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For those of you who enjoy squeezing more out of your bets, the handicap betting arena offers an intriguing chance to enhance your wager on match outcomes by introducing a layer of complexity and thrill.
The handicap segment remains one of the most popular offerings you can find with bookmakers, and here at Which Bookie, we're major enthusiasts of this betting style. online bookies Below, you’ll uncover everything you need to master handicap betting, from its essence to its mechanics.
Handicap betting allows you to predict the winner of a matchup with a twist—introducing a margin that they must surmount.
Essentially, it grants a team an initial edge against their opponents, with the betting odds recalibrated to reflect this. The typical goal of handicapping is to initially favor an underdog by granting them an advantage, which the favored team must then nullify.
Picture yourself betting on England versus Iran in the 2022 World Cup. Given England's higher global ranking, they’re the clear favorites. Betting on Iran outright may seem unwise as their chances of winning are slim. However, with handicap betting, you can leverage a handicap to make Iran's chances more appealing by providing them with a starting lead of 1, 2, or more goals.
A bookmaker might present you with the option to place a bet on England starting the game at a -2 goal deficit. This means that to win your wager, England needs to overcome this deficit and triumph by at least three goals.
Handicaps can take whole or fractional forms, with several common handicap options readily available from bookmakers, illustrated below.
Entering play with a 0.5 goal lead, Iran
Asian Handicap is a familiar betting term, while European Handicap isn’t mentioned as often.
European Handicap betting gives you the chance to wager on the draw, complete with a handicap advantage. While these bets aren't commonly tagged as 'European Handicaps,' you may spot them labeled as 'Handicap' markets on bookmaker websites.
So what is European Handicap Betting?
Here's a look at a standard or European handicap market for the Leicester versus Southampton match.
Leicester -1 : You need Leicester to win by two goals or more, overcoming their one-goal handicap.
There are three betting options:
Southampton +1 : For this selection to pay off, Southampton must avoid defeat, having started with a one-goal lead.
An option exists to bet on a draw, applying a handicap. Essentially, these bets revolve around forecasting the margin of victory.
In the scenario provided, a bet on a handicap draw would only succeed if Manchester City wins by two exact goals, considering Brighton started with a two-goal advantage.
This betting style is also common in bookmakers and echoes the explanation above, with the major difference being the treatment of draws—handicaps leading to stalemates are reimbursed by the bookmaker, offering solely two choices: a home win or an away win.
Asian handicap betting Let’s examine the Asian Handicap scenario for the matchup between Leicester and Southampton on
Observe that only two possible outcomes exist here, as the draw option is eliminated from the handicap. Bet365 .
Leicester -0.5 : Starting half a goal behind, Leicester must clinch victory by at least one goal for your bet to succeed.
The handicap betting options are:
Southampton +0.5 : With an opening advantage of half a goal, Southampton must either win or draw for your bet to win. Even if the match ties 2-2, they'd essentially come out on top 2-2.5.
Below is a different scenario exhibited by the Asian handicap market between Wolves and West Brom.
Example 2
Again the draw option is omitted so that the betting solely revolves around two feasible results:
Wolves -1 : Starting a goal behind, your bet hinges on Wolves winning by at least two goals. Should Wolves emerge victorious by exactly one goal, it counts as a draw because of their initial one-goal handicap, and the bookmaker will return your stake.
West Brom +1 : West Brom enjoys a goal advantage right from the start. They need to win, or a draw suffices for the bet to pay off. A loss by exactly one goal also qualifies as a draw, triggering a refund of your stake.
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What Sports Accommodate Handicap Betting?
Stateside, these are known as pointspread bets though they fundamentally operate the same. Premier sports for handicap betting encompass:
Besides wagering on specific sporting clashes, you'll often encounter handicap bets for outright victories, like predicting the Premier League champion. These are long-term bets where each team receives a handicap based on their anticipated season points tally.
For instance, a frontrunner like Liverpool may bear a -10 point handicap whereas a less likely victor like Burnley might gain a +35 point advantage.
If backing Liverpool with that -10 point handicap, they must overcome the league by 10 points to secure your win.
Conversely, supporting Burnley with a +35 point advantage demands they close the gap to 34 points or fewer behind the true winner, ensuring a victorious bet.
Rugby League operates similarly to football, where bets hinge on either team prevailing by a specific points margin.
Handicap betting on Rugby Union Say you choose South Africa -10 against England; they must trump England by more than that figure to ensure your wager succeeds.
In contrast, an England +10 wager needs them victorious, drawing, or losing by no more than 9 points for a winning bet.
The NFL garners widespread popularity for handicap betting, where its practices mirror Rugby or Football.
Suppose you ambition Green Bay Packers at a -7.5 handicap against Baltimore Ravens; they must outshine Ravens by eight or more for your stake to yield profit.
Betting on Ravens with a +7.5 buffer requires them to either triumph, draw, or lose by 7 points or fewer for your wager to pay off.
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Plenty of bookmakers offer alternative handicap options—adding -1, -2, -3 or +1, +2, +3 into the mix.
Both standard and Asian handicap markets tend to offer alternative handicaps.
Examining above, numerous selections emerge for alternative handicap markets.
Below is a demonstration of other Asian handicap markets.
Notably, in the alternative Asian Handicaps, there are options encompassing dual values.
Each wager splits the stake over both handicaps.
On the -1.5 side of a wager, Leicester needs a win by two or more. But with the –1.0 part, a sole goal victory performs so for a draw, delivering a stake refund as they began disadvantaged.
Today, most online bookies have embraced handicap betting in various forms thanks to large bookmakers like
Here at Which Bookie, we partner with some of the UK's leading bookies to provide benchmarks in brands offering an array of markets like handicap bets. William Hill and 10Bet offering an extensive range.
Await our highlights for preferred bookmaker companies, curated for your needs…
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