Asian Handicap betting attempts to bring an unbalanced match up, such as a Premier League contender playing against a low relegated team to a 50-50 contest by handicapping a team based on its perceived performance in the game.
In a traditional 1X2 bet, it would most likely be an easy win for a Premier League team but with the Asian Handicap market, you’ll be able to back an underdog and still win even if they lost. The relegation team might still lose, but will they lose the match by 1 goal or 2?
What are the Pros of Asian Handicap?
- For matchups where in some cases one team may be more favoured to win than the other team resulting in small betting odds the favoured team will be handicapped to level the playing field
- Asian Handicap betting allows punters to find value in long odds underdogs while enjoying consistent returns
Asian Handicap handicaps the stronger team and removes the possibility of a draw. It handicaps by balancing the odds
With Asian handicap, the underdog will be given an advantage that is intended to level the playing field for bets.
There are three main types of Asian Handicap lines: half goal, full goal and quarter goal.
Half goal Asian handicap
Asian Handicap will attempt to achieve a 50-50 contest with goals, let’s look at an example of what you may see:
- Team A -1.5
- Team B +1.5
Team A has been given a goals handicap of -1.5 whilst Team B has been given a handicap of +1.5 goals
If you decide to bet on Team A, the stronger team, they would have to win by 2 goals at a minimum. Whilst if you were to bet on Team B they can win the match outright or lose by under 1.5 goals which would mean they can lose by no more than 1 goal for you to win.
If the final score is Team A – 2, Team B – 1 and you have bet on Team A, you would deduct 1.5 goals, that would read the score to be Team A – 0.5, Team B – 1
So that would mean that you have lost the bet even though they won the game because of the handicap
Full goal Asian handicap
This Asian handicap line works in a similar way to the example above for half goal Asian handicap line, but there is an added chance of your stake being refunded. The line, as the name would suggest is a whole number. The line applied to the favourite can be 0.00, -1.00, -2.00 etc with the opposite number for the underdog. If you were to back a team with a -1.00 Asian handicap, you would need your team to win by 2 or more goals. However, full goal lines work similarly to how the “draw no bet” market works, in that should your team only win by 1 goal, your bet is refunded. Similarly, should you back a team with a +1.00 Asian handicap, and they lose by one, your stake would be refunded as well.
Quarter goal Asian handicap
This has been left until last as it’s the most advanced to explain. Once you understand this line, you’ll have a strong grasp on one of the best markets available for all sports bettors. Whilst it’s quite complex at first glance, it’s very logical.
The easiest way to look at a quarter goal Asian handicap is to understand that it effectively splits your bet into two. Whatever your line (for example, -0.25), your stake is split between the nearest half goal line (-0.50) and the nearest full goal line (-0.00).
Here’s one example: you back Team A -0.25 Asian handicap for £100. Effectively, this bet has become £50 on Team A -0.00 and £50 on team A -0.50. For both parts of the bet to win, Team A must win the game. However, should they draw, you’ll see the £50 on the -0.50 line lose, but the £50 on -0.00 refunded. Total = £50, which is often called a “half loss”.
Another example (a half win this time): You back Team B +0.25 Asian handicap, again for a £100 stake. This becomes £50 on +0.00 and £50 on +0.50. If Team B wins, both parts of the bet win. If Team B loses, both parts of the bet lose. If it ends in a draw, the +0.00 will be refunded to you (no profit), and the +0.50 part wins. This is known as a “half win”.
Asian handicap is a great alternative to 1X2 betting and is very popular amongst punters looking to build stable long-term profits because it minimises the risk with just having two market possibilities rather than three.
If you see an Asian handicap and believe it to be priced and handicapped fairly, you’re close to having a 50/50 shot at winning, if you have an edge, you can make long-term stable profits.
Even the inclusion of Asian handicap bets can be a way to make the most of the lower margins associated with this betting market.
The Asian handicap betting is our most common bet type of choice at No1 Tipster. So let us do the hard work for you