Handicap Betting Guide

By Benson Chikezie, Senior Author

Did you go through the situation of entering a bookmaker and found those numbers +1.25 or -1.5 and did not understand anything? Have you ever wondered how to bet on a handicap and the differences between the Asian and the European Handicap? With this practical guide, you will understand everything!

What is Handicap Betting?

We could be simplistic and say that the Handicap is about the difference in goals or points between one team and another. This is true, but it is not enough to understand all the possibilities this type of bet offers.

The word “handicap” means an obstacle. This gives us a better clue as to what that word means in the betting world, but it still ends up being a bit misleading if we take it literally.

This is because Handicap can be positive or negative. The numbers represented in this type of bet always work as a value that will be added or subtracted from the game’s final result.

You can bet on a -2 handicap for a solid team or a +2 for a fragile team, which risks being defeated. For example, betting on Barcelona victory is obvious in a hypothetical duel between Barcelona and Cardiff and will have extremely low odds. Therefore, you can bet that the goal difference between the teams will be huge to increase the value of your odds.

Why Bet on a Handicap?

This may sound too complicated to be worth it, but it turns out that the vast majority of seasoned players who make long-term gains have handicap bets as their big favorites.

This is because, in the long run, betting only on winners and losers makes you rely heavily on luck to be profitable.

Imagine that the odds of the favorite team will always be too low and those of the weaker team, despite being high, are very difficult to take advantage of. With handicap bets, players have the opportunity to always bet at attractive odds between 1.8 and 2.5 and have the possibility to refund Asian handicap bets.

To learn more about handicap betting, the first step is to understand that there are two types of these bets: Asian and European. Regarding their essential differences, the Asian offers the possibility of being refunded a bet for a draw. At the same time, the European Handicap only allows you to win or lose.

Asian Handicap Vs. European Handicap: What Is The Difference Between The Markets?

A necessary precaution when working with Handicaps is to understand that two types of Handicap markets are Asian and European. The big difference is that, in the Asian Handicap, you will have more line options and, above all, the possibility of having a bet returned.

Imagine, for example, a bet on a team with the -1.0 line. In the Asian Handicap, if that team wins by one goal difference, that bet would be returned. This is not the case with the European Handicap: that same bet would be lost.

Therefore, we recommend that you always stay alert and use Asian lines when betting. 

What is the Asian Handicap?

Asian handicap odds example from Bet365

Since the subject requires a bit of reasoning, let’s start by talking about the most challenging type of Handicap, which is Asian. It is made more difficult because they are fractional numbers (0.5, 1.25, 1.5, etc.) and that in addition to the possibility of winning or losing the bet, the player can also have a part (or all) of it refunded to your account. Although it is more complicated, it is also considered the best type of handicap bet by most professional bettors.

And when do they return your bets? When the result added to the Handicap is equal to zero, the value cancels the bet, and the money returns to your account. In addition, the Asian Handicap provides several bet lines from which you can recover only half the bet or bet lines where you win half the total odds.

Here are some general examples of Asian handicap lines:

  • Handicap +1: You win the bet if the team wins or draws the game. If the team loses by a goal difference, the bet is refunded to your account.
  • Handicap +0.5: The bet is winning if the team wins or draws the game. If you lose by a goal difference, it is enough to lose the bet.
  • Handicap -1: The winning result is a victory by 2 or more goals difference. If the team wins by a single goal, your bet is refunded.
  • Handicap -1.5: To win the bet here, the team must necessarily score 2 or more goals difference, otherwise they will lose the bet.

What are the Asian Handicap Line Types?

In short, we have three types of lines in the Asian Handicap: the negative lines, the positive lines, and the null line. So let’s understand what they represent within sports betting.

The Negative Line

A negative handicap will always take away goals from a team. This team must win by a difference greater than the Handicap applied to the match for a bet to win.

If you believe that a team is very favorite and will thrash the opponent, you can remove a goal from that team using Handicap -1. This way, instead of having an odd of @1.40 on Match Odds, you will have an odd of @1.70 on Handicap -1. However, be aware: this team will need to win by two goals for your bet to win.

The Positive Line

The scenario is similar to the Negative Line Handicap, but it is used positively, adding goals to a team. Suppose you consider that a given game will be very even, leaning towards a draw or a victory by minimal advantage.

In this case, we can use Handicap +1. In this way, our bet would win with the team’s victory or with a draw. What if she loses by a goal? You still have your bet returned. In short, it will only be lost with a defeat by two goals or more. It’s the opposite of what we saw earlier.

While it’s tempting to use it for safer bets, be aware that, of course, the odds will get smaller and smaller. A game where you would have an odds of @2.50 on Match Odds may drop to just @1.25 on Handicap +1.

The Null Line (the Asian Handicap +0.00)

We have almost fully understood what the Asian Handicap is. Now we are going to explain the last type of this Handicap, the +0 Asian handicap. This type of Asian Handicap is perfect for placing your bets when there is no clear favorite in the game.

In this case, we have the equivalent operation of the Draw No Bet market. This means that if you bet on a team with a Handicap 0, a draw will always return your bet. We only lose, therefore, if our team is defeated.

This line only appears in very balanced matches, where anything can happen. Usually, you have this option in play from a slightly superior team acting away from home, where the field command balances the match.

Suppose you get 2.50 – 3.50 – 2.90 in the game. The team that plays at home is the favorite, but it is not completely clear as in other games. If you bet on the home team to win with a +0 Asian handicap, you will get lower odds on the winning home team, but at the same time, you will add more security if the game ends in a draw. This is because the .00 will give you a full refund of your bet.

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The European Handicap Work?

European handicap odds example from Bet365

Currently, the European Handicap is less used than the Asian one, and its reputation is not as good. Some bookmakers offer only the European Handicap as a betting possibility, something that varies a lot between each betting platform in India.

In any case, the European Handicap never shows split numbers and never offers the possibility to refund a bet. Your team is always obliged to win on the match result added to the selected Handicap. Here are some European handicap betting lines:

  • Handicap +1: You win the bet if the team wins or draws.
  • Handicap +2: winning bet if your team wins, loses by up to 1 goal difference, or in case of a tie.
  • Handicap -1: The only winning result is victory by more than 1 goal difference, losing the bet in the case of 1 × 0, for example.
  • Handicap -2: Here, only wins by more than 2 goals difference matters.

How Can I Win More Money With Handicap Bets?

There is one clear thing, and that is handicap betting is one of the ways to make money with sports betting. This is because adding extra difficulty to a match gives it much more excitement and skyrockets our chances of making a profit. 

Undoubtedly one of the best ways to get started with handicap bets, and earn little money, is by betting on the big boys. Let’s imagine that 2018/2019 Barça plays against Rayo at Camp Nou. Unless Messi gets surprise diarrhea that day, everything indicates that Barça will win by a landslide. So it would be a good idea to place a bet with a handicap. 

Summary

The Handicap in betting is nothing more than giving some advantage or disadvantage to a team. This is because the Handicap allows us to add or remove goals from the result of a match. It is logical that the more advantages we give a team, the lower the odds. And the opposite is also true: the more disadvantages we place on a team, the greater the odds.

Handicap bets are exciting to win fast money, but the more the profit increases, the more the risk increases. So create a strategy and analyze each bet well if you don’t want your bankroll to disappear faster than you anticipated.

Frequently asked questions

What is Asian Handicap?
Asian Handicap is a market widely used by professional bettors. It offers an advantage (or disadvantage) of goals to the teams to balance the odds, close to 50% for each side. In this market, there is no possibility of a tie.
What is the difference between Asian Handicap and European Handicap?
The Handicap market has the same dynamics of offering advantages and disadvantages for goals. However, there are two distinct models. In the Asian Handicap, the results of bets can be of five types (win, 50% won, void, 50% lost, or lost). In the European Handicap, a bet can only be won or lost. An example to make it more straightforward is the -1.0 market. If you bet on that line and the team wins 1-0, the bet would be returned on the Asian Handicap but lost on the European Handicap.
Which bookmakers offer the Asian Handicap market?
Virtually all betting sites allow bets on the Handicap market. However, not all of them offer the Asian Handicap, something you should be aware of as there are different rules regarding the European Handicap. Pinnacle, Bet365, and 188bet are three examples of sites that allow betting on the Asian Handicap market.
What is the difference between Handicap 0 and Draw NO Bet (DNB)?
None! Handicap 0 represents the same thing as the Draw No Bet (DNB) market. In other words, your bet is lost only in case the chosen team loses. If the game draws, bets are void.
What does the Asian Handicap -0.0/0.5 mean?
The Asian Handicap allows lines to be “broken.” So, you can have a bet with the -0.25 line, which represents that the draw still returns you half a bet (the other half is lost). The presentation of 0.0/0.5 only represents that half of your bet was placed on Handicap 0 and the other half on -0.5, representing the -0.25 line. The same goes for +0.25, which is the positive version of this same line.

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