Have you played a video game against a friend or family member with superior skill? They may use a weaker team to balance the game or give you some goal advantage. This generous goal advantage award to bridge the gap between two competing teams is known as a handicap in sports betting.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
What is the meaning of handicap in betting?
How does Asian handicap work?
What are the various types of handicaps in sports betting?
Keep reading.
What Is Handicap In Betting?
An Asian handicap is a form of betting where the bookmaker awards goals or points to one team (underdog) and withdraws goals from the other (favorite) to reduce the disparity between the two sides.
Handicap betting is widespread in individual and team sports where one team has far superior skills and talents than the other, such as:
- Football
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Horse racing
- Tennis
- Boxing
Of course, Asian handicap betting is a win-win for players and operators. It encourages punters to take a chance on the underdogs and boosts operators’ returns. As for punters, handicaps give them more betting options to explore beyond moneyline bets, therefore increasing their earning potential.
How Does Handicap Betting Work?
In handicap betting, the bookmaker awards some goals (+ve point) to the underdog to give them a head start. Bettors get to win or draw as long as the underdog wins or maintains the goal margin.
Alternatively, the sportsbook may withdraw some goals or points (-ve point) from the favorite, putting them behind. An example is basketball betting to drive the point home.
Imagine the Nigerian women’s basketball team D’Tigress locking horns with the USA women’s team. Team USA is the clear favorite owing to its dominant track record and success rate.
The bookmarker might give D’Tigress a +6 points advantage to even the playing field or assign Team USA a -6 points deficit.
What do a +6 and -6 mean in basketball betting? Well, it means the underdog has a 6-point advantage while 6 points set back the favorite. It also means that you will draw your bet if the underdog doesn’t lose by more than a 6-point margin at the end of the game. Conversely, the favorite must lead by at least seven goals to win your bet.
Now that you know what is handicap betting in basketball, let’s talk about the various types of handicap betting.
What Is Handicap in Betting Soccer?
Handicaps in soccer betting involve staking on matches where one team has a goal, advantage, or disadvantage.
On notable sportsbooks like Melbet BD, soccer betting often draws the highest number of handicap bets due to the disparity between teams’ squad depth, especially at the group stages of global tournaments.
Examples of Handicaps in Soccer Betting
Soccer betting handicap starts from 0.00 and increases or decreases by a quarter or half margin. Examples include +0.00, +0.25, -1, -1.75, etc. Here is what each of them means
0.00 Asian Handicap
This is also known as Draw No Bet (DNB). And it means none of the team is given a head start. So, if you bet on a team with a 0.00 Asian handicap, you win your bet if the team wins, get a refund if they draw, and lose when they lose.
0.5 Asian Handicap
Here, the bookmarker assigns a half-goal headstart to the underdog. As such, if you place a +0.5 Asian handicap bet, you win your bet if the underdog wins or draws the match. You only lose when the underdog loses.
-0.5 Asian Handicap
In this case, the favorite has a half-goal deficit. This is quite challenging because they must lead by at least 1 goal. If you place a -0.5 handicap bet, you win your bet when the favorite wins. Otherwise, you lose when they draw or lose the match.
+0.25 Asian Handicap
A quarter handicap bet means your stake is split between the two figures. In this case, half of your stake is bet on +0.00 and the rest on +0.5. Now, if you place a +0.25 Asian handicap bet, you win your bet when the underdog wins. If they draw, you win half of your bet (the part split on +0.5) and get a refund on the other half (0.0 handicap). You lose all your bets if the underdog loses.
-0.25 Asian Handicap
Here, the favorite is behind by a quarter goal, and your bet is split between 0.00 and -0.5. What does -0.25 mean for you as a bettor:
- If your favorite wins, you win all your bet
- If they draw, you lose the -0.5 part of your bet and get back the other half (0.00)
- If they lose, you lose all your bets.
+1 Handicap
In this case, the underdog has a 1-goal headstart. Here is what +1 Handicap means for you as a bettor:
- If the underdog wins or draws, you win your bet.
- If they lose by 1 goal, it’s a tie between you and the bookmarker, so your bet is refunded.
- If they trail by two goals or more, You lose all your bet.
Conclusion
Now that you know what is mean by handicap in betting and its rewards, the next step is to find a reputable sportsbook to place your bet. Look no further than Melbet Bangladeshi.
On this site, you can place handicap bets across many sports like football, soccer, boxing, cricket, etc. Go ahead and register to start enjoying great odds and bonuses on your wagers.
