Handicap betting is a popular form of betting that adds a level of excitement and strategy to sports betting. It is most often used when there are two teams of differing strengths playing each other, thus the term handicap. It offers a way to level the playing field between the two teams enabling punters to bet on the outcome of a match with adjusted odds. In a normal betting situation, you wager on the outcome of a match while in handicap betting, the bookie assigns an advantage or disadvantage to each team or player before the start of the game. This is done by adding or subtracting a certain number of points or goals from the final score.
Handicap Betting Calculator
Fill in the details below to calculate the handicap for your bet.
Potential winnings:
Your potential payout is:
How the Handicap Works?
Let’s illustrate this with a football match as an example. Suppose Manchester City is playing a third division team in the FA Cup. The match odds on the City win is 1.06 which has no value for the punter. In order to make the City win more lucrative to punters the bookie might set a handicap of -1.5 goals for City and +1.5 goals for the other team. In this scenario, if you bet on City, they must win the match by at least two goals for your bet to be successful. On the other hand, if you bet on Team B, they can win the match outright or lose by a maximum of one goal for your bet to win. The odds offered on this handicap bet will be in the region of 1.85 to 2.0.One of the most exciting things about handicap betting is that you will be glued to the match right up until the final whistle as the number of goals is more important than the match result itself.
Types of Handicap betting
Asian Handicap
In traditional football betting, you usually have three outcomes: win, lose, or draw. However, with the Asian handicap, the draw is effectively removed by giving one team a virtual head start or deficit before the game begins. This is done by adding or subtracting goals to the final score. Here are a few more scenarios to help illustrate:
Team A (-1.5) vs. Team B (+1.5):
If you bet on Team A (-1.5), they must win the match by two or more goals for your bet to be successful.
If you bet on Team B (+1.5), they can win the match, draw, or lose by only one goal for your bet to be successful.
Team A (-2.5) vs. Team B (+2.5):
If you bet on Team A (-2.5), they must win the match by three goals or more for your bet to be successful.
If you bet on Team B (+2.5), they can win the match, draw or lose by two goals for your bet to be successful.
Team A (0) vs. Team B (0):
In this scenario, no handicap is applied. If the match ends in a draw, the bet is typically considered void, and you’ll get your stake back.
European handicap
This type of handicap does not include half goal increments like the Asian handicap. Here the handicap is given as -2, +2,-1 and so forth. This means that there are three possible outcomes, win, lose or draw. If Team A has a -2 handicap, it means that the team must win by three goals or more for the bet to be a winner. However there is a possibility of the team winning only by a two goal margin which will result in a draw via the handicap system. The great thing the European handicap is that in the event of a draw or Push as it is known, the stake will be returned to the punter and does not count as a loss.
Handicap 0.2 Meaning
In sports betting, a handicap of 0.2 is a type of Asian Handicap, which is a form of spread betting that is popular in soccer (football) betting.
In this case, the handicap of 0.2 means that one team is given a slight advantage of 0.2 goals before the start of the game. This means that the team must win by at least one goal to cover the spread and for the bet to be considered a winner.
For example, if you bet on a team with a handicap of 0.2 and they win the game 1-0, your bet would be a winner because the team’s advantage of 0.2 goals means that the final score is considered to be 1.2-0 in favor of the team you bet on. However, if the team only wins by a score of 1-0, the bet would be a push (tie) because the team did not cover the spread of 0.2 goals.
Handicap of 0.5 Meaning
In sports betting, a handicap of 0.5 is a type of Asian Handicap, which is a form of spread betting that is popular in soccer (football) betting.
In this case, the handicap of 0.5 means that one team is given a half-goal advantage before the start of the game. This means that the team must win by at least one goal to cover the spread and for the bet to be considered a winner.
For example, if you bet on a team with a handicap of 0.5 and they win the game 1-0, your bet would be a winner because the team’s advantage of 0.5 goals means that the final score is considered to be 1.5-0 in favor of the team you bet on. However, if the team only wins by a score of 1-0, the bet would be considered a push (tie) because the team did not cover the spread of 0.5 goals.
Conversely, if you bet on the opposing team with a handicap of +0.5 and the game ends in a draw or the team wins, your bet would be a winner because the team’s advantage of 0.5 goals means that the final score is considered to be 0.5-0 in favor of the team you bet on.
Advantages of Handicap Betting
Here are some advantages of handicap betting:
- Increased chances of winning: With handicap betting, the odds of winning are more favorable as the handicap gives you an advantage over the bookmaker. This can be especially useful in situations where one team is heavily favored to win.
- Better odds: The handicap can also improve the odds of a bet by providing a higher payout for a smaller stake. This means that if you get it right, you could win more money than a traditional bet.
- Greater flexibility: Handicap betting offers greater flexibility as you can bet on both the underdog and the favorite. This means that regardless of the game outcome, there is always an opportunity to make money.
- A wider range of markets: Handicap betting is available for a variety of sports, including soccer, basketball, rugby, and tennis. This provides bettors with a wide range of markets to choose from.
- Exciting: Handicap betting can make games more exciting as it allows bettors to bet on the underdog and still have a chance of winning. This can make for a more thrilling and engaging experience, especially when watching the game live.
Handicap betting adds extra excitement to what could have been a boring one sided contest by offering alternative ways to wager on matches and increase your potential winnings. Like any type of betting it requires thorough research on the teams before you make a wager. Take a look at the best betting sites for handicap betting in South Africa.
