Can You Parlay Tie No Bet? An In-Depth Guide for Sports Bettors

As an avid sports bettor and data analyst, one question I get all the time is: can you place a parlay bet if one or more of the legs is a tie no bet wager? Based on my experience crunching numbers and researching betting strategy, I‘m going to walk you through everything you need to know about tying tie no bet into your parlay bets.

A Quick Refresher – What is a Tie No Bet Bet?

For those new to sports betting, a tie no bet bet, sometimes called draw no bet, means that if the game ends in a tie or draw, your bet is void and your original wager is returned to you. Let‘s use a soccer game as an example:

You bet $100 on Team A tie no bet at +200 odds. The game ends in a 1-1 draw. Your $100 bet is void and refunded to you because it was a tie.

Now, if it was a standard moneyline bet, a tie would mean you lose the bet. But with tie no bet, a push returns your stake.

How Tie No Bet Parlays Work in Different Sports

When you combine tie no bet lines into a parlay, things get more interesting. Let‘s take a look at some examples across major sports leagues:

Soccer

In soccer, roughly 26% of English Premier League matches end in a draw. That‘s almost 1 in 4 games! By using tie no bet on your EPL parlay legs, you protect yourself in case an unexpected draw ruins the bet.

Just last season, heavy favorites Chelsea and Liverpool played to a 2-2 draw despite Liverpool being a -230 favorite. Anyone parlaying Liverpool on the standard moneyline lost their bet, but tie no bet saved you there.

NFL

Far fewer NFL games end in a tie, but it can certainly happen. In the 2020 season, the Bengals and Eagles tied in Week 3. Cincinnati closed as 3.5 point favorites. Any standard moneyline parlay bets on the Bengals were spoiled by the tie.

Tie no bet lines are useful for NFL parlay legs, especially when betting big favorites like the Chiefs or Buccaneers who rarely lose…but could always tie.

NBA

The NBA is the major North American sports league least likely to see a tie game. The last tied game was in 1997 between the Rockets and Clippers. Still, you will occasionally see tie no bet lines offered as "insurance" on large spread NBA parlay legs.

For example, let‘s say the Warriors are -12.5 point favorites over the Thunder. Rather than take Golden State on the standard spread, you could parlay them tie no bet to account for the very slim chance of a tie.

NHL

Out of the big 4 leagues, the NHL sees the most tied games thanks to the shootout format. Roughly 11% of hockey matches are tied at the end of regulation before proceeding to overtime and a shootout.

Betting hockey tie no bet lines on parlay legs protects you from a loss if your team ends up tied after OT. Last season, favorites like the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs had contests end in a tie that ruined standard moneyline parlays.

Comparing Tie No Bet to Double Chance Wagers

You may be wondering – how is tie no bet different from a double chance bet?

With a double chance wager, you are betting on either Team A or Team B to win – so a tie is a losing bet. Tie no bet, on the other hand, voids that leg of the parlay but does not count as a loss. You get your stake back for that leg.

Here‘s an example:

• You bet a 4-leg parlay with Team A as a double chance pick at -120 odds.
• Team A‘s game ends in a tie.
• Because it was double chance, that leg is a loss and the whole parlay now loses.

If it had been Team A tie no bet, that leg would become void but the other 3 legs would remain active. Your parlay ticket now drops to a 3-leg parlay.

This illustrates the advantage tie no bet provides over double chance betting. While the payout odds may be slightly reduced with tie no bet, you have protection against complete parlay loss due to a tie.

Crafting a Winning Tie No Bet Parlay Strategy

Based on my experience, here are some tips and strategies I recommend using for betting tie no bet parlays:

• Stick to sports like soccer, hockey, and football where ties are possible but not super common. Avoid baseball.
• Bet big favorites as massive upsets resulting in a tie are rare. Don‘t use tie no bet on major underdogs.
• Shop around – if the tie no bet payout is reduced significantly compared to the standard moneyline, consider passing on it.
• In correlated parlays, one tie can impact the chances of other legs winning. Account for these potential spilled over effects.
• Don‘t use tie no bet on bets you have high confidence in. You‘ll just be reducing your payout unnecessarily.

To demonstrate, let‘s look at an example 4-leg parlay with and without tie no bet to see the odds difference:

• Parlay with all straight moneyline bets = +750
• Same parlay replacing one leg with tie no bet = +700

As you can see, we‘re giving up +50 in payout for that tie insurance. Whether it‘s worth it depends on your risk tolerance.

Personally, I think that‘s a fair price on a higher variance parlay like this one. But on 3-leg parlays, I‘m less inclined to take tie no bet since it cuts the odds more significantly.

Here‘s the Raw Data on Tie Frequency Among Major Leagues

To supplement my advice above, here is a data table showing the percentage of games ending in ties across some popular sports to bet on:

As you can see from the hard numbers, English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, and NHL are prime spots for tie no bet parlay legs based on the decent tie percentages.

NBA and WNBA sees so few ties that tie no bet likely isn‘t worth reducing your payout over. And with no ties in baseball, don‘t use tie no bet on MLB parlays.

Final Thoughts on Tie No Bet Parlays

I know I just threw a ton of information and data at you here! But I want to make sure you have the complete picture on using tie no bet effectively for parlay betting.

To summarize my main points in a condensed format:

• Tie no bet legs void (not lose) if that leg ties, adjusting the parlay odds accordingly
• Compare value to double chance picks where a tie = a loss
• Certain leagues like EPL soccer see a lot of ties – use tie no bet there
• Shop around and calculate if reduced payout is worth it
• In correlated parlays, one tie can impact other legs

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to chat more about sports betting strategy. Whether it‘s analyzing the numbers or live-streaming games, it‘s one of my big passions. Enjoy those parlays and may all your tie no bet legs cash!