Many people think Asian Handicap betting is one of the most confusing branches of the betting world. While it is an advanced system, with a bit of practice it’s definitely possible to wrap your head around the method – and then you have a whole new outlook on football betting.
Our aim is to have Asian handicap explained to you in clear and simple terms so you can become a pro-punter in this niche area of betting. The guide covers what an Asian handicap bet is, tipster advice for Asian handicap, how to place a bet, and the benefits of Asian handicap betting markets.
Because Asian Handicap is an intricate bet, you should fully understand the basic levels of betting before you read the guide. If you are a frequent better it might be easy reading, but if you need to brush up in your knowledge, you can find football betting guides and many other blogs.
What is Asian Handicap Betting?
Asian Handicaps started to try and level out the playing field of two football teams that were unevenly matched. Essentially, each team has a roughly equal chance of winning a bet with an Asian Handicap.
For example, if Chelsea draws Bradford City in the FA cup, the betting odds will be significantly in favour of a Chelsea F.C win and so the odds would be very minimal.
An Asian Handicap is intended to balance the goal lead and therefore roughly balancing the betting odds of both teams to Evens. The probability of either team winning the bet will be closer to 50%. Put simply, an Asian Handicap is adding or subtracting goals from the final score.
One of the most attractive benefits of this betting type is that you have the chance to win back your stake if a team falls below or doesn’t exceed your handicap prediction.
Football betting odds are calculated by bookies based on a number of factors:
Historical performance of the team
Available players – are any players out with injuries or suspensions?
Form of the team
An advantage for playing at a home ground
Financial situation
If the two teams have very different situations, the odds will be greatly skewed in favour of one team and the temptation to place a bet would be low as the favourite-to-win would produce minimal returns.
By adding or subtracting goals to each team, the playing field is far more balanced and better odds are available.
Each team has a roughly equal chance of winning a bet with an Asian Handicap.
How Does Asian Handicap Work?
In certain football leagues, the FA Cup, for example, it’s quite common for two unevenly matched teams to come head-to-head. In these cases, the odds for the favourites to win are tiny and a bet just isn’t worth it.
The Asian Handicap is aimed to balance these odds by adding and subtracting goals from the favourites or the underdog team. There are a few types of Asian Handicap bet available, Full Ball, Half Ball and Quarter Ball.
Full Ball
A full ball Asian Handicap could be adding a -1 or +1 goal start to a team. If you play a full ball Asian Handicap, there are three potential outcomes for your bet:
Win the bet
Lose the bet
The stake is refunded
If you place a bet on the team with a -1 handicap selection, the team you have backed would need to win the match by at least two clear goals. If your team only wins by one goal, your stake is returned.
If you bet on the team with a +1 handicap, you win your bet whether they win or draw the match. If the team loses one goal, your stake will be refunded.
Half Ball
If you place a 0.5 handicap – also known as a half ball – there are only two potential outcomes for your bet:
Win the bet
Lose the bet
If you bet on a team with a -0.5 handicap selection, they must win the game by at least one goal for you to win the bet. Any other match result is a win for the underdog with a +0.5 selection and you will then lose your bet.
Quarter Ball
Quarter ball handicaps aren’t as straightforward as full or half ball bets, and it’s best to think of it as placing two individual bets. For example, half of your stake will be placed on a 0.5 handicap, and the other half will be placed on a 1 ball handicap.
For quarter goal handicaps – +0.75 or -0.75 goals – (or double) there are four possible outcomes for the bet.
Full Win – both of your bets win
Full Loss – both of your bets lose
Half a half win – one of your bet wins, the other bet push (stake returned)
Half a loss – one bet push (stake returned, and the other bet loses
Cambridge United beat Newcastle United at St James’ Park in one of the FA Cup’s great upsets in the 2021/22 season.
Benefits of Betting in This Way
Betting on the Asian handicap market has many benefits that you don’t always find in the more basic methods of football betting.
Asian Handicaps are more popular with professional bettors, so you will usually find better odds and offers for these bets
You have a higher chance of sustained profit because the betting margins are lower
You can still win the bet even if your backed team loses the match. This reduces the chance of losing your bet compared to a standard 1X2 bet
You can trade Asian Handicaps in-play as you would in other football markets. You can place pre-game bets with the opportunity to trade-out, or you can secure your profit during the match by using the Asian handicap market
By using this site you confirm you are 18+ and consent to our use of cookies. and processing of personal data as set out in our privacy policy.
Got it!
