In this article, you will learn the Asian Handicap meaning. We will explore exactly what is Asian Handicap betting and how to play in the Asian Handicap markets. Also, Asian Handicap predictions will be beneficial as you look for teams to choose for Asian Handicap betting.
What Does the Asian Handicap Mean?
When it comes to betting, there are a lot of sports betting terms that are not so well known. One of them is Asian Handicap betting.
The Asian Handicap meaning is giving a team a headstart before the kick-off of a match. You will see options in the Asian Handicap markets that give a goal advantage, 0.5, and even 0.25 and 0.75 options. This means that in Asian Handicaps, there is no room for a draw because a team cannot score 0.5 or 0.25 goals in a match.
Asian Handicap Examples
To fully understand the Asian Handicap meaning, some examples will be necessary. We would try to cover some of the most popular Asian Handicap markets. Below are the most popular Asian Handicap explained.
Asian Handicap 0
This form of Asian Handicap is normally used when two evenly matched teams play, for example, Arsenal and Machester City. Whether you play home or away win, it results in the same way. The team you choose just has to win, but if there is a draw, you will get your stake back.
Asian Handicap 0.25
This gives the underdog team a quarter goals advantage (+0.25) or the favourites a quarter goal disadvantage (-0.25) before the start of the match. Let’s use a match between Tottenham Hotspurs and Norwich as an example. Tottenham is the favourite, and Norwich the underdog. Now two scenarios can play out.
If you bet on Tottenham at -0.25 with R100 to win the match, if they win, you win the bet. If they lose, you lose the bet. But if there is a draw, you will get half of your stake.
When you bet Norwich to win at +0.25 with R100, if they win the match, you win your bet. If they lose, you lose your bet. But, if there is a draw, you will get back half of your stake multiplied by the odds. So, that means with a 0.25 Handicap; whether the underdog wins or draws the match, your bet will be valuable.
Asian Handicap 0.5
This is an easier Handicap to understand than the 0.25 Handicap. You give the underdog a 0.5 goal advantage (+0.25) and the favourites a 0.5 goal disadvantage (-0.5). Let us use a match between Real Madrid and Valencia as an example.
If you bet on Real Madrid at -0.5 with R100 to win the match, if they win, you win your bet. However, if they draw or lose, you lose the bet.
But if you bet on Valencia at +0.5 with R100, if they win the match or draw it, you win the bet. This is because they already have a 0.5 goal advantage. In case Real Madrid wins the game, you lose your bet.
Asian Handicap 1
The team that will win has to win by a goal margin of 2 goals or more. The favourites have a disadvantage of 1 goal while the underdogs have an advantage of a goal.
Let’s imagine Barcelona is playing Real Betis, and you bet Barcelona to win at -1.0 with R100. Barcelona has to win with more than 2 goals or more for your bet to be a winning bet. If they win with a 1 goal margin, you get your stake back. Nonetheless, you lose your bet if Barcelona draws or loses the match.
Let’s see what happens if you bet on Real Betis at +1.0 with R100. If they win the match or draw, you win the bet. If they lose with a 1 goal margin, you get your stake back. In case they lose by 2 goals or more, you lose the bet.
Other Handicap Examples
While we have looked at the most popular Asian Handicap meaning explained, there are other examples such as the Asian Handicap 0.75, Asian Handicap 1.25, Asian Handicap 1.5, Asian Handicap 1.75, Asian Handicap 2.
Keep in mind that for the 1.25 and 1.75 Asian Handicaps, a distinction is a stake that you get back multiplied by the odds for the underdogs and favourites, respectively.
Review
As explained before, Asian Handicaps became popular in Asia, particularly Indonesia, in the early 21st century. This form of betting reduces the outcome of a football match from three outcomes (a home win, an away win and a draw) to two outcomes (a home and an away win).
This means that the two teams have a 50-50 chance of winning, creating a level playing field for the two teams. This is especially useful in a match with a clear favourite and an underdog team, and you want to reduce the risk.
Asian Handicap Pros
Here are some main pros of Asian Handicaps.
With the Asian Handicap market, you reduce the risk of losing your bet. This is because the market essential removes the option of a draw. In case there is a draw, you will get back your stake or at least half of it.
When two mismatched teams play, the Asian Handicap markets level the playing ground. They make it possible for you to win your bet even if the favourites of the match win. Unlike the match-winner market, with Asian Handicaps, each team has a 50-50 chance to win.
Bookmakers usually offer very paltry odds when a heavy favourite is playing an underdog. Imagine Manchester City vs Coventry City in an FA Cup tie. Instead of playing odds of 1.02 or 1.04 for a Manchester City win, you can turn to the Asian Handicap market. You will get better odds depending on the Handicap value you bet on.
Asian Handicap Cons
There are a few Asian Handicap cons, though.
Asian Handicap betting is hard to understand. The half (0.5) and even quarter goals (0.25) make it hard for bettors to visualise, which leaves them confused. Even experienced bettors find it hard to understand Asian Handicaps. The only way to understand it is by betting on it. You can decide to start with small bets in the Asian Handicap markets. Then, you can increase it as your knowledge of the market increases.
This is related to the reason above, as most bettors find the market hard to bet on. So, most bookmakers don’t bother to offer it in their betting markets. To bet on the Asian Handicap market, you must look for a bookmaker that offers it. Bookmakers such as Hollywoodbets and Bet.co.za offer the Asian Handicap betting markets.
Asian Handicap Meaning FAQ
We have come to the end of the Asian Handicaps meaning article. Here are some frequently asked questions.
Asian Handicaps give an advantage to the underdog or a disadvantage to the favourites to win a match. The + sign signifies the number of goals given as an advantage before the match starts, the – sign signifies the goal disadvantage.
The bookmakers determine how to calculate the odds. However, it usually reflects how strong a team is in comparison to the opponent.
This is an Asian Handicap market that gives 0.25 goals advantage to the underdog in a football match. If there is a win, you win the bet. A draw returns your stake multiplied by the odds, while a loss makes your bet a losing bet.
What is a +1.5 Asian Handicap?
The +1.5 Handicap gives a 1.5 goal advantage to the underdog in a match. So, if you bet a +1.5 on a team, the team can win, draw, or even lose by a goal margin of fewer than two goals for your bet to win. But if they lose by a goal margin of more than two goals, you lose your bet.
Several bookmakers offer Handicap markets such as Hollywoodbets, Bet.co.za, Playa Bets, and others.