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What Is Asian Handicap Betting?

A popular betting type for Soccer, Asian handicap betting is an advanced betting type. When first encountering Asian handicap betting, it can sound rather complex. However, our guide explains what it is and how it works to make things a little less confusing.

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In this guide, we will take you through everything you need to know about betting on tennis, from the different markets available to strategies to use to improve your chances.

Understanding Asian Handicap Betting

Asian handicap is a type of bet that involves a betting site or bookmaker giving each team either a positive or negative number of goals before the match begins, altering the final number of goals for each team. The favourite for the match will be given a negative, displayed with a ‘-‘, and the underdog will be given a positive, displayed with a ‘+’. This means that your selected team may not need to win the match, they just need to score enough goals to win with the handicap. Or they may need to win by a certain number of goals.

Asian handicaps remove the possibility of a draw outcome for a match, leaving just two possible outcomes – a win for team A or a win for team B.

The Difference Between A Handicap And An Asian Handicap

The first difference between these two types of bets is the outcomes. As we’ve stated, Asian handicap removes the chance for a draw. Whereas, a handicap bet can still include this outcome as an option or possibility.

The second, and most important, difference is that with a handicap you will see whole numbers, such as:

Team A +2.00

Team B -2.00

Whereas, Asian handicap can include half and quarter goals, shown as 0.50 and 0.25 or 0.75 respectively, making the match outcome needed for a win slightly different to that of a regular handicap bet. Half and quarter goals can sound confusing given that these are not possible within the match itself. We will explain both of these further on.

How Does Asian Handicap Work?

In Asian handicap betting, the handicap options are known as ‘lines’. Within this you will come across full lines, quarter lines, and half lines, referring to the full, half or quarter goals we have mentioned. Here’s how they work:

Full Lines

Full lines in an Asian handicap are simply those with full numbers, such as +1.00 or -2.00. An example of this could be:

Sheffield United +2.00

Manchester City -2.00

With this Asian handicap line, here’s how the possible outcomes of the match will impact the outcome of your bet:

Your selectionMatch outcomeBet outcome
  Manchester City -2.00  Win by 3+Win
Win by 2Push
Win by 1, draw or loseLose
  Sheffield United +2.00  Win, draw or lose by 1Win
Lose by 2Push
Lose by 3+Lose

As stated previously, the Asian handicap removes the option of a draw outcome, which we can see here with a draw resulting in a ‘push’. A push outcome means that your bet is voided and your full stake is refunded.

Half lines

Half lines in Asian handicap betting refers to half goals. By ensuring one team starts with 0.50 of a goal, it ensures that there will always be a winner, even if the match ends in a draw. So, for example, if you bet on Manchester City to win against Liverpool with a +0.50 Asian handicap line, your bet would win if the match result was a draw. However, if you had bet on a team to win with a -0.50 Asian handicap line, they would need to win the game in order for your bet to win.

Here’s how the outcomes work:

Your selectionMatch outcomeBet outcome
  Manchester City +0.50  WinWin
DrawWin
LoseLose
  Liverpool -0.50  WinWin
DrawLose
LoseLose

Quarter lines

When looking at Asian handicap lines, you will also come across quarter lines displayed on betting sites as a number ending in .25 or .75. This line is effectively a mix between a full line and a half line. With this type of handicap, your bet is split into two, giving the potential of half wins and half losses.

For example, if you place a bet on a team with a +1.25 handicap, half of your money goes on a bet with the handicap of +1 while the other half goes on a bet of +1.5. This means that in an instance of a draw, you would win the bet on +1.5 but lose the part that was bet on +1, resulting in a half win.

Here’s how the outcomes work:

HandicapTeam outcomeBet outcomeHandicapTeam outcomeBet outcome
  -0.25WinWin  +0.25WinWin
DrawHalf loseDrawHalf win
LoseLoseLoseLose
  -0.75Win by 2+Win  +0.75WinWin
Win by 1Half winDrawWin
DrawLoseLose by 1Half lose
LoseLoseLose by 2+Lose
  -1.25Win by 2+Win  +1.25WinWin
Win by 1Half loseDrawWin
DrawLoseLose by 1Half win
LoseLoseLose by 2+Lose
    -1.75Win by 3+Win    +1.75WinWin
Win by 2Half winDrawWin
Win by 1LoseLose by 1Win
DrawLoseLose by 2Half lose
LoseLoseLose by 3+Lose

+0.00 and -0.00

When you see +0.00 or -0.00 in Asian handicap, it means the same as the Draw No Bet market. This line does not give either team a goal advantage or disadvantage. While betting on a team to win with this Asian handicap line does mean taking lower odds, it can provide a bit of a safety net. If the team you bet on to win loses the match or the outcome is a draw, your bet will be settled as a push, meaning your wager gets refunded.

The Benefits Of Asian Handicap Betting

If Asian handicap betting is new to you it might at first seem daunting. But, once you’ve familiarised yourself with how it works, this type of bet comes with many benefits:

  • The Asian handicap removes the possibility of a draw, leaving only two options. This reduces the betting site’s profit margin and gives you, the bettor, a greater value for your money.
  • Bookmakers and betting sites use a range of factors to influence the Asian handicap lines that they set. If you think a handicap is misplaced, you may be able to get an even greater value.
  • Removing the draw outcome lowers the betting margins. This gives you a higher chance of profit over time.
  • With the inclusion of quarter lines, it’s not as black and white as win and lose. You could still get something back in a half win.
  • Depending on the Asian handicap, it can lower the risk of your bet compared to that of a regular handicap market. 
  • By removing the perceived bias of a team’s skills, Asian handicaps make the playing field much more equal. With the additional removal of a draw outcome, you are likely to find better odds with Asian handicap betting.