Asian Handicap: What It Is & How It Works

Using an Asian handicap is like playing poker. You can up the ante for the stronger team, or hedge your bets with the weaker one. But with so many variables, it’s easy to get confused and make mistakes.

What Is It?

Asian handicap is a type of bet that gives one team a virtual deficit or surplus at the start of an event. It removes the possibility of a tie, so you only have to pick a winner or a loser. 

The bettor’s goal: To pick who’s going to win the match, but with the added handicap taken into consideration.

There are 3 main types of Asian handicap:

• Whole goal (-1, +2)
• Half goal (-0.5, +1.5)
• Quarter goal (-0.25, +0.75)

Each type has different outcomes, depending on the score of the match. Let’s go over them one by one.

Whole Goal Handicap: 1; 2, 3……

Whole goal handicap is a type of bet where you add or subtract a whole number of goals (−1, +1, etc.) from the final score. These are similar to European handicaps, except that there is no draw option to wager on.

Here are the possible outcomes for both handicaps:

• Bet on a team with a +1 handicap, and you win when they win or draw. They lose by 1 goal, and you break even. They lose by 2+ goals, and you’re out.
• Bet on a team with a -1 handicap, and you win when they score 2+ more goals. They score 1 more goal = you get cash back. They draw or lose? You lose too.

Let’s say you want to bet on Chelsea to win with +1 handicap, even though they’re the underdog. Here’s how it may look:

Half Goal Handicap: 0,5; 1,5; 2,5……

This one wins if your team beats the handicap. You lose if your team doesn’t. No draw, no refund. It looks something like this: (-1.5, +0.5, and so on). You can either score or get scored.

Let’s say you bet on Real Sociedad to win with (+0.5). Here’s how it works:

If Real Sociedad wins/draws, you win the bet. If they lose, you lose. Simple as that.

Quarter-Goal Handicap: 0,25; 0,75; 1,25…….

HANDICAP 2.25

Quarter-goal handicap (aka split handicap) splits your bet between 2 handicaps (like +0.5, +1) and 50% of your money goes on each. The final result may look like this: -0.25, +0.75. You can end up with 4 results: win, lose, half-win, or half-lose.

For example, if you bet on Inter Milan to win with (“0, -0.5”), you get a -0.25 handicap, and split it like this:

• 50% goes to (0)
• 50% goes to (-0.5) 

Pros and Cons of Handicap Betting

Want to know the deal with handicaps in sports betting? Here’s the lowdown.

Useful articles:

• Handicap 1/-1
• Handicap 2/-2
• Handicap 3/-3
• Handicap 4/-4