How to make money betting on Asian Handicaps

 

This kind of football betting originated in the Far East, hence its name.  And it still remains hugely popular in gambling centres such as Hong Kong and Macau.

However, in recent years, as backers (and bookmakers) worldwide have looked for new and innovative ways to bet on football, Asian Handicap betting has spread far and wide in a matter of a few short years.

And although at first glance this kind of trading might appear difficult to understand…

It’s a style of sports betting which offers a lot of advantages for the casual as well as serious backer.

So it’s high time you made yourself familiar with the benefits of Asian Handicap football betting.

So how do Asian Handicap soccer bets work?

Like all handicap bets… we’re looking at one team giving up an advantage (the favourite) and another getting a headstart (the underdog).

And being football, the handicap is calculated in terms of goals.

Handicaps start as low as zero (0) where the match is a real 50/50 contest… but can rise to any number of goals.  The wider the gap in terms of ability between the two teams, the greater the handicap offered by the bookmakers.

And being a handicap bet, the odds tend to be fixed around the even money mark (2.0).  Usually one side will be odds-on whilst the other is odds against… but the odds tend to be equal and opposite, either side of evens.

Level Handicaps (0)

You will see this written, for example in the Madrid Derby, as…

Real Madrid (0) 1.5 v Atlético Madrid (0) 2.5

In this scenario, neither team is getting or giving a handicap start.  Therefore, the team that wins the match, in 90 minutes, wins the bet.

And so a Real Madrid win would payout at 1.50 (1/2) whilst an Atlético victory would be settled at 2.50 (6/4).

However, as in all Asian Handicap bets, if the result (after the handicap line has been applied) is a draw, the bet is considered void and all stakes are returned.

Therefore, with a handicap line of zero (0) if the match is drawn, the bet is drawn and all bets are cancelled.

So you place a £100 win bet on Real Madrid (0) at 1.50, what happens if the result is…

Real Madrid 3 Atlético Madrid 1

Real win the game and so cover the handicap line, which is zero, meaning the bet pays out in full.

You collect £150. This being calculated as £100 x 1.50 = £150 (£50 winnings + £100 stake).

Real Madrid 1 Atlético Madrid 2

In this case, you lose your bet/stake as Real Madrid lose the match.

Remember, with a (0) handicap line, the team that wins the match, wins the bet.

Real Madrid 1 Atlético Madrid 1

This result sees your stakes returned in full as the match, and so the handicap, ends as a draw.

The bet is void and your initial £100 is returned in full.

Quarter-Goal Handicaps (0.25)

You will see this written, for example in the Manchester Derby, as…

Manchester United (-0.25) 1.90 v Manchester City (+0.25) 2.05

Ok, this is where Asian Handicaps come into their own because you’ve now got yourself one bet that is made up of two separate halves.  And it’s this feature which is common to a lot of Asian Handicap bets… and tends to confuse punters!

You effectively have one half of the bet at (0) and the other half at (0.5), which makes for an average of (0.25).  Hence, it’s known as a Quarter-Goal.

It will usually be shown as (-0.25) or (+0.25).  Or it could be advertised as (0, -0.5) or (0, +0.5).

Half your bet/stake is placed on (0) and the other half is placed on a handicap line of (0.5).

The part of the bet at (0) is settled as a level handicap, already shown above.  And so, if the game is a draw at 90 minutes then stakes are returned… but the team which wins the match, wins the bet.

The other part, at (0.5), is settled like a normal handicap bet.  And, of course being a half-goal handicap line, there can’t be a draw… one team must win, one must lose.

So, if you have a £100 bet on Manchester United at (-0.25) 1.90 you’re really placing two bets… one bet of £50 on United (0) and another bet of £50 on United (-0.5).

Two parts to one bet.  Both settled at the same odds of 1.90 and making for a combined, total stake of £100.

And, of course, depending upon the result… both parts could win, both parts could lose or there could be one winner/void and one loser.

So you place a £100 win bet on Manchester United (-0.25) at 1.90, what happens if the result is…

Manchester United 2 Manchester City 1

Here both parts of the bet win as United cover both handicap lines, (0) and (-0.5).

You collect £95 for the (0) and £95 for the (-0.5), a total of £190.  Both parts of the bet are calculated as £50 x 1.90 = £95 (£45 winnings + £50 stake).

Manchester United 0 Manchester City 1

Both bets lose with this result as United fail to cover both handicap lines.

You lose your entire £100 stake, £50 on each part of the bet.

Manchester United 3 Manchester City 3

This result would see half your stake returned on United, for the (0) handicap, whilst the other half (-0.5) would lose.

You end up with £50 remaining from your initial £100 stake.  Getting the £50 stake on (0) returned but losing the £50 stake on (-0.5).

The same principle works in reverse, if you prefer to back the underdog (+0.25).  Simply add the handicap to the final score, rather than take it away.

This type of Quarter-Goal bet can also have a higher handicap line, settled in just the same way.  For example, a (-1.25) handicap will have two parts, (-1) and (-1.5).

Half-Goal Handicap (0.5)

You will see this written, for example, in the Milan Derby, as…

AC Milan (-0.5) 2.0 v Inter Milan (+0.5) 2.0

With this kind of Asian Handicap soccer bet you have one simple, handicap line.  It’s a half-goal either way… which means there can’t be a draw/void with this bet.

If the game ends as a draw, one team wins and one team loses.  If the game is settled by just one goal, one teams wins and one team loses. Same goes for a winning margin of two or more goals.

This bet isn’t split into two parts, like the Quarter-Goal example.  It’s just one bet with your full stake settled at the available odds, in this case 2.0.

So you place a £100 win bet on AC Milan (-0.5) at 2.0, what happens if the result is…

AC Milan 4 Inter Milan 2

Here the bet wins as AC easily cover the handicap line.

You would collect £200.  Calculated as £100 x 2.0 (£100 winnings + £100 stake).

AC Milan 1 Inter Milan 3

The bet loses as Inter win the match, and so AC fail to cover the handicap line.

Here your £100 bet/stake would be lost.

AC Milan 2 Inter Milan 2

Again a loser, as despite the match ending as a draw, AC are deemed the loser after the Asian Handicap line is applied (the match result for settling purposes is AC Milan 1.5 Inter Milan 2).

Here, once again, your £100 bet/stake is lost.

Although this comes under the heading of Asian Handicap betting, it’s the kind of handicap bet with which most conventional backers are very familiar.

Three-Quarter Goal Handicap (0.75)

You will see this written, for example in the Glasgow Derby, as…

Celtic (-0.75) 1.8 v Rangers (+0.75) 2.25

Similar to the Quarter-Goal example, this bet involves two parts to the one bet.  This time the two parts are (0.5) and (1.0)… making for an average of (0.75).

You will see this bet written as (-0.75) or (+0.75).  Aletrnatively, it could be written as (-0.5, -1) or (+0.5, +1).

The first part of the bet, a handicap line of (0.5), as we’ve seen before, can’t result in a draw.  One team will win, and one team will lose.

However, the line which is (1) could produce a draw on the handicap… which, as we know, would result in stakes being returned.

Therefore, with a £100 bet on Celtic (-0.75), you’re actually placing £50 on these two, separate bets… £50 on (-0.5) and £50 on (-1).

And so depending upon the result… both parts of your bet could win, both parts could lose or there could be one winner/void and one loser.

So you place a £100 win bet on Celtic (-0.75) at 1.80, what happens if the result is…

Celtic 3 Rangers 1

Both parts of the bet win as Celtic cover both handicap lines (-0.5) and (-1).

You collect £90 for the (-0.5) and £90 for the (-1), a total of £180.  Both parts calculated as £50 x 1.8 = £90 (£40 winnings + £50 stake).

Celtic 1 Rangers 2

Here both bets lose with this result as Celtic fail to cover either handicap line.

You lose your entire £100 stake, £50 for each part of the bet.

The same applies if the game ends in a draw.  Both parts of the bet lose.

Celtic 1 Rangers 0

This result sees one part of the bet win and the other half of the bet draw i.e. stakes returned.

Celtic (-0.5) wins as they cover the handicap line… but the (-1) results in a draw, meaning your stake is returned.

You collect £90 for the (-0.5).  This is calculated as £50 x 1.8 (£40 winnings + £50 stake).  And you also receive your £50 back on (-1) as that bet is tied, and so void for betting purposes.

And overall return of £140 (£40 winnings + £50 stake + £50 void bet/stake).

Full-Goal Handicap (1)

You will see this written, for example, in the Munich Derby, as…

Bayern Munich (-1) 1.70 v 1860 Munchen (+1) 2.22

This handicap line, as we’ve seen before, is based upon a round number of goals… therefore, there can be a draw after the handicap line is applied to the 90 minute result.

As such, any one of the three outcomes is possible with this type of Asian Handicap bet… your bet could win, lose or be a draw (void).

So you place £100 on Bayern Munich (-1) at 1.70, what happens if the result is…

Bayern Munich 4 1840 Munchen 0

Bayern cover the handicap line (-1) and so the bet wins.

You collect £170.  Calculated as £100 x 1.70 = £170 (£70 winnings + £100 stake)

Bayern Munich 2 1860 Munchen 1

This is settled as a draw, and in effect a void bet, because the match result is all-square after the Asian Handicap line is applied (Bayern are giving up a goal start so the adjusted result after 90-minutes is Bayern Munich 1 1860 Munchen 1).

In such cases, as we have seen before, your £100 stake is returned in full.

Bayern Munich 1 1860 Munchen 1

You lose the bet and your initial £100 stake, in full, as Bayern fail to cover the handicap line.

And this same principle applies if the handicap line is a full-goal line at (2) or (3) or (4) etc.

So why back on the Asian Handicap?

1. The bet can effectively remove ‘the draw’ from the equation.

2. The application of a handicap turns previously unattractive short priced favourites into backable opportunities.

Whilst many shy away from lumping on a side at long odds-on, the chance to back them at an acceptable price is of more interest.

3. The split stake element, whilst to some a cause for initial confusion, isn’t difficult to grasp and offers the chance to retain a portion of your stake even if your bet doesn’t win …

Because, unlike a conventional odds bet, when you don’t win on the Asian Handicap it doesn’t necessarily mean that you lose all your stake.

4. You need not back the team who wins the match for your bet to collect. The handicap start can often prove enough to see your Betfair balance heading in the right direction.

5. It maintains betting capital and keeps your strike rate high. For the more conservative player a definite bonus and also of appeal to those who like to play to much bigger stakes.

Still having problems understanding Asian Handicaps… not a problem.  Just get in touch…