Asian Handicaps Explained: All Bet Types With Examples
If you’re a casual sports bettor who generally sticks to football and horse racing, you might have wondered about branching out into other sports, but been a little too nervous to do so. Below is an explanation of the most popular types of Asian handicaps you’re likely to encounter when wagering on soccer. Keep reading as we dive into the subject, and you can also browse our site for more from our sports betting series. Belgium -2 is an example of an option that would be available in the handicap against Slovakia.
If we focus on the Goal Handicap -2 market, this means that Liverpool must win by at least 3 goals in the match. We’d be rewarded for backing this bet with increased odds of 15/8 instead of just 1/4. On the other hand, if they win the match by no more than 2 goals, draw, or lose the match, our bet would be a losing one.
Despite the differences, handicap markets add an exciting dimension to a wide variety of sports. As we’ve seen, handicap betting odds are a great way to get better odds if you strongly fancy a player or team to beat their opponent comfortably. Because it is clearly less likely for a team to win by two goals than just one, the handicap betting odds are boosted and are more appealing than the odds on simply winning the match. The handicap market is an exciting market that makes one-sided games more interesting.
If you think you have a problem, advice and support is available for you now from BeGambleAware orGamcare. Handicap betting is more common among experienced punters, who understand both the handicap rules and have expert knowledge of the teams in question. Handicap betting is an alternative way to bet on events where there is a significant discrepancy between the two teams that are involved. For example, if a professional 100m sprinter lined up against a complete amateur, you would expect the professional sprinter to win every time.
If the game ends 3-1 to Team A, Team B would win the handicap market as the revised score would be 3-3.5. And from the bookie’s point of view, incentivising more customers to place bets is always a good thing – so they’re firmly in favour of handicap markets. By evening things out with a handicap, bettors get the chance to bet on the match at much more sensible odds, and with a realistic possibility of their bet actually winning.
In fact, it can make it much easier to profit from basketball promotions – or from other promotions that require you to bet on more obscure sports, or on American sports. Handicap in basketball works just like in most other sports, with the stronger team assigned a points deficit to even things up. The idea is that, for very uneven match-ups, a handicap bet makes it more worthwhile, and more interesting, for punters to bet on. Novak Djokovic was the defending champion, seeking to win the title for the sixth time.
- This is a straight Asian Handicap that requires a two-goal or more winning margin for the bet to win.
- If you aren’t sure how they work, we’ve put together a handy guide to help you navigate the handicap betting world.
- A split handicap is where your selection can have one handicap that is a whole number and one that is a half number.
- Novice punters shouldn’t fret though – it’s incredibly easy to come to terms with the words and phrases in this market.
Three-way handicap bets
The bookmaker gives a goal or point advantage or disadvantage to the teams involved to level the playing field. If they win by one unibet login goal only, Arsenal won’t be the winning bet in the handicap market. Keep in mind that incorporating effective betting strategies, such as analyzing team form, injuries, and playing styles, is crucial for success in handicap markets. Experienced bettors know that the best way to get good odds when backing favourites is to bet on handicap betting markets. With handicap bets, you predict that a team will not only win but also overcome a deficit.
What to Look for in Sports Betting Sites with Asian Handicap Markets:
However, there are a few different types of handicap bets that can be used these days. One of the most popular variations, Asian handicap wagers take away the potential for a draw result. Let’s say that Belgium are taking on Slovakia in the prestigious Euro tournament. Belgium would be favourites in the eyes of the bookmakers, with Slovakia considered a big underdog. In order to make the betting markets more appealing to sports fans, a handicap will be offered. In sports betting, handicapping involves giving the weaker or less favored team a head start to create a more balanced contest.
It’s best to play for small stakes until you’re comfortable and gain more experience with handicap betting. The 0.5 Asian handicap is easy to understand, as you’re backing your team with a half-goal advantage. As any soccer fan knows, there’s no such thing as half a goal, and teams aren’t awarded half-goals.
Ultimately, the meaning of handicap in betting gives one player or team a head start over the other when a match starts. Asian handicap betting markets are ideal for football bettors looking for an alternative to the standard Win/Draw/Win markets, and often offer more value, thus increasing long-term profit. This is often why so many professional gamblers focus heavily on Asian handicap markets. You can also check out our detailed article on Betting Terms & Definitions. If Team A only wins by one goal though, you receive half of your stake back as your whole stake is split over the two bets.

