Asian Handicaps Explained

The most common way to bet on football in the UK is with 3 way betting (sometimes called 1X2). The three options are home win, draw and away win. Working out whether you win a bet is straight forward. If you bet on a home win and the home side wins, you win, else you loose. The same goes for the draw and the away win.

The aim of Asian Handicap betting is to reduce the outcome of the bet from 3 outcomes to 2. This is achieved by giving one side a head start. At first the figures may seem a bit daunting but once you understand a few common handicaps the rest is easy.

The easiest handicap is to picture is the +0.5 handicap. This is given when one team is a clear favourite. So if a home win is expected, the away side may be given a half goal head start. If you bet on the away side the outcome of your bet is as follows:

Home win - Lose bet
Draw - Win bet
Away win - Win bet

Another easy handicap to grasp is the +0 handicap. This is where no side is the favourite so neither side is given a goal head start. If you bet on the away side, the bet outcomes are as follows:

Home win - Lose bet
Draw - Draw bet*
Away win - Win bet

*A draw bet is where your stakes are refunded.

The final straightforward handicap is the +1 handicap. This is where one team is a very strong favourite. A half goal handicap is not enough so the weaker side is given a full goal head start. So if an away side was given a +1 handicap, and you bet on the away team the outcomes are as follows:

Home win by 2 or more goals - Lose bet
Home win by one goal - Draw bet.
Draw - Win bet
Away win - Win bet

If you bet on the home team (which would have a -1 handicap) the outcome is as follows:

Home win by 2 or more goals - Win bet
Home win by one goal - Draw bet.
Draw - lose bet
Away win - lose bet

These handicaps can be added together to form other handicaps. So if there was an banker type favourite the handicap may be +1.5. Here the favourite has to win by 2 clear goals or the team loses the handicap bet.

Do not confuse these with the 1X2 (or European) Handicaps. A -1 handicap 1X2 is equivalent to an Asian Handicap of -1.5. A +1 1X2 handicap is equivalent to a +0.5 Asian Handicap.

The handicaps that people struggle with the most are the 0.25 and the 0.75 handicaps. How is a quarter ball handicap different to a half goal handicap? Surely if you bet on a team with a plus quarter ball handicap and the match ends in a draw, you should win your bet the same as with a half ball handicap. That's actually not too far from what happens.

When you put these handicaps with quarters in them, you are actually placing 2 separate bets. So a quarter ball handicap is made up of a 0 handicap bet and a +0.5 handicap bet. Your stake is simply divided in half and put on each bet separately.

So if you placed a bet on a team with a plus a quarter handicap and the match ended in a draw, you would win half. Your +0 handicap bet would have drawn and you would get your stake back, whereas your +0.5 bet would have won so you win. Overall you win but you don't win as much as if the handicap was +0.5. If you bet on a team with a -0.25 handicap and the match was a draw, you would lose half your stake.

The 0.75 handicap is simply made up of the +0.5 handicap and the +1 handicap. So if you bet on a team with a -0.75 handicap and they won by exactly one goal, you would only win half. A 1.25 handicap is made up of a +1 and a +1.5 handicap.

Why bother with these Asian Handicaps if we already have 3 way betting? The answer lies in the bookie margin. With three outcomes the bookie can put a higher margin into the pricing. Even shopping around for the best 3 way odds the book value is still around 106% for a typical match. With Asian Handicaps and the two outcomes the bookie margin is much less. By doing a little shopping around its possible to reduce the bookie margin to zero on most football matches.

Recommended bookies for Asian Handicaps are Bet365, Premierbet, Sportingbet, Ladbrokes, Gamebookers and Victor Chandler. Betfair do Asian Handicaps but after commission the odds are generally worse there.

Ben writes football (soccer) betting tips for http://www.klsbetting.com visit for more articles and betting picks.

---

How To Play Craps

Craps is generally seen as a fun and exhilarating game... Read More

Playing Online Poker For A Living

Playing online poker for a living is absolutely doable, but... Read More

Compulsive Gamblers Struggle To Stop Gambling Even Though They Know They Have A Problem Gambling

Every compulsive gambler has uttered the words "Please help me... Read More

Gambling Equipment 101

The excitement and popularity of the gambling games entices few... Read More

Becoming a Consistent Winner at Online Low-Limit Texas Hold ?Em

Start with Small Stakes and Play Tight, Tight, and More... Read More

Online Gambling

Online gambling is hot. In fact there are websites popping... Read More

Martingale Betting System - Are You SURE?

Very common and popular system among newbies who like roulette,... Read More

Craps Online Betting

This short article aims to quickly cover some of the... Read More

Online Poker Table Selection - How to find the most profitable table to play on

Knowing where and at what times the loosest poker games... Read More

Discover YOUR Online Poker Room

As all the poker sites on the internet call themselves... Read More

Online Casino Sign-Up Bonus and Match Bonuses - Easy Way to Lose Your Money

Online casinos have many ways to "trick you" into gambling.... Read More

Greyhound Racing Basics

In Egypt the greyhounds were mummified and buried with their... Read More

Slot Machines - The Basics

Slot machines are by far the easiest - and one... Read More

Gambling On the Internet is Fun That Will Pay Off

Gambling is something that millions of people enjoy for entertainment.... Read More

Learn How To Manage Your Roulette Bets For Greater Profits!

Many players seek to increase their chances of winning at... Read More

Oh the Thrill and Despair of Gambling

I do not know of many people who LIKE to... Read More

Holdem Starting Hands

Top starting hands should be raised and played aggressively. AA,... Read More

Slot Machine Basics 101

Let's begin with a little bit of basic knowledge about... Read More

Women Gambling 101

There is a fundamental difference in the outlook of men... Read More

Four Tips for Online Poker ? Tells, Mixing it Up, Preflop Rasies and Changing Gears

Tip One: Mix Up Your Play: Once you have mastered... Read More

Becoming a Consistent Winner at Online Low-Limit Texas Hold Em

Start with LIMIT Texas Hold 'EmBoth limit and no-limit Texas... Read More

Want to Know the Roulette Bet With the Best Odds?

Play on European Tables OnlyRoulette wheels can divided into 37... Read More

The Secrets of the Hard Ways

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secrets of hard... Read More

Would You Bet on Your Brand? - Three Strategies for Winning at Brand Poker

It seems you can't turn on the TV without seeing... Read More

Online Casino Bonuses Explained

Types Of Online Casino BonusesIf you've ever considered playing at... Read More

What You Need to Know About - Native Americans and Gambling

The term 'Gambling' is synonymous to 'Gaming'. Gaming or Gambling... Read More

The Silver Club Casino

The Book is run by Leroy's Sports Book and is... Read More

Video Poker - The Basics

After Blackjack and Craps, video poker gives you some of... Read More

Take Your Online Poker Game to the Next Level

Playing Poker online can be quite satisfying, and financially rewarding,... Read More

Roulette: The Game of Remarkable Comebacks

In casino gambling, sometimes even the most knowledgable players turn... Read More

Texas Holdem Poker Tournament Strategy - Online Poker Tells

Are You Using These? Are They Being Used Against You?Let's... Read More

A Beginners Strategy Guide to Online Micro Limit Hold Em

It's hard to miss the fact that the last two... Read More

How to Play Two Pairs in Draw

The most perplexing holding in draw poker is two pairs.... Read More