Elsewhere on the site you can read about Handicap betting in general, with this page being specifically about the type of bet that is known as the Asian Handicap. As you might well have ascertained, this is a special type of Handicap bet that began life in Indonesia before making its way over to the west and being used for footballer bettors.
In short, Asian Handicap betting takes a team’s form into account when the odds are created, meaning that an in-form team must win by a larger margin than one that isn’t playing very well. Asian Handicap betting removes the possibility of a draw, meaning that you can only bet on one of the two teams taking part in an event to win.
Asian Handicap Betting Explained
Unlike a lot of sports, football is set up in such a way that a draw is quite common. As a result, a match ending in a draw is something that a bookmaker has to offer as a possibility, meaning that bettors stand a one-in-three chance of their wager being a loser. Asian Handicap betting was created in order to remove the draw from the possible options and therefore offers betting value for bettors.
The removal of the draw means that each other result has a 50:50 chance of happening, which means that the odds are similar to those for a sport like tennis. It allows for a more level betting field, even when the two teams going up against each other aren’t level in terms of ability. The addition of a handicap to the scenario makes either result about as likely.
Despite seeming quite complicated when first explored, the Asian Handicap market is actually quite an easy one to understand. The bookmaker aims to make either team winning when the handicap is taken into account about as likely as the other, meaning that they will often offer payouts that are close to Evens. This is a much more appealing market for the bettor.
The Asian Handicap starts at a quarter of a goal, going up as much as 2.5 to 3 goals depending on how much the two teams differ in terms of quality from each other. The fact that it can employ the use of quarter goals means that the line can be made even closer than in other handicap markets, further enhancing the idea that it’s a ‘fair’ market.
It’s About Evening Out An Imbalance
Because the Asian Handicap market is based on the form of the two teams taking part, it is seen as a way of level the playing field between the sides. Say a Premier League team was drawn to play against a League Two side in the League Cup, the top-tier team would be massively favoured by the bookmakers. Their odds would be small, representing little value in the bet.
Theoretically, the Asian Handicap moves the odds closer to Evens for both teams, which is achieved by ‘adding’ or ‘removing’ goals from a team’s scoreline. You might beat on Liverpool to beat Everton at -1, say, improving the odds from 1/3 to 3/4. In normal handicap betting this bet would either be a winner or a loser, but in the Asian Handicap betting it’s possible for your to get you stake back.
This happens if Liverpool were to win the match by a one goal margin, meaning that your bet is neither a winner nor a loser. Your stake money is returned to you, which is why the Asian Handicap market is often seen as a more appealing form of handicap betting. Equally, a bet on a team with +2 will see you get your money back if they lose by two clear goals.
Different Lines: Half and Quarter Handicaps
The examples given so far have been what are known as ‘Full Lines’, which is where you’re betting on a whole number. Asian Handicap betting also allows you the chance to bet on Half Lines and Quarter Lines, which obviously removes the chance of you getting your money back. It does, on the other hand, allow you to win your bet if your team wins by just a single goal.
Equally, the Half Line bet means that you’ll win your wager if you opt for the + option in the event that the match itself ends in a draw. The best way to think about it is that the selection that you make on the Asian Handicap market is what the team you’re betting on will be presented with before the match gets underway. In other words, a +1.5 bet means your side starts the match a goal and a half to the good.
Whatever you’ve chosen will then be ‘removed’ from the team’s scoreline at the final whistle. The Quarter Line bet makes things slightly more complicated, largely because the scoreline at the full-time whistle and the bet that you’ve placed will determine if you get any of your stake back. A bet on -0.25 goals, for example, will see you get half your stake back if the match finishes as a draw.
A bet on -0.75, meanwhile, will result in your bet being a winner if your selected team wins by two clear goals. If they only win by one goal then you’ll get your stake money back on half of the wager and the other half will be a winner. If your team loses or the final result is a draw. It seems quite complex, but the most important thing is that it gives you betting options.
Final Thoughts
As always with any form of betting, if you don’t really understand how it works then you’d be well-placed to avoid engaging in that sort of wager.
If you’d like to get a bit of an idea of how it works then the best thing to do is to use small stakes, biding your time until you gain a clearer idea of how the bet type works. This is especially the case in the complex world of Asian Handicap wagers.