It’s always a smart idea to start betting on football with bets like Full-Time Result, Both Teams to Score, and Over/Under 2.5 Goals. These are all simple betting options in which you choose whether one team will win the match, if both teams will score goals, or how many goals will be scored in the game. With Premier League betting odds as competitive as they’ve ever been, now is the ideal time to try your hand at these popular markets.
However, once you’ve gained some confidence and established a staking plan, you could be ready to take on the handicap betting markets, and there are a variety of reasons why clients favour this alternative. The following are some of the reasons:
- With these markets, you can achieve tighter and more competitive odds.
- It allows you to see a game from a different perspective.
- You may be able to get the draw on your side on occasion.
- It’s comparable to 1×2 betting, except it’s a two-way market.
- Even if the team you back loses the game, you can profit.
What Are Some of the Most Common Handicap Betting Markets?
There are a variety of handicap betting markets available with online bookmakers, and we’ll go over each one in detail in this post so you can choose the ideal one for you. Although the same idea applies to all of these betting options, they are frequently referred to as handicap markets or Asian Handicap markets.
You can come across the following when you go to your favorite bookie:
- Asian Handicap
- Alternative Asian Handicap
- Handicap Result
- Alternative Handicap Result
The above may be referred to by different names depending on the bookmaker, but the markets are essentially the same. You essentially want to select a bookie that offers a wide choice of handicap markets for a football match so that you can pick the bet that best reflects your prediction of what will occur.
What is an Asian Handicap Bet, and how does it work?
Let’s begin with a very basic example. The following are the Match betting odds and Asian Handicap betting odds for West Ham vs. Crystal Palace in the Premier League:
Odds for the Full-Time Result
- Draw 3.40
- West Ham 2.05
- Crystal Palace. 3.60
Handicap Odds in Asia
- Crystal Palace +0.5 @ 1.840
- West Ham -0.5 @ 2.090
The Full-Time Result market, for example, is a three-way affair, whereas the Asian Handicap market provides two betting possibilities. Because you may gamble on West Ham with a half-time deficit or Crystal Palace with a half-time disadvantage.
- If West Ham wins, West Ham -0.5 wins (due to the -0.5 goal being covered).
- If the game ends in a draw, Crystal Palace +0.5 wins (since they are still ahead by +0.5).
- If Crystal Palace wins, Crystal Palace +0.5 wins (as their advantage grows).
You could believe that betting on Crystal Palace +0.5 is a better bet than betting on West Ham -0.5 because you have two possibilities, but keep in mind that the Eagles are a shorter price on this Asian Handicap betting market and are also the outsiders in this football match.
Let’s have a look at a different Asian Handicap football betting market for the same match:
- West Ham United -1 (3.000)
- +1 @ 1.375 for Crystal Palace
West Ham has been given a one-goal deficit and Crystal Palace has been given a goal start as a result of this handicap. As a result, if you bet on West Ham -1 @ 3.000, you could get the following results:
You win your bet if West Ham wins by two goals or more.
You receive your money returned if West Ham wins by precisely one goal.
You lose your bet if West Ham draws or loses.
As a result, you’d place this wager on the Hammers if you thought they’d win by one goal in the worst-case scenario but were certain that they’d win by a larger margin.
What Happens if a Stakes Market in Asia is Split?
This is where Asian Handicap betting takes a giant leap forward! When you get the hang of it, however, it’s actually fairly simple, with bookies frequently generating an Asian Line in which you split your wagers between two different alternatives.
Consider the following scenario for a match between Arsenal and Southampton:
- 0.0, -0.5 @ 1.970 Arsenal
- 0.0, +0.5 @ 1.960 Southampton
This may appear difficult at first, but we’ll break it down for you and explain how the bet works. Before the match, if we bet NZ$10 on Southampton 0.0, +0.5 @ 1.960, the bet would be broken down as follows:
- NZ Southampton would receive $5 of our share.
- Southampton would receive 0.0 NZ$5 of our share. +0.5
We’d need Southampton to win the game to win the first part of our bet, but that amount would be refunded if the game was a draw.
We simply need Southampton to tie the match in order to win the second half of our bet, as they already hold a half-time lead over Arsenal.
What Are the Benefits of Betting on Asian Handicap Markets?
Asian Handicap betting markets typically provide excellent value, and bookmakers may provide narrower margins than you’d get betting on other markets. The Hammers are 2.05 to win the game against Crystal Palace in the example above, but they can also be backed at 2.09 with a -0.5 goal handicap, implying that it’s virtually the same bet at different pricing.
You might also come across an Asian Handicap betting market, where you can bet on Southampton 0.0 @ 2.300 to win a match, which is similar to betting on the Draw No Bet market in that you can get your money back if the game is drawn. As a result, you can use specific Asian Handicap markets to secure some insurance in the event of a draw.
Another possibility is that Manchester City is playing Burnley, and the Full-Time Result betting market has them at 1.10 to win. On the Asian Handicap market, however, City -2.5 might be priced around evens, which is ideal for bettors expecting the home team to win by three goals or more. By betting on a team with this market, you can potentially double your money.
Is it possible to bet on an Asian Handicap Accumulator?
Yes, Asian Handicap football accumulator bets are popular, as bettors may choose from a variety of different picks and combine them. If any of the options in an Asian Handicap acca are pushed (refunded), your bet is simply transferred to the other picks at reduced odds.
If you wish to combine a series of “safe selections” to good effect, an Asian Lines accumulator can be a smart concept, with consumers being able to choose whether they want a definite winner with each selection or the option to get money back with certain selections.
What is the Handicap Result Betting Market and How Do I Bet on It?
While Asian Handicap betting markets are becoming more popular, there has always been the option of betting on the Handicap Result, which is perhaps easier to grasp and does not require split stakes or half-goal advantages. When it comes to other sports, you might wager on the Handicap market and find something like this:
- Southampton +1 @ 1.66
- Arsenal -1 @ 4.00
- Tie +1 @ 4.00
As you can see, this is a three-way betting market, which means you must be exactly correct to win, and none of the picks have a money return option.
- To win a wager on Arsenal -1 At 4.00, the Gunners would have to win by two goals or more.
- If you bet on a tie +1, Arsenal would have to win by one goal.
- If you wager on Southampton +1, the game must conclude in a draw or an away win.
You may also wager on an Alternative Handicap Result, which allows you to pick your own team and odds. You can take a risk and go for a big price like Arsenal -2 @ 8.50, or you can go for a safer selection like Southampton +2 @ 1.20, which could work well in an accumulator bet. The top new bookies will give all of these handicap betting alternatives.
