In regular, standard match betting, punters will bet on Team A winning, drawing or losing. But this is sometimes not very profitable for punters because some teams are much stronger than other teams. For example, in International soccer betting you may see Germany vs San Marino or Italy vs the Faroe Islands or in cup competitions Manchester City vs Charlton. When these stronger and weaker teams are matched to play each other then you will always find that the odds are often so short e.g. 1/10, 1/20, 1/50 that punters get very little profit for a larger stake (or risk) and so they don’t want to gamble on those matches.
American football is perhaps the most famous sport in the world for handicap betting. Throughout both the NFL and College football seasons, millions of bettors across the nation and increasingly the world, bet on American football handicaps. So let's say this week the San Francisco 49ers are playing the New York Giants. One of the most popular forms of handicap betting is handicap league betting, whereby you make a handicap bet on a team's performance across the course of a season. In handicap league betting, you place your bet at the start of a season, based on a selection of odds that feature different handicaps across all teams in the division.
So to get punters to gamble on these matches bookmakers will try to make it more difficult and more interesting and more profitable for the punter by “leveling the match”. To do this, they will offer what is called a “handicap” bet (sometimes called the “Single Handicap” or “European Handicap” or “3-way handicap” in soccer betting or the “Spread” in other sports – especially in American sports).
Handicap football betting involves making the perceived difference in quality between the two teams redundant in terms of a bet. Essentially, it levels out the playing field when there is an overwhelming.
This means, that before the game, the bookmakers give the “weaker” team a winning start to the weaker team and a “disadvantage” or “losing start” to the stronger team. To do this, they will, for example, apply a one goal (+1) or two goal (+2) or a three goal (+3) start or advantage to the weaker team. Or another way to look at it is they give the stronger team a losing start or a minus goal difference – (-1), (-2), (-3).
For example:
Barcelona vs Celtic – most people think that Barcelona will beat Celtic very easily so to make it more “fair” or “even” or to “balance” the result the handicap might give Celtic +3 goals, so before the game has started the result is:
Barcelona 0 – Celtic 3
And may look something like this…
Barcelona (-3) evens
Handicap Draw (-2) 3/1
Celtic (+1) 2/1
How do you win?
Who do you think will win? If you think Barcelona will win the match then Barcelona will have to score 4 or more goals and Celtic must not score for you to win your bet. So:
If the true result is 4-0 to Barcelona – Handicap bet result = 4-3 – Barcelona wins @ evens (1/1)
If the true result is 3-0 to Barcelona – Handicap bet result = 3-3 – The game is a draw @ 3/1
If the true result is 2-0 to Barcelona – Handicap be result = 2-3 – Celtic win @ 2/1
Sometimes the “draw” is not offered by the bookmaker so if the result is 3-0 to Barcelona and the “draw” is not offered then all bets would be refunded.
What about even matched or “close” teams?
When two teams are evenly matched or extremely close and it is more difficult to say who is “stronger” or “weaker” then the bookmakers will reduce the handicap.
For example:
Liverpool vs Manchester United
Liverpool (-1) 3/1
Draw 11/4
Manchester United (+1) 8/11
So if you bet on Liverpool to win then for you to win your bet the true result must be any of…
Liverpool 2-0, 3-0, 3-1, 4-0, 4-1, 4-2, 5-3, etc.
If you bet on the game to be a Draw then for you to win your bet the result must be any of…
Liverpool 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, 5-4, etc.
If you bet on Manchester United then for you to win your bet the result must be any of…
Draw 0-0, 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, or Manchester United win by any margin 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1, etc.
Handicap Betting Results Table
We created a European handicap results table. Use this table when you want to check your bet result.
*Table terms meaning
Won+3 means a team you bet won by over 3 points difference
Won+2 means a team you bet won by 2 points difference
Won+1 means a team you bet won by 1 points difference
Lost-1 means a team you bet lost by 1 points difference
Lost-2 means a team you bet lost by 2 points difference
Lost-3 means a team you bet lost by over 3 points difference
W…100% Won your bet
L…100% Lost your bet
If you bet on 'home or away team win' with handicap
| Handicap (Your bet) | Match Result (A team you bet) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won+3 | Won+2 | Won+1 | Draw | Lost-1 | Lost-2 | Lost-3 | |
| +3 | W | W | W | W | W | W | L |
| +2 | W | W | W | W | W | L | L |
| +1 | W | W | W | W | L | L | L |
| -1 | W | W | L | L | L | L | L |
| -2 | W | L | L | L | L | L | L |
| -3 | L | L | L | L | L | L | L |
For example: If you bet on a -1 handicap odds and a team which you bet won by 2 point differences, then you win and get money(look the cell -1, Won+2). But if your team won by 1 point differences, then you will lose your stake(look the cell -1, Won+1). In short, The -1 handicap needs a winning which over 2 points differences.
If you bet on 'Draw(Tie)' with handicap
This table shows you results when you bet on a draw handicap odds.
| Handicap (Your bet) | Match Result(For teamX) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won+3 | Won+2 | Won+1 | Draw | Lost-1 | Lost-2 | Lost-3 | |
| Tie TeamX +3 | L | L | L | L | L | L | W |
| Tie TeamX +2 | L | L | L | L | L | W | L |
| Tie TeamX +1 | L | L | L | L | W | L | L |
| Tie TeamX -1 | L | L | W | L | L | L | L |
| Tie TeamX -2 | L | W | L | L | L | L | L |
| Tie TeamX -3 | W | L | L | L | L | L | L |
Draw handicap is simple and easy to understand. You can see information that which team has a plus or minus handicap on the odds. For example:
Liverpool -1
Draw (Liverpool-1 and Arsenal +1)
Arsenal +1
If you bet on the draw handicap, your bet will win when only Arsenal loses the match by 1 point differences.(0-1, 1-2, 3-4…)
Look at another example:
Asian Handicap Football Betting Explained
Barcelona -2
Draw (Juventus +2)
Juventus +2
If you bet on the draw (Juventus +2), and this match finished Barcelona win with 2 points differences, then you can get money.
Final word
It's a little hard to understand the rules of European handicap betting correctly without any guide for beginners. But it's not only one of the most popular bets for football but also the odds are much better for the punter and more exciting for the neutral betting spectator. So try to bet on it, and if you confuse the result, then come back here and check the result table.
By the way, if you are interested in handicap betting more, we recommend you to know another handicap system. There are two types of handicap bets in online sports betting. One of them is EH that mentioned above, and another one is called the Asian handicap. The Asian handicap has the advantage of both removing the 'draw' result and allowing you two 'split' bets. See the Asian handicap guide below for more detailed information.
- Handicap betting is an option offered by many bookmakers
- It can make betting more interesting since it gives teams a head start
- It may appear confusing at first
- Our comprehensive guide takes you step-by-step to explain how it works
Handicap betting provides one team with a goal disadvantage (-0.5, -1, or 1.5 for example) for betting purposes. This can make games with a superior team more equal and interesting to bet on. A team must score more one more goal than their handicap to win a bet.
Handicap Betting Explained
What is Handicap Betting?
Handicapped betting is an alternative way to bet on certain events. For instance, if a professional 100m sprinter lined up against the average bloke off the street, you would expect the professional sprinter to win every time. This would be boring to bet on, and you would never get interesting odds. How about if you gave the average bloke a 50m head start? That would make the race outcome harder to predict. Suddenly, it would be more interesting to bet on.
This is exactly how handicap betting works. You are effectively giving one outcome an advantage, and the other outcome a disadvantage to make something you’re betting on more even.
How Does a Single Handicap Work?
Let’s take the example of football as it is the most popular sport in the UK. The number in brackets after the team name denotes the advantage or disadvantage applied to the handicap. Let’s go through some examples:
0.5 handicape.g. Arsenal (-0.5) v Newcastle (0.5)
- Newcastle is effectively starting the game with half a goal advantage.
- If you’re backing Arsenal, and they win the match, you win your bet.
- However, if you’re backing Arsenal and the match ends in a draw, you lose your bet.
- If you’re backing Newcastle, you win the bet if they win or draw the match.
Handicap Soccer Betting
1 handicape.g. Arsenal (-1.0) v Newcastle (1.0)
- Newcastle is effectively starting the game with a one-goal advantage.
- If you’re backing Arsenal they must win by at two goals for you to win your bet.
- However, if you’re backing Arsenal and they only win by one goal, the result is effectively a draw and your stake is refunded.
- If you’re backing Newcastle, you win the bet if they win or draw the match. If lose the match by one goal, your stake is refunded.
1.5 handicape.g. Arsenal (-1.5) v Newcastle (1.5)
Football Betting Nfl
- Newcastle is effectively starting the game with a one and a half goal advantage.
- Because it is a bit more than a single goal, the ability for a draw to occur is eliminated.
- If you’re backing Arsenal to win, they again must score at least two goals for you to win your bet.
- If you’re backing Newcastle to win, they must either win the match, draw, or concede by only one goal.
2 handicape.g. Manchester City (-2.0) v West Ham (2.0)
- West Ham is effectively starting the game with a two-goal advantage.
- If you’re backing Manchester City to win, they must win the game by a margin of three goals or more.
- If you’re backing Manchester City to win, and they win by a margin of two goals, your stake will be refunded.
- If you’re backing West Ham, you will win your bet providing they lose by a goal margin of only one.
- If you’re backing West Ham, and they lose by a margin of two goals, your stake will be refunded.
2.5 handicape.g. Manchester City (-2.50) v West Ham (2.50)
- West Ham is effectively starting the game with a two and a half goal advantage.
- If you’re backing Manchester City, they must win the game by a margin of three goals or more for you to win your bet.
- If you’re backing West Ham, as long as they don’t lose by a margin of three goals or more, you will win your bet.
What Sports Can Handicaps Be Used For??
Although football is the most popular sport to apply handicaps, there are other sports which often have handicap markets, including:
- Rugby – one of the teams will start with a points advantage. The points handicap will be greater due to higher point scoring nature of rugby.
- Golf – many bookies will allow you to place handicaps on players’ rounds, for instance, +3 shots.
- Tennis – handicaps can be applied to either sets or games. If the handicap applies to games, then all the games from the match will be totalled up to form the outcome, which might not necessarily be the same as the winner of the match.
Understanding Handicap Football Betting
What is Asian Handicap Betting?
Asian handicap betting is the name handicap betting specifically in football. The name has risen due to the massive popularity of handicap betting in Asia. Asian Handicap betting will aim to make each team have an equal chance of winning, so that as close to evens will be offered on each team.
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