As we have already mentioned in the previous article dedicated to Point Spreads, they are almost identical to Handicap Bet as they are the same type of betting. Spreads are mainly popular in the United States, while Handicap Bet is more popular in most countries such as the United Kingdom.
Point spreads are the bettors who have to bet on the team that they think will win after the bookmaker posts the spread, while Handicap Bet offers more options.
Let’s take a look at the Handicap Bet data for one of the Olympic soccer matches provided by the bookmaker’s online website.
Although we see several betting options, they are actually all about the same game. Each individual betting option can be considered a point spread bet.
The data in the first line, which represents a bet on Australia at -3.5, its odds are 81/10. You get paid when Australia wins by four or more goals. For every $1 wagered, you get a bonus of $8.10 on a win.
We have shared the odds and the calculation of the bonus in our previous article, so if you are interested you can click on the link for further information.
Odds: What you need to know about professional betting
If you think Australia can win by two goals, do you still have the confidence to place this bet? If this was in a spread bet, you’d probably opt out! This is where Handicap Bet comes into its own, it has more spreads for you to choose from, besides -3.5, there are -3, -2.5, -2 and so on. You can choose the odds that suit your fancy and place your bets. As we thought before, Australia could win by two goals, but not necessarily by three, so we can bet on Australia -1.5 to ensure we win. The odds at this point are 149/100, meaning that for every $1 wagered, we’ll get $1.49 back.
To be on the safe side, we can also bet on Australia-0.5, in which case we will get a bonus whenever Japan wins by more than one goal. We can also bet on the favorites in the usual matches this way. Of course, this way of betting won’t give us a significant profit at once, but it’s also less risky.
If you bet on New Zealand ➕2.5, then the spread is ➕2.5. When the actual match result comes out, you need to add the spread to the team you bet on.
Suppose the actual final score is：
We need to add the spread to our bet, which means that New Zealand’s final score needs to be added by 2.5, at which point the score becomes：
After adding the point spread, New Zealand wins! That means we bet right and will get the prize. But in reality New Zealand is still the loser in this game, and the spread is added just to judge the outcome of the bet.
Different Types of Handicap Bet
1.Standard Handicap Bets and No Draw Handicap Match Bets
In Handicap Bet, depending on whether there is a draw or not, we further divide it into Standard Handicap Bets and No Draw Handicap Match Bets.
In No Draw Handicap Match Bets, you see the spreads in half numbers, such as 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 but not 1, 2, 3. Because there are no 0.5 points in the result of a soccer match, there is never a draw in this type of bet. This makes the game seem more exciting.
2.Handicap league bets
Handicap league bets bet on the overall performance of a team during a season. Therefore, it is made before the official first match starts. As with Standard Handicap Bet, the team you are betting on does not have to win the league, as long as it is in first place after the bookmaker has adjusted the corresponding spread to win the bet.
3.Asian handicap bet
Lastly, let’s talk about the Asian handicap bet, which is called this not because it is only used in Asian countries. In fact, it was first popularized in Asian bookmakers, but now all regional bookmakers have started offering this type of bet.
The advantage of the Asian handicap bet is that it helps bettors reduce risk while avoiding draws. You can think of it as a combination of two handicap bets.
We use an Asian handicap bet data to help you understand.
Suppose we bet $100 on Australia (-1, -1.5), which can be seen as us placing two bets. Place half of the money ($50) on Australia -1 and the other half ($50) on Australia -1.5. If the final result is that Australia wins by only one goal and the result is 1:0, then adding the point spread between the two bets, the results are：
So, this means that the first bet is a tie, and in the case of a tie our bet of $50 will be returned. And the second bet loses, and we will lose the $50. In the end, we will only get $50 back.
What if we were to bet $100 on New Zealand (➕1, ➕1.5)? The actual score of 1:0 plus the point spread becomes
With the first bet push on, we get $50 back, and with the second bet we win, we get a profit of $41.60 in addition to the $50 original stake, based on the -120 odds. So in this bet we would get in total.
$50+$50+$41.6=$141.6
Summary
Now I believe you have mastered the basics of spread/handicap betting and are one step closer to becoming a betting expert. You can also use what you have learned to help new bettors with their doubts.
If you missed our previous content on sports betting, please click on the following link to find out more.
1.Sports betting: some basics you need to know
2.Explanation of the concepts of value and probability in sports betting
3.Important tips on Sports Betting
4.Mistakes to avoid in sports betting
5.Explanation of common sports betting types
5-1.Explanation of Moneyline/Win Bet
5-2Explanation of Total Bets—— Sports Betting Type II
5-3.Explanation of Parlays/Accumulators –Sports Betting Type III
5-4.Explanation of Point Spread bet –Sports Betting Type Ⅳ
6.Sports Betting Strategies — How Bookies Ensure Their Profits
