Asian handicap is much easier to understand than many think. A handicap is a very simple concept that is well known in the sports betting community. It eliminated the draw from the possible outcomes and it gives the underdog a head start, thus balancing the game to an extent. An Asian Handicap is a particular type of handicap that offers a wide range of possibilities to the bettor and also offers better control than the regular odds. This type of wager has become a lot more popular in recent years including of course in Asia. Here is a look at how the Asian Handicap works.
Let’s use a Premier League game between Manchester City and Everton as an example. The odds at the best sportsbooks will look something like this:
Manchester City – Everton A.H. 0 : 0 (same as Draw No Bet)
- If the game ends in a draw, your money is returned
- If you bet on the winning team you win the bet
- If you bet on the losing team you lose the bet
Manchester City – Everton A.H. 0 : 0 ¼ (same as 0 : 0.25)
- If you bet on Manchester City and Manchester City wins, you win the bet
- If you bet on Manchester City and the game ends in a draw, half of your stake is returned
- If you bet on Manchester City and Everton wins, you lose the bet
- If you bet on Everton and Everton wins, you win the bet
- If you bet on Everton and the game ends in a draw, your stake is returned plus half of the profit
- If you bet on Everton and Manchester City wins, you lose the bet
Manchester City – Everton A.H. 0 : 1/2 (same as 0 : 0.5)
- If you bet on Manchester City you basically bet “1”, so you win if Manchester City wins the game and you lose if Everton wins or the game ends in a draw
- If you bet on Everton you basically bet “x2” so you win if Everton wins or the game ends in a draw and you lose if Manchester City wins
Manchester City – Everton A.H. 0 : ¾ (same as 0: 0.75)
- If you bet on Manchester City and Manchester City wins by 2 goals or more, you win the bet
- If you bet on Manchester City and Manchester City wins by 1 goal, your stake is returned plus half of the profit
- If you bet on Manchester City and Everton wins or the game ends in a draw, you lose the bet
- If you bet on Everton and Everton wins or the game ends in a draw, you win the bet
- If you bet on Everton and Manchester City wins by 1 goal, half of your stake is returned
- If you bet on Everton and Manchester City wins by 2 goals or more, you lose the bet
Manchester City – Everton A.H. 0 : 1
- If you bet on Manchester City and Manchester City wins by 2 goals or more, you win the bet
- If you bet on Manchester City and Manchester City wins by 1 goal, your stake is returned
- If you bet on Manchester City and Everton wins or the game ends in a draw, you lose the bet
- If you bet on Everton and Everton wins or the game ends in a draw, you lose the bet
- If you bet on Everton and Manchester City wins by 1 goal, your stake is returned
- If you bet on Everton and Manchester City wins by 2 goals or more, you lose the bet
These are how the basic Asian Handicap lines look on paper. When a game is very unbalanced, you will see lines like 2 ¼ or 3 ¼ in order to try and even things out but the basic principles are the same. You can bet on teams with certain angles in order to either improve your odds of winning or at least getting your money back, or you can manipulate them in order to try to win more money.
Editors' choice: top sportsbook.
The Asian Handicap lines aren’t just used for soccer either. The math isn’t difficult to do so if you see a line that you think can be adjusted a little bit in your favor you can move the lines using the Asian Handicap in order to gain an edge. There is a reason why it has become such a popular form of betting over the years and it should continue to grow more popular as more sports bettors around the world come to understand how it works and why it can give you an edge.
