DraftKings Dead Heat Rules: Claim Winnings on Tied Bets for NFL, NBA & More
What Are DraftKings' Dead Heat Rules?
DraftKings' Dead Heat rules are a feature that allows a bettor to win a portion of their full winnings if their bet settles in a tie. DraftKings Sportsbook rolled out the feature in recent years with a focus on golf, as there are many golf markets that could result in a tie for a specific bet — while golfers cannot tie for a win, they can tie for any other finishing position, for example.
DraftKings has done a favor for NFL and NBA bettors by integrating their Dead Heat rules into bets for the two biggest leagues in the US. This can come in the form of a bet on which wide receiver will finish a game with the most receptions, which NBA player will finish a game with the most points, and other similar prop bets on which two players could tie.
Not an Alternative to a 'Push'
In sports betting, you may be familiar with a push, or a bet that settled without resolving as a win or a loss. This usually happens on player prop over/unders and totals that don't offer half-digit spreads. In a push, the bettor's stake is returned as if the bet never happened.
Dead Heat Rules are different.
Why? Because bettors technically aren't wrong for bets on which Dead Heat rules apply. If you bet on a player to score the most points in a game and they tie with another player, they still scored the most points in a tie with another player. For that reason, DraftKings splits the bettors' winnings by the number of players tied for the most points, which is always better than simply receiving a stake back.
Dead Heat Reduction Rules
- Apply in the event a bet sees two or more competitors tied for the same winning position
- Calculated by dividing the odds proportionally among the number of winners for a particular position
- In a two-way tie, aka ‘dead heat’, your return would be half of what was originally projected in the bet slip at the time of bet placement, one third for a three-way tie, etc.
- If you use a Bonus Bet that's subject to Dead Heat rules that leads to the payout being less than the wager amount, the bet will be settle as a loss and the bonus bet will not be returned to your account
How to Calculate New Results With Dead Heat Rules
- Divide the number of participants who tied by the number of remaining finishing positions
- Divide your original odds by the result of the calculation immediately above to find the new odds
Example:
- You bet $50 wager on a golfer to place in the Top 10 at +200 (3.0) odds
- The event ends with the golfer tying for 8th place with 5 other golfers
- 6 (tied participants) ÷ 3 (8th, 9th, & 10) = 2.0
- 3.0 (original odds) ÷ 2.0 (new odds) = 1.5 (DHR odds)
- $50 x 1.5 = $75 payout
If you place a parlay that includes a tied bet that's subject to Dead Heat rules, the odds of the entire parlay will be recalculated as a result of the new odds of each leg affected by Dead Heat rules.
Example:
- You bet $50 on a parlay of three different golfers to finish in the Top 20 at +100 (2.0) odds on each leg for a total parlay of +700 (8.0) odds
- Two legs of your parlay win with the golfers placing inside the Top 20
- The event ends with one of the golfers in your parlay tying for 20th place with three other golfers
- 4 (tied participants) ÷ 1 (finishing position) = 4.0
- 2.0 (Leg 3 odds) ÷ 4.0 = 0.5 (Leg 3 DHR odds)
- 2.0 (Leg 1 odds) x 2.0 (Leg 2 odds) x 0.5 (Leg 3 odds) = 2.0 (DHR odds)
- $50 (stake) x 2.0 (DHR odds) = $100 Parlay payout
I learned about DraftKings' Dead Heat rules recently when earning a return on a bet I assumed I had lost. As you can see in the image above, I bet on Germie Bernard to lead all receivers in receptions in the Steelers' Week 6 game against the Bucs. Germie did me a solid by picking up a career-high 11 receptions, but DK Metcalf went off in the second half and matched his total with 11 receptions himself.
After the game, I checked my account to confirm that I'd lost the bet. Instead, thanks to Dead Heat rules, I won a profit of just over $20 on a $15 bet. Consider me a fan of Dead Heat rules.
Turnover: 1x bonus amount
Min Bet: $5
Lowest odds: -500
Bonus code: N/A
You may place a bet without knowing whether your wager is subject to Dead Heat rules beforehand, as it's not always obvious that a market can resolve in a tie. But there's one thing to keep an eye out for if you think you're placing a bet that might resolve with Dead Heat rules: If the market is titled "Top X Finish Incl. Ties," your bet will not be subject to Dead Heat rules.
Instead, since ties are included, you will win your bet if your pick ties. Just keep in mind that these markets are only available before a game or tournament begins, so live betting won't allow you to take advantage of these markets.
Mark is a lifelong sports fan who inherited rooting interests in the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers. After a decade in sports media covering sports betting as a writer, editor and producer, Mark brought his long track record of sports experience to the Sportsbooks Online team in early 2025.
