Asian Handicap Explained
Asian handicap betting is a descendant of 'hang cheng' betting that has been popular in Asia for decades. It is a form of betting that is most commonly used in soccer and is designed to make matches
more balanced as far as odds and winning potential are concerned.
Asian handicap markets achieve this greater balance by assigning a handicap to the team that is most likely to win based on past form.
The favourite team must therefore overcome the handicap for a bet on them to win. At the same time, a bet on the underdog team is helped by the handicap. It is
not possible to bet on a draw in an Asian handicap market, and any draw after the handicap has been applied will result in the bet being declared void and the stake returned to you.
In most cases, several Asian handicap markets will be offered for any given event. Each market will assign a different handicap to the favourite, and therefore different odds will be offered accordingly.
For example, let's assume that a soccer match will be taking place between Aston Villa and Newcastle in the English Premier League and that Aston Villa are the favourites to win. In this case, you might be able to bet on the match with Aston Villa receiving a handicap of -1, -2, or even -3 goals, and the outcome required for your bet to win will vary accordingly.
Team Bet On |
Asian Handicap |
Match Result |
Bet Result |
Aston Villa |
-1 |
Win by 2+ |
Win |
|
|
Win by 1 |
Void |
|
|
Draw or Lose |
Lose |
Newcastle |
+1 |
Draw or Win |
Win |
|
|
Lose by 1 |
Void |
|
|
Lose by 2+ |
Lose |
Aston Villa |
-2 |
Win by 3+ |
Win |
|
|
Win by 2 |
Void |
|
|
Win by 1 Draw Lose |
Lose |
Newcastle |
+2 |
Win Draw Lose by 1 |
Win |
|
|
Lose by 2 |
Void |
|
|
Lose by 3+ |
Lose |
Aston Villa |
-3 |
Win by 4+ |
Win |
|
|
Win by 3 |
Void |
|
|
Win by 1 or 2 Draw Lose |
Lose |
Newcastle |
+3 |
Win Draw Lose by 1 or 2 |
Win |
|
|
Lose by 3 |
Void |
|
|
Lose by 4+ |
Lose |
Asian Handicap Soccer Betting
We have said that Asian handicap betting is particularly common in soccer, and that's because it eliminates the possibility of betting on a draw. It does this either by
declaring all drawn bets void, as shown in the previous section
or by setting the handicap between whole goals, as follows:
Aston Villa |
-1.5 |
Newcastle |
+1.5 |
Because the handicap figure here ends in .5, it is impossible for a draw situation to occur no matter what the score is. Bet on Aston Villa at -1.5, and they would need to win by 2 goals or more for your bet to succeed. Bet on Newcastle at +1.5, and they would simply need to win or draw the game, or lose by no more than 1 goal, for your bet to win.
Asian handicap betting makes matches more balanced as far as odds and winning potential are concerned.
Alternative Asian Handicap
Some online sportsbooks also offer
'alternative Asian handicap' markets. These allow you to bet on an outcome and have your stake divided equally between two different Asian handicaps.
For example, Aston Villa might be quoted at -0.5, -1 in an alternative Asian handicap market. If you were to bet $20 on Villa, $10 would go on a -0.5 Asian handicap bet, and the other $10 would go on a -1 Asian handicap bet. The big advantage of this kind of bet is that it gives you the chance of a
partial return even if your chosen team doesn't perform quite as well as you expect.
Asian Handicap Rules
Broadly speaking, the Asian handicap rules for betting are much the same no matter what sportsbook you use. That said, you would always do well to check the rules page of the specific site you intend to bet with so that you are aware of any deviations from the norm that may be in force.
Asian Handicap Betting
As we said at the beginning of this article, Asian handicap betting is becoming increasingly popular, and there are several very good reasons for this. The first is that it can simplify sporting events to eliminate the possibility of a draw, which is probably why it is particularly appealing to those who bet on soccer. Of course, Asian handicap markets can be offered on just about any sport, so don't think that it is only relevant to soccer bettors, because that isn't the case.
Another advantage of Asian handicap betting is that it gives you the chance to bet on a hot favourite at more generous odds than you would get in a straightforward moneyline betting market. While betting on a soccer team that is expected to win at odds of -300 might not be very appealing, betting on the same team with a -2 goal handicap at odds of -110 might be much more so.
Similarly, Asian handicap markets can give you a better chance of landing a winning bet on an underdog. If a particular team isn't expected to win, you might not fancy putting any money on them. However, if they are given a 1 or 2 goal advantage in an Asian handicap market, you might feel quite differently.
Finally, you should also bear in mind that you can place several Asian handicap bets at the same time. For example, you could bet on the same hot favourite to win in -0.5, -1.5, and -2.5 Asian handicap markets. A win by 3 goals or more for the favourite would then give you a winning bet in all three markets!