Asian Handicap Football Betting- Explanation,Tips

ASIAN HANDICAP FOOTBALL BETS

An article from Betfair Betting Exchange for Best Ten Gaming Sites by Tareq Quiroz

Asian Handicap markets offer an attractive alternative to simple Match Odds.

At first, they can appear a little complicated but the truth is quite the reverse, they are available on all Premier League games and have a lot going for them.

Asian Handicaps were designed to eliminate the troublesome third option; the draw. There are only ever two options per line, thus making a decision on which way to go a little simpler. A handicap is a way of giving the outsider an artificial head start. The greater the gap in quality between the two teams, the more of a start the outsider is given. When the match ends you take the final score and then apply the handicap to it.

Each match is handicapped to try and produce a line that gives each option a roughly equal chance of winning. Betfair delivers that market but also gives you the added service of a slightly higher and a slightly lower handicap.

For example, if you backed Hull +1.5 goals @ [2.0] away to Chelsea on the opening day of the season and the match ended 1-0 to Chelsea, you’d take the goal Hull lost by, add the 1.5 goal start they were given and Hull would have been 0.5 goals up after you applied the handicap. Your back of Hull +1.5 would therefore have been a winner.

However, Betfair will also give the handicaps either side, which in this case would be the lower line of Everton +0 and also the higher Everton +0.5. To some that will already seem a little confusing but it really isn’t if you give it a few minutes of playing around in the market without placing a bet.

Finding your way around the Asian Handicap

One of the great things about the Betfair Asian Handicap is that if you are not quite sure how a certain handicap line works, then it is very easy to get the answer.

Simply click on the option you wish to back and type a stake into the box. Before you submit, the text below will tell you exactly what your return is for each possibility. Big spenders Man City travel to Blackburn for the first game of the season and the handicap there is Blackburn +0&+0.5. This handicap should make the two options roughly even money.

If you wanted to back Blackburn on that handicap you would see that for a £10 stake at [2.0], if Blackburn wins you would make a profit of £10. If the game was a draw, you would make a profit of £5. And should Blackburn lose then you would lose your stake of £10. Whatever the handicap, the payout explanation is always there in the Place Bets box to help you out before you submit the bet.

One Sided Games

Asian Handicaps provide a betting interest in games where it’s pretty obvious who is going to win. International football throws up greater mismatches than you’d ever get in domestic leagues and  therefore bigger handicaps. Teams like San Marino are often given a start of several goals and your task is to decide if they can hold on with that start. When they played England recently they were given a 4.5 goal start which on that occasion wasn’t enough as England put six past them with no reply.

You’d never get that sort of handicap in a Premier League match because no side is deemed so poor that they would be predicted to lose by four or five goals against another Premier League side. That said, when the likes of Wolves travel to Old Trafford  this season you might find the handicap at around the 2.5 goal mark.

Top Tip

The principle behind an Asian Handicap is to get the two teams handicapped so they are equal. But don’t get so drawn into the concept that you don’t take advantage of Betfair’s offer of the higher and lower handicaps. You don’t always have to bet on the middle line and there are often better value odds to be had on the other lines. Put in an offer at odds you would like as you never know if that extra quarter goal might just be what gives you the profit you are seeking.