Football Betting System, Predictions and Tips

Asian Handicap Betting

Asian Handicap Betting

These bets feature the name Asian handicap due to their widespread popularity among football bettors from Asia. Ever since the rapid expansion of online football betting, they have grown considerably in popularity with European bettors. The simple lure of Asian handicap betting is that there is no possibility to back a draw. Football bettors find that they win more often with modest Asian handicaps than standard win-draw-win bets.

Negative or Positive Handicaps

Bookies operate the system by assessing the overall ability of either team and assigning a handicap to the fixtures. Favourites will receive a negative number (-) while underdogs will get a positive number (+). Depending on which team is backed, only one of the handicaps will be applied.

The potential values of handicaps span from -2 to +2, covering increments of 0.25 in between. At the end of a match, the handicap value is applied to the final result. For the most part, negative handicaps require a clear victory to win outright. For instance, a -1.75 handicap with a win by two goals will only result in a half win.

Payout Terminology

There are five possible outcomes to expect from the result of an Asian handicap bet. These range from winning outright to losing an entire stake. Check out the potential outcomes below:

  • Win – Entire stake is multiplied by the match’s odds.
  • Win half – Half of the stake is returned and half is multiplied by the odds.
  • Stake refund – The entire value of the stake is returned.
  • Lose half – Half of the stake is lost and have is returned.
  • Lose – The entire stake is lost.

-0.25 / +0.25 Example

The simplest handicap is zero, as it can only result in three outcomes: win, refund, or loss. Outside of zero, though, the outcomes get a little more complex. Here, let’s take a look at -0.25 / +0.25 outcomes.

A -0.25 handicap on West Ham to win at home Crystal Palace could lead to the following match results and betting outcomes:

  • Win = Win
  • Draw = Half lose
  • Lose = Lose

On the other side of the scale, a +0.25 handicap on Crystal Palace to defeat West Ham away will yield the following betting outcomes:

  • Win = Win
  • Draw = Half win
  • Lose = Lose

The potential sacrifice of backing the favourite is that to have to accept a half loss compared to a half win in the event of a draw. In essence, you get less security when backing the favourite because they are more likely to win the game. That is the trade-off when you decide to go positive or negative.

-1 / +1 Example

The higher the value of a handicap bet, the greater the number of outcomes. For instance, a -1 handicap on Arsenal to beat Liverpool at home will result in the following potential outcomes:

  • Win by 2+ = Win
  • Win by 1 = Refund
  • Draw = Lose
  • Lose = Lose

In contrast, a +1 handicap on Liverpool to beat Arsenal away at the Emirates Stadium offers the following outcomes:

  • Win = Win
  • Draw = Win
  • Lose by 1 = Refund
  • Lose by 2+ = Lose

Example of a Solid Bet

Prior to the start of the 2014/15 Premier League season, some football betting sites were offering Man Utd at evens with a -1 handicap. For punters that were backing Man Utd, they required a win of two or more goals to win the bet.

Heading into the start of the season, Man Utd were dispatching the likes of Inter, Roma, and Real Madrid with relative ease. A debut home victory of two goals or more is not unreasonable to obtain an evens payout. And the beauty of a -1 handicap is that the home team yields a refund even if they only win by one goal.