What is An Asian Handicap Bet? Asian Handicap Betting Explained

Asian handicap betting is a somewhat hard-to-master form of soccer betting that allows you to handicap a team based on their form. It’s been popular for decades in Asia, where the Asian handicap market originated, but it’s now emerged as one of the most popular niche bets in Europe and America, too.

In this article, we look at exactly what it is and how you could profit from it. 

Asian Handicap Betting Explained

In basic terms, a handicap is when one of the teams (let’s say Team A) receives a ‘head start’ of-sorts before the game has even begun. The purpose of this is to remove the draw from all possible outcomes, thus rendering only a home win or an away win possible.

Let’s take a look at an example.

Manchester United are playing Fulham. Ordinarily, this soccer match will finish as a home win, an away win – or a draw. 

With the Asian handicap bet, the draw is removed. Instead, Asian handicap bets for this game might look like this: 

• Manchester United -1.5
• Fulham +1.5

What does this mean? 

Because Manchester United are the clear pre-match favorites, the Asian handicap of 1.5 means that if you back this bet, they must win by 2 or more goals in order for you to win your bet. If they win by just one goal, you lose your bet. 

What Is a Full Point Handicap And a Half Point? 

If you place an Asian handicap bet, you’ll notice that there are full point Asian handicaps and half-point Asian handicaps.

Let’s say Juventus are playing Roma, and you back Juventus at -1.5. This means Juventus must win by at least two goals in order for you to win your bet. If they win, but only by a single goal, you lose the bet. This is an example of a half-point.

On the other hand, if you go with a full point on the same game, it might look like this:

• Juventus -1

With the full point Asian handicaps, Juventus still need to win by more than one goal in order for you to make a profit. However, if they win by just one goal, you also don’t lose your stake. Instead, your bet becomes void. 

Naturally, a half-point is riskier than a full point handicap because if the bet doesn’t win, you lose your stake. As such, the odds are more attractive. 

Is There a Quarter Point Handicap?

There is. 

A quarter-point handicap is more complex than the half point and full point handicap. It also isn’t offered by a lot of bookmakers who otherwise offer Asian handicap markets.

A quarter-point handicap is offered whenever there is no clear favorite. For example, if Manchester United and Liverpool are placed first and second in the league when they clash, a quarter-point handicap might be offered. 

The quarter handicap bet works like this: You stake half the bet at the value of a quarter under the price that is advertised. The rest of your stake goes on the quarter-point over. 

Because the quarter bet is complex and can often be confusing, it’s the least popular Asian handicap bet. If you decide to use it, it’s a smart idea to be first of all good at mathematics, or to use a calculator to help. 

Why Place An Asian Handicap Bet? 

The idea is that, with the Asian handicap bet, you’re maximizing your profit as much as possible. Referring back to our earlier example, it’s not enough that Manchester United simply win the game – they must win by X amount of goals. This automatically lengthens the odds and offers you more bang for your buck. 

If, on the other hand, you ignore the handicap bet and simply wager on Manchester United to win, your profits won’t be as high because they’re the clear pre-match favorites. 

Another reason to place an Asian handicap bet is that it removes the possibility of a draw. Soccer is, of course, one of the few world sports where draws are routine. They happen often, and they often screw up a punters bet. 

Conclusion 

Asian handicap betting can be tricky to understand at first. But once you’ve placed it a few times, it can be a great way to increase your profits. Just make sure to understand each team’s form before placing your bets, and it’s always a good idea to check the line-ups and injury news, too. 

The next step is to sign up to a website that offers Asian handicap markets, such as Bet365.