Meaning Of Handicap In Soccer Betting Rating: 4,7/5 2866 reviews

Find out the meaning of soccer handicap betting, how it works and the different types of soccer handicap betting markets available at Pinnacle. Continue reading to become a handicap betting expert.

  • Handicap betting is a market offered by most bookmakers and is available on various sports. The whole reason for handicap betting is to give an advantage in points or goals to the weaker team, in any given match. It would be a bit boring if you were to bet on say Man City vs your local pub team, as there's going to be one winner clearly.
  • Football Betting Symbols and their meaning, sports betting glossary. You can also chose to call it Betting symbols and it meaning. Lots of online betting website have different betting options and their meaning but if you don't know what most of the betting symbols means, then you may end up blowing your betting account due to you staking bet on the wrong bet types.
  • In this bet a handicap is given to the team that is considered better than their opposition. It means that instead of just winning the match, they have to win by greater than the handicap in order to win in this market. By the stronger team having to score more goals, the weaker team in reverse is given an advantage to win in the match.

In soccer as is an all competitive sports there is normally a difference in perceived quality of the opposing teams; the size of that difference varies depending on a complex range of influences ranging from historical dominance and financial backing to situational factors such as home field advantage or player injuries/availability. Soccer betting interprets these factors and represent them as chances of success for each side in the form of odds.

Handicap betting explained

A common misconception with Asian handicap betting is at first glance at +0 or -0 Asian handicap betting lines. Often, someone new to Asian handicap betting may think that, because there is not a goal advantage or disadvantage to either side that this +0 line would be the same as.

Where the perceived difference in abilities is significant the betting odds on the favourite will be so small that it provides minimal returns and therefore little incentive for bettors.

Handicap

A numerical figure set by the bookmaker to counter the perceived bias in abilities of opponents - this provides more balanced odds.

What is the meaning of handicap in betting

To counter the perceived bias in abilities, and to provide more balanced and appealing odds, bookmakers offer what is known as handicap betting. In the context of soccer, the Handicap odds level the playing-field by accounting for difference in perceived strength of the participants by literally applying a goal handicap - positive and negative - to each side. This gives bettors the opportunity to find more value than when backing a heavy Favourite in traditional 1X2 bet - the most common way to bet on soccer.

The handicap is applied to the actual outcome of the game in order to grade (result) the bet. There are three types of Handicap bets you need to be aware of before betting:

Level Handicap

A level Handicap is where there is no perceived difference in abilities between Team X and Team Y, so no Handicap bias is assigned and both teams start with 0 goals.

To win a bet, the bettor must identify the team which they think will score more goals than their opponent. This type of handicap isn't relevant for one-sided encounters but is useful in that it eliminates the draw; if the game ends in a tie all bets are refunded because on a zero handicap neither team has any advantage.

Single Handicap

A single Handicap occurs when there is a perceived difference in abilities between Team X and Team Y.

The alleged superior team will be given an appropriate goal handicap to level the playing field for betting purposes i.e. -0.5 goal, -1 goal, -1.5 goals etc.

For example, if you bet on Team X with a handicap of -1 goal, they must win by more than one goal to cover their handicap and win you your bet.

If they only win by one goal, the result with the handicap applied is a draw for betting purposes, so your bet is refunded. If Team Y draw or win, you will lose your bet on Team X.

Split Handicap

A split Handicap occurs when the difference between the two teams’ abilities is small; allowing you to spilt your stake over two handicaps.

A split Handicap occurs when the difference between the two teams’ abilities is small; allowing you to spilt your stake over two handicaps.

For example, Team X might be offered at (0 & -0.5). If you bet on Team X and they lose, you will lose both bets, as they did not cover either handicap.

If the match ends in a draw, half of your stake at (0) will be refunded, and the other half at (-0.5) will lose. If Team X wins however, both handicaps will be covered, so both bets win.

If you’re stuck in the past slavishly following three-way fixed odds betting, the chances are you’re not getting a decent return on your investment, and your betting might benefit from the fresh perspective that soccer handicap betting provides.

What Is Goal Handicap In Betting

Now that you know how handicap betting can be used to increase your profits, don't miss out on our number one most popular article - Staking: One method to improve your betting.

Handicap betting video explainer

Found this article useful? Why not check out our videos that details how Handicap betting works.

Asian Handicap video explainer

Meaning Of Handicap In Soccer Betting

You can also understand how Asian Handicap betting works by watching this helpful video.

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Handicap betting is a type of betting used across a wide range of sports, usually to even out the odds when one side is a clear favourite. One side is given a head start – be it of goals, points or games depending on the sport or event – whilst the other side starts on minus the equivalent number.

What is the difference between a handicap and an Asian handicap?

Both types of handicap operate in a similar fashion but with an Asian handicap there is no option for the draw. For example, in football, if an Asian handicap is given as Man United -1 v Everton +1, in the event that Man United win by a single goal your bet is a “push” and the stake is returned. In contrast, a standard handicap would have the options above as well as a tie based on the one goal handicap, meaning Man United need to win by two to win, if they win by one it is a tie and if Everton draw or win then that selection wins.

To put it simply, an Asian handicap has just two options, whilst a handicap has three.

What do all the different handicap options mean?

There are a huge range of different handicaps offered and some of these can look quite confusing but it is actually quite simple. In a standard handicap there are no complex options and the handicap will always be a whole number. This is easy enough, with a team needing to triumph by more than their handicap for you to win the bet. If they win by the exact handicap then the draw/tie bet wins and any less, or a draw or a win for underdog, and that side wins.

However, Asian handicaps can have a confusing number of different options. One of the easiest is a simple half goal handicap. So, for example, it may be Arsenal -0.5 v Spurs +0.5. This one is a very simple bet, with any win for Arsenal enough for them to overcome the handicap, whilst any draw or Spurs win sees Spurs win.

Asian handicaps given with a single, whole number, for example Man United -2, allow for a “push” or void (with the stake refunded) in the event that the scores are level with the handicap taken into account, in this case Man United winning 2-0. This makes the Asian handicap market -0, the same as a standard “draw no bet” market.

Things may seem to get more complex when the handicap is quoted either as two numbers, or as a quarter or three quarters of a goal. For example you may see Chelsea +1, +1.5, which is the same as Chelsea +1.25. Similarly you may see Chelsea +0.75, which can also be written (it varies from bookmaker to bookmaker) as Chelsea +0.5, +1.

What Is The Meaning Of Handicap In Betting

In this instance your bet is split between the two different handicaps, so, for example, £100 on Chelsea +0.75 is effectively having £50 on Chelsea +0.5 and £50 on them with a +1 handicap. If Chelsea lose by a single goal then you lose the half that was +0.5 but get your stake returned on the +1 portion of the bet. If they lose by two goals you lose everything whilst if they draw or win then both sides of the bet win.

Handicaps and Asian handicaps can certainly seem a little confusing at first but once you place a few bets you’ll soon get the hang of them. They are great way to hedge your bets, with the Asian +0.5 meaning you win if the team wins or draws; they are also a way to get a bigger pay-out, for example if you are confident a team will win by two you might back them -1 or -1.5 at considerably longer odds that they would be in the outright market; and they are also a way to back the underdog to do well, even if you don’t think they’ll have enough to win or perhaps even draw, with the +1.5 Asian handicap a great option if you think the less fancied side will keep things to a single goal defeat or better.

In summary handicap betting is a fun and useful betting tool that gives you greater flexibility and more ways to profit, so why not it out today?

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