1:3. This means that the prediction for a double chance of "Boston" has odds of 1.50. USD 1,000 bet resulted in USD 1,500 winnings and USD 500 net profit.

Accordingly, the bets on 1X and 12 were lost, and the bookmaker got the players' money.

The Double Chance bet in football and other sports is calculated in the same way.

The result of the full-time of the match is taken into account when summing up.

In football also counts the minutes compensated by the referee.

We would like to recommend the BetBurger service for searching for surebets and overweight bets. Arbitrage betting is absolutely legal, though many bookmakers are not loyal to professional gamblers.

Advantages and disadvantages

Theoretically, understanding of the Double Chance principles is not enough to profit in the long run. Experienced bettors use it in proven winning strategies.

1. Double chance for the hosts in matches of equal opponents. The level of both teams is comparable. The hosts use the factor of their field and do not lose.

2. Double chance in a bet on underdog. Leading clubs periodically are out of luck. Bookmakers overestimate the odds of the favourite's victory. Betting on the initially weaker side will bring a profit with a high coefficient.

3. 12 bet in matches with an important tournament value. The match participants did not complete the task for the season and do their best to win. Draws are rare in such clashes.

4. Live bet on the losing favourite. The success of a strong club before the game is not not rated with high odds. It is common for the giants of world football to concede first. The favourite’s win rate increases significantly at this point. Initially, the stronger team breaks the match course in the remaining time and gets a Win from Behind.

The main purpose of double chance is to minimize the risk of losing money.

When betting on a double chance, the player sacrifices the odds value in exchange for an increased chance of success. This is the only disadvantage and advantage of the considered type of bet.

The combination of Double Chance with a total or both to score significantly increases the quotes. In the final game of the 2020/21 Champions League, 1X + total over (2.5) = 2.83 and 1X + both to score (yes) = 2.36.

The difference between a double chance and a handicap (0)

Double chance and zero handicap have a common nature. 1X is close in meaning to the handicap for the hosts H1(0), and 2X is close to the guests H2(0).

The main outcome is insured in both cases.

The differences are in the size of odds and the method of calculation.

The difference in quotes in the Spezia - Roma match is clearly displayed in the table below.

1X

H1 (0)

2X

H2 (0)

2.54

4.14

1.18

1.25

The game between the capital and provincial clubs ended in 2-2 draw. Those who bet on the double chance of Spezia and Roma received a profit with 2.54 and 1.18 odds. In the case of a draw, the bet on a zero handicap is considered to be bet return  and is calculated with 1.0 odd.

Expert opinion

Double chance itself does not guarantee a 100% win, since there is a third scenario in the match: 1X, 12, and X2. But there are surebets and value bet that will bring profit in any case. To search for arbitrage situations and outcomes with overestimated odds, use the surebet scanner BetBurger.