What Does 'Win to Nil' Mean? A Comprehensive Betting Guide

Win to nil refers to a betting term where a team or individual wins a match without conceding a goal, point or similar scoring method. The term and market is particularly common in football matches where an overwhelming favourite, or a team with a strong defence, can win a match without allowing the opposition to score. 

How Does Win to Nil Work?

Win to nil combines two outcomes which need to be successful for the bet to win. A team or individual firstly needs to win a match as the first part of the wager and they then must stop the opposition from scoring a goal or point. 

For example, if Arsenal beat Liverpool 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 that would result in a successful to win to nil bet. A scoreline of 0-0 would be a loser, as the selection has failed to win the game. 

Similarly, a scoreline of 2-1, 3-1 or 3-2 would also be an unsuccessful selection as although the team has won the match, they have failed to stop their opponents from scoring a goal. 

Win to nil markets are offered on sports outside of football, but these are generally confined to events without a defined set of scores. 

For example, darts matches and tennis games would offer correct score markets where selections could be backed to win 6-0 or 3-0, and that would cover a to win to nil wager. 

Why Do Bookmakers Offer Better Odds for Win to Nil?

Bookmakers offer to win to nil markets in order to offer bettors a wider selection of options on a particular match or event.

To win to nil is useful in order to offer a bigger price on an overwhelming favourite. For example, a team may be 1/3 to win a football match and that short price would be unattractive as a single bet to many punters. 

Firms could offer 5/4 about the same team winning to nil, though, and that may be a more attractive proposition to bettors. 

The reason bookmakers can offer a bigger price is that it not only requires the selection to win, but also they need to stop the opposition from scoring. 

A 1/3 shot has an implied probability of 75 per cent, whereas a 5/4 chance is only 44.4 per cent. 

Those numbers indicate the difference in probability between a straight to win the match bet and a to win to nil wager. 

What is the Inverse Market: 'Win Not to Nil'?

A win not to nil bet, more commonly referred to as match result and both teams to score, is the inverse market to win to nil. 

In a football match, this would cover infinite scorelines where there is a winner of a match and both teams have scored. 

For example, wins by scorelines of 2-1, 3-1 and 3-2 would be covered by a bet on the correct match result and both teams to score selection. 

How Can I Strategically Use the Win to Nil Market?

A win to nil bet is a good option when a team with a strong defensive record is a heavy favourite against inferior opposition. 

It can also be an ally if a team’s key forward or striker will miss a game through injury or suspension and the attacking output of the opposition is likely to be limited. 

However, it is key to evaluate how likely the outcome is and if other markets could offer better value. To win to nil covers scorelines 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, 6-0, and so on, but it is a fairly confined amount of likely scorelines. 

Like any bet, the key is to find positions where the odds offer a good value bet and they could come from when a team has been underestimated on the match odds. 

To win to nil is a derivative market, driven by the match odds, and if the win draw win prices are in the favour of the punter, then to win to nil is likely to follow suit. 

What Key Statistics Should I Analyse Before Placing a Win to Nil Bet?

Goals conceded, clean sheet percentage and shots conceded are key stats to consider for a to win to nil wager. 

Punters may also wish to consider the goals scored, shots, expected goals and touches in the opposition box of the opposing team. 

Are There Any Variants of the Win to Nil Bet?

There are some variants of a to win to nil bet, but these are not popular markets. 

There are opportunities to bet on a team to win to nil in both halves of a football match. 

The double result or half-time/full-time market can also be branched out to be winning to nil at half-time and full-time. 

However, these are high-margin markets with multiple outcomes and value can be hard to find. 

How Do I Place a Win to Nil Bet with a Bookmaker?

It’s a simple process to place a win to nil wager and the market will be offered on most major football matches. 

Navigate to the chosen match on a bookmaker website and select the to win to nil market. This can often be found on the specials, goals or all markets tab. 

From there, the punter simply needs to click the team which they want to back to win to nil and enter their desired stake. 

What are the Pros and Cons of Betting on Win to Nil?

The key advantages to a bet to win to nil are the inflated odds. Offering a bigger return, with no increase in stake, it’s a useful weapon when wanting to side with a team which you believe will dominate their opponents. 

The negatives are even if a team does dominate their opposition, the bet is dead with a single goal against your selection. A 10-1 victory would still result in a losing to win to nil selection. 

Another factor is that a win to nil wager requires two selections to be successful for a bet to win.