Handicap betting is considered one of the best ways to make money in online betting. All betting sites offer handicap betting for most sports, but you’ll need to look at which bets offer the best value.
We’ll be looking at how handicap betting works, which betting sites to choose for handicap betting and what strategies you should follow to win more games with handicap betting.
Handicap Bets in Football
The 3-way-bet is the point of origin for handicap betting in football where the match’s outcome after 90 minutes (added time included, but excludes potential extra time) requires forecast. This results in the three outcomes that are possible:
- A win for the home team
- A draw
- A win for the away team
Imaginary goals are used to level out a performance gap between the teams. Therefore, pro handicappers or bettors need to ask themselves how much stronger is a team? And by how many more goals?
In handicap betting, the teams playing receive fictitious “minus goals” or “plus goals”, which depend on how you view the team’s perspective on the outcome. The bet selection appears with the prefix minus (-) or plus (+) and the number of goals.
For example, a weaker team may receive a +1, while the stronger visiting team gets a -1. Another way to view this is from a virtual match score with the outcome adding the addition of the plus goal or the minus goal. Therefore, this would result in a 1:0.
Different Winning Chances with Various Handicaps
Odds and probabilities are exactly the same. Different factors affect the calculation of the odds given and may calculate the likelihood that a specific event will occur. For example, a 3-way football bet would be 1, x or 2.
The probability of different results depends on the current situation and the skill level differences between the two teams. Short-term and long-term performances are considered as well and the loss of key players due to injuries. Another important thing is the difference between home and away matches, which is also shown in the betting odds.
Therefore, the odds reflect the chances of winning to a certain extent. As the application of the handicaps redistributes these probabilities, the odds are as well. Following this thought clarifies why handicap bets are appealing for many bettors, as the odds on favourites become instantly attractive due to the increased odds from a “minus” handicap.
It’s clear that bettors would place their bet on favourite teams as it’s a safer bet and is bound to bring in some good winnings. On the other hand, you would get correspondingly low odds. Therefore, to boost winnings, the bet would need to be increased. A certain amount of risk will always remain and needs to be considered, which is why having a bankroll for betting is one of the most important things.
Alternatively, you can choose a handicap bet as a better prospect to adjust to a lower probability of winning than risking bigger chunks of your money on other bets.
Another way handicap bets may be helpful is in what’s known as “patriotic” bets. So, even if your favourite club or national team has no chance of winning, you can use a handicap bet to show loyalty and exclude any high risks involved.
The Asian Handicap – A Popular Addition to the Handicap Bet
Today, the “basic” Handicap isn’t the only variation within this betting type. After the new millennium, a new kind of bet known as “Hang Cheng Betting” had spread from Asia to Europe. Bookies then created a new type of bet known as Asian Handicap (AH), which introduced a 2-way handicap instead of a 3-way handicap.
It’s a simple idea where the “Draw” doesn’t exist and the last 1/3 winning chance turns into a 50:50 chance. It’s the most significant advantage of AHC betting.
So does it work in real life? In theory, the Asian Handicap appears in steps of half goals: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 etc. A team usually appears with a plus prefix and the other receives a minus. As Asian handicap betting introduces a half goal, a draw is impossible and is listed out of the betting offer.
We also wrote about the comparison between handicaps and match-winner, and other strategies on our blog page.
Which Handicap is Best for You?
There are plenty of advantages within the handicap betting markets. It’s a bet that improves your odds for the favourite and minimises the risk of betting on the underdog.
Another thing to remember is the way the odds are calculated. This dictates what percentage of the bettor’s bet stakes are used to pay out the winnings. With the 3-way bet 1x2, the most popular betting type, a 92% and over payout rate is common. Above 95% is considered excellent.
This is indeed the case for most important European league matches (Premier League, German Bundesliga, Champions League, etc.), calculated mostly in favour of the bettors, which is very attractive.
For handicap bets, the odds may not be as attractive as for 3-way betting. However, it’s a little different for Asian Handicap as the bet is reduced to only two possible outcomes as the draw isn’t available. This means that the payout rate may still equal a 3-way bet.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the handicap bet is not only available for football – it’s also applied to other sports like tennis, basketball and ice hockey.
Win with Handicap Bets Summary
The handicap is a common strategy used in sports as it aims to even out unequal conditions due to the different performance levels of the playing teams. This works by the fictitious reduction of the favourite’s goal score by the bookie or the addition of virtual goals for the weaker team.
Handicaps may offer you better winning opportunities as it affects the odds for your overall bet. For example, if you’re certain a favourite team will win a match, you use the handicap to boost your odds, bringing even more potential profits. On the other hand, the handicap bet also let you minimise risk when betting for a weaker team. The Asian handicap is a newer addition to the handicap market, which completely removes the draw option, giving you a 50:50 winning chance.