Three outcomes exist for every bet: win, lose, and the often-confusing third result — the push or void. Here's exactly what happens to your stake in each case.
A push (also called a "tie" or "draw no bet" result) happens when the outcome of a bet lands exactly on the bookmaker's set number. The most common example is NFL point spread betting:
You back the Kansas City Chiefs -3 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Chiefs win 27–24 — winning margin is exactly 3 points. Your spread bet is a push: stake refunded in full.
Had they won 28–24 (by 4), your -3 bet wins. Had they won 26–24 (by 2), your -3 bet loses.
Pushes are most common in:
A void bet is a bet that is cancelled entirely — as if it never happened. Your original stake is returned. Void bets occur for several reasons:
| Reason | Common in | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Event cancelled or abandoned | All sports | Full stake refunded |
| Player retirement / walkover | Tennis, boxing, horse racing | Stake refunded (rules vary) |
| Palpable error (mis-price) | All sports | Stake refunded; bookmaker can void at a loss |
| Market settled incorrectly | All sports | Corrected; stake refunded if original result wrong |
| Rule 4 deduction (horse racing) | Horse racing | Deduction applied to payout; not a full void |
| Late withdrawal (Asian Handicap) | Football, cricket | Entire bet voided at most books |
Tennis void rules are the most inconsistently applied across bookmakers. What happens when a player retires mid-match varies significantly:
Always check the specific bookmaker's tennis rules before placing on matches with injury concerns.
This is the most important practical consequence of pushes and voids for most bettors:
A pushed or voided leg is removed from the parlay. The parlay continues with the remaining legs at the reduced odds. A 5-team parlay with one push becomes a 4-team parlay — you still need all remaining legs to win.
| Original parlay | Result | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 4-leg acca, all win | – | Full parlay payout |
| 4-leg acca, 1 push, 3 win | Becomes 3-leg acca | 3-leg parlay payout |
| 4-leg acca, 1 void, 3 win | Becomes 3-leg acca | 3-leg parlay payout |
| 4-leg acca, 1 push, 1 loss, 2 win | Becomes 3-leg, still has a loser | Parlay loses |
Bookmakers set spread lines on half-points (e.g. -3.5, -7.5) specifically to eliminate the possibility of a push. A team winning by exactly 3.5 points is impossible, so there's no push at -3.5. This is common in NFL and NBA where key numbers cluster. When you see a spread on a whole number, the possibility of a push is priced into the -110/-110 symmetry.
For bettors: when a spread sits on a key whole number (3, 7, 10 in NFL; 4.5 in NBA), buying a half-point at -120 or -115 to move off the hook number can be +EV depending on the true probability of landing on that exact margin. This is called "buying the hook."
Asian Handicap betting eliminates pushes on whole-number handicaps by splitting your stake between two lines (e.g. -0.75 splits between -0.5 and -1). Quarter-ball handicaps mean part of your stake always wins and part always loses, with no push possible. See our Asian Handicap guide for a full explanation.