What is handicap betting in football? Everything you need to know

At first glance, it seems complicated to alter the match's final score in order to manipulate the odds and admittedly it does require some getting used to. 

However, with a little practice, anyone can master handicap betting and make the most of this approach to sports betting.

Naturally, a handicap is more than simply altering the outcome to influence the odds.

Don’t forget, handicaps mean a completely different thing in football than they do in horse racing. But, before we totally confuse you, let's stick with football for now.

 

What is handicap betting?

Let's begin with the fundamentals. 

By adding or subtracting from a team's final score, handicap betting allows you to change the odds of a match or event.

For instance, in a match between England and Brazil, you might want to back the Three Lions with a handicap of -1 goals.

In order for you to win your bet, England must win by a margin of two goals to cover the handicap.

Because the market evens out the odds on uneven games, handicap betting is not only a good way of boosting potential profits but is also rather fun. 

Fixtures that are normally one-sided are immediately made more interesting thanks to the handicap market. Imagine a cup encounter between someone like Man City and Oxford.

By placing a -3.5 goals handicap on City's final score, you can still bet on Manchester City to defeat Oxford in the FA Cup at respectable odds.

However, it’s important to note that handicap betting is most popular with football.

Sports like basketball and rugby, which have higher scores, don't give you the same value jump. This is among the factors that contribute to the popularity of football handicap betting among bettors.

In horse racing handicapping is not directly related to betting, it’s all about the weight carried by the horse to increase the level of competition in uneven races.

 

Example of handicap betting:

If Arsenal are -1 and they win 1-0, the bet is a loss because after applying the -1 handicap, Arsenal’s result is 0-0.

If Arsenal win 2-0, they win the bet after the -1 handicap (which gives a final score of 1-0).

 

What is Asian handicap betting?

This is a type of football betting market that, like all handicap bets, aims to level the playing field.

However, it is important to note that it takes out the possibility of draws, reducing the match to just two possible outcomes: win or lose. 

This is done by providing the number of goals a team begins with as 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and so on.

Imagine if Man City were playing Ipswich Town. Anyone who bet on Manchester City -3.5 Asian Handicap would win if Pep Guardiola's team won by a score of 5-1. This is because City would be at -3.5 and the Tractor Boys would be at +3.5.

 

Example of Asian handicap betting:

If Arsenal are playing Leeds United, and Arsenal has a handicap of -1, it means they must win by more than 1 goal for the bet to win.

If Leeds has a handicap of +1, it means that 1 goal is added to Leed’s final score for the purposes of the bet. If Leeds lose by 1 goal, the bet is refunded.

 

Key terms used in handicap betting

 

Handicap

The number of goals that a team is given as a head start or disadvantage.

Minus handicap (-)

The stronger team is given a goal deficit to overcome.

Plus Handicap (+)

The weaker team is given a goal advantage.

Refund/push

A situation where the result after applying the handicap is a draw, leading to a refund of the bet.Push is a phrase used mainly in US betting

 

Half-goal handicap (+0.5, -0.5)

A half-goal handicap ensures there is no possibility of a draw. The weaker team receives a +0.5 advantage, and the stronger team gets -0.5.

 

Quarter-goal handicap (+0.25, -0.25)

A more complex form of handicap where the bet is split between two handicaps. Eg: If you bet on Arsenal with a -0.25 handicap, half your bet is on -0.5 and the other half on -0 (no handicap). If Arsenal wins by 1 goal, half the bet wins (the -0.5 part), and the other half is refunded (the -0 part).

Full-time handicap

Refers to handicap betting where the result is determined by the full-time score (90 minutes of play)

 

Half-time handicap

A variation of handicap betting where the handicap is applied to the score at half-time.

 

Level handicap:

A Level Handicap is when no handicap is applied, and both teams are considered equal. This is commonly used in Asian Handicap betting as the "Draw No Bet" market.

 

Handicap betting vs spread betting

Many believe that handicap and spread betting are essentially the same thing, but that is not strictly the case.

Handicap betting involves betting on a result after applying a set handicap, such as a fixed number of goals.

While spread betting involves betting on how much the outcome will exceed or fall short of a given range. Predicting the magnitude of the result (eg: total goals, total corners, cards etc.), rather than just who wins.

 

What are the best handicap betting strategies?

Since no strategy is ever completely foolproof, betting strategies can present some challenges.

Nonetheless, there are a few easy rules you can follow when placing bets on football handicaps.

 

Handicap accas

In handicap betting, your chances of selecting the winner increase with the number of possible outcomes.

 

Shop around for odds

You can find good value by looking for instances where you believe the bookmaker has been either too generous or too harsh with their handicaps.

 

Asian handicap advantage

Asian handicap betting can be a more flexible option than standard handicap betting because it sometimes offers the opportunity to get half your stake back if your bet isn't an outright winner.

 

Make it easy

Simplify your handicap bet so that you can see exactly what you need to do to win.

Backing Arsenal to win with a -2 handicap, for instance, shows that the Gunners must win by three goals or more to win the bet.

A great way to get value when supporting a major favorite is by placing a handicap bet. For instance, in the standard full-time result market, Manchester City would be the overwhelming favorites to win if they were playing Salford in an FA Cup match.

If Manchester City wins by enough goals to overcome the handicap, you can use a handicap bet to back them and get almost even money and still get paid. 

You can find value in this market by deciding whether a team has been handicapped too generously or too harshly.