What is Asian Handicap Betting?

An Asian Handicap is a gambling parlance used to describe betting in football that has been gaining popularity through the years. Betting handicaps in this case range from one quarter goal to several goals and can be described in terms of half or even quarter goals.

As its name implies, Asian Handicaps came into existence from the Far East where this kind of betting started to become established. It became widespread that soon its popularity reached the western world where it was adopted by many bookmakers. In a nutshell, this is a type of betting form where the supposed weaker team or the underdogs are offered a certain number of goals head start. The stronger team - or the "favorites" - has handicapped that number of goals in order to make both the teams even. To win, the favorites must overcome the handicap from their final score. If both playing teams have approximately equal abilities, no handicap is set on either team.

With this system, you are not actually betting on the true game results – you are actually betting based on who wins the handicap. An important factor as to why Asian Handicap betting is popular is because it reduces the possible number of outcomes from three (in traditional 1X2 wagering) to two by eliminating the outcome of a draw. This makes betting limited to a 50/50 chance instead of a 33% chance.

What makes the system most interesting is the use of quarter goals to get the "line" as close as possible. Taken in conjunction with the posted total for the game, the handicap essentially predicts the game's final score.

UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM

Two types of Asian Handicaps exist: the Single and the Double Asian Handicap. At first, the handicap may seem hard to understand, as it is represented in various ways.

Next is the –1 handicap, where in order for you to win, the team you bet on must have scored at least two goals. If it wins by just one goal, your stake will be returned. In case the team you choose to bet on has a +1 lead, you will win your bet and be able to double your money if the team wins by two goals; but if it wins by only one goal, your stake will be returned.

A tip on betting: this system is profitable if you happen to support a weaker team because even if your prediction is incorrect and the team is able to limit its defeat to one goal, you won’t lose. However, if the favorites win by two or more goals, you will lose.

Another example is of a bet where the weaker team has a +1.5 goal head start. If you are backing the favorites, they need to score two goals for you to win. In case you wish to back the underdogs, your bet wins if the team wins or draws and you also win if it loses by only one goal.

The ones above were examples of the single Asian Handicap. Let us now look at some examples of the double handicap. For double handicaps, the bet is usually split into half and commonly expressed in decimal figures. For example the level half Asian Handicap is represented as –0.25 (0,-0.5) and +0.25 (0,+0.5). In the first one, you win if the team you are backing wins by one or more goals. In case there is a draw, you lose half your stake, while the other half is refunded (also called a push). In the second case (0,+0.5), you win if the team you have bet on wins. In case it draws, half your stake is returned while the other half wins at the odds taken.

Here’s a table to understand the system through figures.

There is also another variation. Some online bookmakers that provide live betting on an Asian Handicap have this. When you are betting live, you are betting on the expected score in the remaining match from the time you have placed your bet instead of the total score in the full 90 minute game. This means that the goals scored before the bet was placed are meaningless to the result of your bet. Not all bookmakers have this system in place, so you have to clarify it first to the ones handling it.

The Asian Handicap system may be that popular, but you have to find the specific sites who use it.

IS THERE A STRATEGY FOR BETTING IN THE ASIAN HANDICAP SYSTEM?

To sum it up, there are advantages and disadvantages. Remember, instead of three possible outcomes, you are betting on two. You could win or lose half of your stake or even get your stake refunded or in some cases even lose all of it. As an advice for a beginner, the system takes time in getting used to, but like any craft you will learn how to play it with success. It is certainly not a bet for the novice who is still trying to understand how betting works, but for the experienced, the handicap could turn out to be very rewarding.

To illuminate our discussion on the system, here are some living examples:

Asian Handicap 0:0 (Level ball – Draw no bet – DNB)

Here the game starts 0-0. No advance is given to any team. Draw option is eliminated.

Example: Spain vs Germany Asian Handicap Betting – 0:0

Home Odds – 1.90 - Away Odds – 1.95

• You bet $100 on Spain to win 0:0 AH at 1.90 odds. To win your coupon, you need Spain to win the game, simply to win. If Spain wins, you win 100$ X 1.90 = 190$. Your profit is $190 – 100 = $90. If a possible draw occurs, you get your stake (100$) back. No wager, no bet. If Spain loses the game, you lose your bet too.
• It is the same with Germany 0:0 AH. You need Liverpool to win the game, and if a draw occurs, you get your money back. No Wager, no bet. If Germany loses, you lose your bet too.

You may see some bookies offer something like DNB, Draw no bet, or Level ball. It is the same with 0:0 AH.