Handicap betting is a way of evening out the odds on a seemingly uneven event, by adding or subtracting points or goals to a team or player’s total. It is widely used in sports like football, rugby, basketball and American Football and is a fresh way of betting on sport.
What is Handicap Betting?
The concept of Handicap Betting is that one team should start a sporting fixture with a virtual advantage to effectively level the playing field. The idea of adding or subtracting from a team’s actual score is appealing in matches where there is a very clear odds-on favourite and underdog. In a game where a 2/7 favourite takes on a 5/2 underdog, add in a Handicap (subtract a score from the favourite, add a score to the outsider) and the Handicap match odds are far closer to Evens.
Types of Handicap Bets
There are two main types of Handicap Bets – also referred to as Spread Bets, chiefly in North America where they pick a favourite or underdog to ‘cover the spread’.
- European Handicap: When placing a bet on a Handicap market the supposed better team will receive a point/goal handicap to alleviate the quality difference between the two sides. For instance, they may start the game with -1, -2, -3, or so on. With a -2 Handicap, the favourite will start with two goals/points deducted from the final score. Adding half points removes the draw or tie from the outcome.
- Asian Handicap: Asian Handicaps also remove the draw or tie by offering ½-point additions or subtractions but will also work in lower increments (¼-point) and offer split bets. These are sometimes referred to as Quarter-Goal Handicaps. For example, if you back Arsenal for £20 to beat Aston Villa with a handicap of -0.25, then you have two separate £10 bets at Arsenal -0 and Arsenal -0.5 If Arsenal win by 1 goal or more, both bets win, if the game is drawn the -0.5 Handicap bet loses and the other half (-0) is void/refunded. If Arsenal lose, then both parts of the bet lose. It gives bettors a bit more of a safety net.
Handicap Betting Examples
- Everton are playing Wolves, and have been given a -1 Handicap. The match ends 2-0. If you placed a Handicap bet on Everton (to cover the spread in US parlance), you would subtract the 1 goal, making the Handicap scoreline 1-0. The bet is therefore successful. If Everton were to win 1-0, the final Handicap scoreline would be 0-0, and the bet would therefore lose. Any Wolves win would obviously result in a loss.
- Let’s take the draw/tie out of the mix by applying the ½-point handicap, and this time focusing on the underdog. So Fulham are rated +1.5 underdogs at Chelsea, meaning you add 1.5 to the actual Fulham scoreline. If they lose the game 1-0, add 1.5, and they have won on the Handicap 1.5-1. If they lose the game 2-0, even with the 1.5 Handicap they’ve still lost 2-1.5, resulting in a losing bet.
When to Use Handicap Bets
Handicap betting is especially useful when a bookmaker decides there is a clear favourite and underdog, making the moneyline odds unattractive.
- If Liverpool are playing Brentford at Anfield, the odds on a Liverpool win will be very short. However, if you think they will win comfortably, you can place a Handicap bet that somewhat levels the playing field and will require Liverpool to win by a healthy margin.
- Equally, if you think Brentford can give Liverpool a game but would not want to back them outright, you can place a Handicap bet to cover the possibility of a narrow defeat.
- It’s easy to presume that the odds-on favourite will win a match. But if that favourite is valued at 2/5 when in reality the odds should not shorter than, say, 4/6, then the bet is seldom worth it. In these case, the Handicap market could be a more preferable alternative.