Asian Handicaps Explained


Bet365 and Cloudbet Online Bookmakers offer the best Asian Handicap Odds.
Don't be put off by the concept of Asian Handicap betting. It is a great way to bet on football and really quite simple once you understand the basics. I personally like Asian Handicaps because they remove the draw from the equation. At the start you know whether a draw works for or against you and as a quarter of all football games end in draws, this is an important consideration.

Football punters should understand all forms of betting so they can choose the best betting style (and bookmaker) to maximise the earning potential and minimise the risk for each game.  Not all bookies offer Asian Handicaps - and as with all odds, it is well worth shopping around to get the best for Asian Handicaps. I run a stable of sportsbook accounts accordingly but two are outstanding in this area: bet365 and Cloudbet. I recommend them personally - because I use them successfully myself.

At GoonersGuide.com we are often asked about Asian Handicaps and why you'd bet this way. This page presents a quick overview.

Asian Handicap is a form of betting where the perceived weaker team (or underdog) is given a number of goals head start. Conversely, the team perceived to be superior (the favourite) is penalised or ‘handicapped’ an equal number of goals in an attempt to make the two teams equal for betting purposes. 

The  favourite has to overcome the handicap, and will have it taken away from its final score. The handicap for the favourite is preceded by a minus (-). The underdog is given a 'head-start', and will have it added to its final score. The handicap for the underdog is preceded by a plus (+).

The wider the gap between the two teams, the greater the number of goals head start is given to the weaker team. If the two teams’ on-field ability is considered to be approximately equal, no handicap is given to either team.

Two types of Asian Handicaps - Single & Double Handicaps

Single Asian Handicap Bets:

EXAMPLE:  BRAZIL -1.0 v ENGLAND +1.0

 

In this example, England has been given a 1 goal head start over Brazil. This means that all bets on England will win, provided England either win or draw the match.

If Brazil wins the match by at least two goals, then all Brazil bets will win and all bets placed on England will be losers.

If Brazil wins by exactly one goal with the -1.0 handicap the scores are considered level and all stakes will be returned.

 

The table below lists the most commonly used Handicaps and the outcome of each:

 

BRAZIL
HANDICAP
ENGLAND
If Brazil wins all bets win. If Brazil draws all stakes returned. If Brazil loses all bets lose.
0
0
If England wins all bets win . If England draws all stakes returned . If England loses all bets lose.
If Brazil wins all bets win. If Brazil draws or loses the match all bets lose.
-0.5
+0.5
If England wins or draws all bets win. If England loses the match all bets lose .
If Brazil wins by at least two goals all bets win. If Brazil wins by exactly one goal all stakes returned.  If Brazil draws or loses the match all bets lose.
-1.0
+1.0
If England wins or draws all bets win.  If England loses by exactly one goal all stakes are returned . If England loses by two or more goals all bets lose.
If Brazil wins by at least two goals all bets win. Otherwise all bets are losers.
-1.5
+1.5
If England loses by two or more goals all bets lose. Otherwise all bets are winners.
.
Handicap
If Brazil wins all bets win. If Brazil draws all stakes returned. If Brazil loses all bets lose.
0            0
If England wins all bets win . If England draws all stakes returned . If England loses all bets lose.
If Brazil wins all bets win. If Brazil draws or loses the match all bets lose.
-0.5      +0.5
If England wins or draws all bets win. If England loses the match all bets lose .
If Brazil wins by at least two goals all bets win. If Brazil wins by exactly one goal all stakes returned.  If Brazil draws or loses the match all bets lose.
-1.0     +1.0
If England wins or draws all bets win.  If England loses by exactly one goal all stakes are returned . If England loses by two or more goals all bets lose.
If Brazil wins by at least two goals all bets win. Otherwise all bets are losers.
-1.5      +1.5
If England loses by two or more goals all bets lose. Otherwise all bets are winners.

bet365 and Cloudbet Online Bookmakers offer the best Asian Handicap Odds.

bet365 and Cloudbet Online Bookmakers offer the best Asian Handicap Odds.
UK & Australian licenced, bet365 is popular with bettors from a range of countries and has multiple secure payment methods and language support available. No USA bettors.
Cloudbet welcomes members from most countries on the globe (except the USA, UK, China, Hong Kong & Singapore) Cloudbet is a specialist crypto sportsbook.

Double Asian Handicap Bets:

ALSO KNOWN AS SPLIT OR QUARTER BALL HANDICAPS


Double handicaps are used to split a wager into two equal and separate bets – each with the same odds to win, but at a different single handicap. This can result in the following scenarios:

  • Both bets win, therefore the full win amount is returned.
  • One bets wins and one bet draws (stake is returned). This is commonly referred to as ‘Half Win’.
  • One bet draws (stake returned) and one bet loses. This is commonly referred to as ‘Half Loss’.
  • Both bets lose, therefore the full stake amount is lost.

For Example:  BRAZIL v ENGLAND


HANDICAP
ODDS
BRAZIL
-1.0,  -1.5
or
-1¼
or
-1.25
1.90
ENGLAND
+1.0,  +1.5
or
+1¼
or
+1.25
2.00
Handicap
Odds

-1.0,  -1.5
or
-1¼
or
-1.25
1.90

+1.0,  +1.5
or
+1¼
or
+1.25
2.00

You can see that there are many ways to represent an Asian Handicap bet & it can be a bit confusing until you realise they are all showing the same bet.

In this example, a £100 bet on Brazil is actually two separate bets, £50 on Brazil at -1.0 and £50 on Brazil at -1.5. The odds for both bets are 1.90.

If Brazil wins the match by two goals or more, both bets are winners.

If Brazil wins by one goal, the bet placed at a -1.0 goal handicap is considered a draw and the stake refunded and the bet placed at a -1.5 goal handicap results in a loss. The end result is a loss of £50, which equates to ½ of the bettors stake (i.e. ‘Half Loss’).

If England draw or win the game, both bets are lost.

Ready to bet? For great football coverage and the best Asian Handicap Odds on the Internet
these two bookmakers are outstanding:
UK & Australian licenced, bet365 is popular with bettors from a range of countries and has multiple secure payment methods and language support available. No USA bettors.
Cloudbet welcomes members from most countries on the globe (except the USA, UK, China, Hong Kong & Singapore) Cloudbet is a specialist crypto sportsbook.

Bet365 and Cloudbet Online Bookmakers offer the best Asian Handicap Odds.
Ready to bet? For great football coverage and the best Asian Handicap Odds on the Internet these two bookmakers are outstanding:
Asian Handicap Betting Guide
How Asian Handicap Betting Works
Bet365 and Cloudbet Online Bookmakers offer the best Asian Handicap Odds. Part of a series of pages in our Online Betting Toolkit

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