A Guide To Asian Handicap Betting

While the growing popularity of betting on Asian handicap markets is largely attributed to the increased winning odds it offers, one can only truly benefit from those markedly improved odds if they have a bearing on how Asian handicap betting actually works.

In fact, Asian handicaps offer an increased winning chance of up to 50% more than conventional odds, with punters as far as Europe taking to what has been a firm favourite of Far East Asian sports bettors and enjoying higher, more frequent returns.

In order to gain a better understanding of exactly how Asian handicap betting works, one has to keep in mind that they can walk away with winnings, even in the event that the team they selected draws or loses their match. It isn’t necessarily about putting your money on one team and simply hoping that it wins.

With that in mind, the next step to understanding Asian handicaps requires you to wrap your head around the fact that you have to make your pick from only two possibilities, that being whether the home team wins, or alternatively the away team wins.

Things can get a bit more confusing from here on, but just keep in mind these two options to choose from (HOME WIN/AWAY WIN).

The absence of the DRAW outcome as an option is essentially where Asian handicap betting differs from orthodox odds betting, effectively accounting for the increased odds that can make you a more frequent winner. The two available options are usually represented as 1×2 (1 or 2) — 1 = HOME TEAM WIN and 2 = AWAY TEAM WIN, unless otherwise stated by the betting service provider.

Now comes the most important part of understanding how Asian handicaps work — the key-phrase itself, “handicap”. The fundamental principle of Asian handicap betting is centred on a handicap assigned to each of the two teams involved and the difference in their perceived (determined by the bookmaker) ability.

For example, if the Spanish La Liga club giants Real Madrid (home team) are up against Ajax Amsterdam (away team) in their Uefa Champions League group stage fixture, given the history, pedigree and other factors of the two clubs, Real Madrid would naturally be expected to get a more positive result and they would then be the favourites.

For the purpose of developing our Real Madrid example further, let’s assume in another wager:

Real Madrid (home team) was pitted against a lower-league side, Sporting Gijon (away team) in the Spanish League Cup. In this instance, Real Madrid would still be favourites, but for arguments sake (probably in reality too), this Real Madrid vs. Sporting Gijon match-up carries a much bigger difference in ability between the two clubs than that of the Real Madrid vs. Ajax Amsterdam match-up.

This is a very important observation as Asian handicap betting determines handicaps based on this difference, in that the greater this difference in ability between the two teams is, the greater the handicap would subsequently be. To go back to our Real Madrid example, any person who follows football would naturally expect Real Madrid to beat Sporting Gijon by more goals than they’d be expected to beat Ajax Amsterdam.

So, based on this difference in the involved teams’ abilities, a bigger handicap is assigned and the underdogs are then assigned a “head-start” (handicap) over the team favoured to win.

The team favoured to win then has to overcome the assigned handicap and will have it deducted from their final score (e.g. If Real Madrid was assigned a handicap of 1 (indicated as -1), if they score 4 goals in their match against Ajax, their final score will be adjusted to 3).

Since the team expected to lose (Ajax in this instance) is granted the head-start, the handicap is ADDED to their final score (example, if Ajax scores 1 goal in the game and the handicap assigned to them was 1 (indicated as +1), their final score will be adjusted to 2 goals.

A handicap is either added to the underdog or deducted from the favourite, never both at the same time and handicaps are determined by the bookmaker, with corresponding payouts for results ranging from losing your entire stake to winning (your stake gets multiplied by the odds if you win). In between these two parameters, you can win half your stake (multiplied by the odds), lose half (half is returned to you) or you can have your bet refunded, depending on the outcome of the match.

FAQs

How do you bet on Asian handicap?

Asian Handicap is a type of betting that originates from Indonesia and has gained popularity across the globe. It’s a form of spread betting aimed to create a 50/50 wagering proposition by giving a goals handicap to each team. Here’s how you can bet on it:

Firstly, you need to understand the handicap system. Teams are handicapped based on their form, meaning the superior team will have a handicap to level the playing field. For example, a team might have a handicap of -1.5 goals, meaning they need to win by 2 goals or more for a bet on them to win.

There are whole goal handicaps (e.g., -1, -2), half goal handicaps (e.g., -0.5, -1.5), and quarter goal handicaps (e.g., -0.75, -1.25). The quarter goal handicaps are essentially a split bet, half of your stake goes on the nearest whole number handicap, and the other half on the half goal handicap.

Next, you need to understand the odds. The odds are generally presented in decimal format. You multiply your stake by the odds to determine your potential winnings, including the return of your original stake.

Lastly, place your bet based on your understanding of the team’s form, the handicap, and the odds. If the team you bet on overcomes the handicap, you win.

What does +1.25 mean in Asian handicap?

In Asian Handicap betting, +1.25 means that the team you are betting on starts the game with a lead of 1.25 goals. However, as there’s no such thing as a quarter of a goal in actual football, this handicap is split into two separate bets: one at +1.0 and one at +1.5.

Here’s how it works:

1. Half of your stake is placed on the team with a +1 goal handicap. If your team wins, or the match is a draw, you win this bet. If your team loses by exactly one goal, your stake is refunded (as it’s a draw with the +1 handicap). If your team loses by more than one goal, you lose this bet.

2. The other half of your stake is placed on the same team with a +1.5 goals handicap. If your team wins, draws, or loses by exactly one goal, you win this bet. If your team loses by more than one goal, you lose this bet.

So, the +1.25 handicap gives you a bit of a safety net, in that you can still get a partial win or refund if your team loses by exactly one goal. However, you would need your team to win or draw to win both parts of the bet.

What does +3.5 Asian handicap mean?

In Asian Handicap betting, a +3.5 handicap means that the team you’re betting on starts the game with a lead of 3.5 goals. This is straightforward as it’s a full goal handicap, unlike the quarter or half-goal handicaps which split the bet.

Here’s how it works:

If you bet on a team with a +3.5 goal start, you win your bet if the team either wins, draws, or loses by up to three goals. For instance, even if the team you’ve backed loses 3-0, you’d still win the bet because, with the +3.5 goal handicap applied, the final score from your betting perspective is 3-3.5.

However, if the team loses by four or more goals, you lose the bet. For example, if the actual result was a 4-0 loss for your team, adding the +3.5 handicap would make the score 4-3.5 from a betting perspective, meaning your team still lost, and therefore, your bet would be lost.

Remember, it’s crucial to analyse teams’ performance history and other relevant factors before placing a bet to make an informed decision. And always gamble responsibly.

What is Asian handicap +2 example?

In Asian Handicap betting, a +2 handicap means that the team you’re betting on begins the match with a two-goal advantage. Here’s an example of how this would work:

Let’s say you’ve bet on Team A with a +2 Asian Handicap against Team B. Here are the potential outcomes:

1. If Team A wins, or the game ends in a draw, you win the bet. This is because Team A has maintained their initial two-goal lead (or increased it).

2. If Team A loses by exactly one goal (for example, the match ends 2-1 in favour of Team B), you still win the bet. This is because, after applying the +2 handicap, the result from the betting perspective is 3-2 to Team A.

3. If Team A loses by exactly two goals (for example, the match ends 3-1 for Team B), the bet is a draw, and your stake is returned. This is because, with the +2 handicap, the result from the betting perspective is a 3-3 draw.

4. If Team A loses by more than two goals (for example, the match ends 4-1 for Team B), you lose the bet. This is because, even after applying the +2 handicap, Team A still loses from the betting perspective (the result would be 4-3 to Team B).

In all scenarios, the +2 handicap is applied to the final score of Team A to determine the outcome of the bet. As always, it’s important to bet responsibly.


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