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Betting.net / Betting Guide / What is an Asian Handicap? We reveal all right here!

What is an Asian Handicap? We reveal all right here!

Publish Date: June 24, 2021
Fact checked by: Jesse M Cox

Asian Handicap 0.5 + 1.5 Examples

You’ll need to have Asian handicap explained if you want to get more from your sports betting holiday. So keep reading to have Asian handicap betting explained in simple terms!

Asian handicap betting is all about levelling the playing field between two unevenly balanced teams. It also removes the draw from the equation. All of this is designed to help you get greater value when betting on sports like football. Take a look below to have Asian handicap explained even further.

Asian handicap betting explained in five quick points

  • Used to even out an unequal playing field
  • Draw removed from bet
  • Get bigger wins from backing favourite
  • Win more often when backing the underdog
  • Mostly used on football betting

Asian handicap explained in simple terms

An Asian handicap bet is one where one team would be put at a points advantage, while the other team would be put at a points disadvantage. The draw would also be removed from the sports bet. All of this would be done in a bid to offer the punter greater value for their bets by ‘levelling the playing field’.

A quick Asian handicap example

Asian handicap betting is a popular method of getting better odds for a favourite. For example, you might want to bet on France to beat the USA in the World Cup. Ordinarily, France would be the favourites and have very short odds. But an Asian handicap bet would put France at a goals disadvantage. This would mean that France would have to win by a greater number of goals for you to win your bets. It makes your bet harder to win, but you’d get a greater profit as a result.

You’d also get more wins for backing the underdog. After all, the USA would be at a goal advantage meaning that the game could end in a goalless draw and you’d win your Asian handicap bet. Just so you know, if the game was tied even after the Asian handicap had been included, you’d get your stake returned.

Asian handicap explained as a draw no bet

Let’s imagine that there were two football teams who were equally good. For example, you were betting on a Champions League match between Manchester City and Barcelona.

Here there would be no Asian handicap applied and a win for either team would be counted as normal for your bets. The only difference would be if there was a draw. This would be categorised as a draw no bet which means that you’d get your stake refunded.

A look at the Asian handicap 0.5 meaning

Imagine that you wanted to bet on Liverpool to beat Everton. Liverpool were the slight favourites which meant that they had a -0.5 goal handicap. If they won the game, you’d win your bet. If they drew or lost, you’d lose your bet. Conversely, if you were backing Everton, you’d win your bet if they won or drew. A losing bet would count as normal.

The Asian handicap meaning for 1.0

This bet addresses a slightly larger difference in the quality of the teams. You wanted to back the match favourites Chelsea to beat Southampton, and Chelsea were given a -1.0 negative handicap. This would mean that Chelsea would have to win by two or more goals for you to win your bet. If Chelsea won by a single goal, the bet would be void. A draw or a Southampton win would cause you to lose your bet.

What is the Asian handicap 1.5 meaning?

Here, there is even more of a handicap disadvantage for the favourites. Imagine that there was a Champions League match between the favourites Real Madrid and the underdogs Rangers. Real Madrid would be put at a -1.5 goal handicap which means that the Spanish team would have to win by two or more goals for you to win your bet. Even a Real Madrid win by a single goal would be enough for you to lose your bets. Obviously a draw or a Rangers shock victory would cause you to lose your betting stake.

Asian handicap betting for 2.0

Here there’s a major difference in quality between the two teams. For example, it’s the World Cup and Brazil are predicted to easily beat Australia. Here, Brazil would have a two goal handicap. This means that Brazil would have to win by three goals or more. A Brazil win by two goals would make the bet void. All other results including a Brazil victory by a single goal would cause you to lose your bets.

The meaning of 2.5 Asian handicap betting

If you see a bookmaker offering a 2.5 handicap bet it means that there’s probably a big imbalance between the two football clubs. It might be a good option in tournament football such as if there was a Premier League team like Tottenham Hotspur taking on a lower league team like Rotherham United. Here, Tottenham would have to win by three goals or more for you to win your bets. All of the other results would be bad news for your bet.

A quick look at split Asian handicap betting

Once you’ve had Asian handicap explained in simple terms, you might want to try some split Asian handicap betting. This can be useful for when the perceived differences between the quality of two teams aren’t so clearly defined.

Split Asian handicap betting is also known as quarter goal Asian handicaps. This is because you’re effectively splitting your betting stake across two handicaps. For example, your bets might be on -0.5 and -1 goals, and therefore it would be listed as -0.75.

At first glance, split Asian handicap betting might look unnecessarily complicated. But like all good betting strategies, it focuses on the minor details in a way that’s essential for maximising your returns from a sports bet.

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Which sports work with Asian handicap betting?

The majority of Asian handicap bets will go down on football (soccer) matches. The low scoring nature of this sport, coupled with the fact that there are regular draws, makes football perfect for Asian handicap betting.

However, football isn’t the only sport that can benefit from an Asian handicap bet. Unless it’s a limited overs contest, cricket regularly experiences draws and could be suitable for Asian handicap betting. However, even sports like basketball where a tie is possible in regular time, you won’t find bookmakers offering Asian handicap bets.

Advantages of Asian handicap betting

Now that we’ve had Asian handicap explained, we can see that it offers some serious advantages over regular betting. Here are the main reasons why you might want to put down an Asian handicap bet.

Reduces risk: Depending on what kind of Asian handicap bet you make, your team could lose the game and you’d still win your bet. Plus the fact that a draw could return your betting stake back is another advantage over sticking to regular 1×2 betting markets.

Get better value for the favourites: Asian handicap betting is perfect for getting extra value when betting on the favourites. This is because it is able to eliminate the difference in perceived quality of the two teams.

Get more wins for the underdog: Many of us will have bet on our favourite teams despite knowing that they are unlikely to win the match. But with Asian handicap betting, you can tilt the odds in your favour so that even the biggest underdog can help you win your bets – even if they lose the game.

Lower betting margins: Because the draw has been removed, it means that the overall betting margins for Asian handicap bets are lower. In turn, this means that there’s a better chance of getting sustained returns from your bets over time.

Disadvantages of Asian handicap betting

We can’t have Asian handicap explained without pointing out a few disadvantages of using this betting strategy. Take a look at some of the reasons why you might want to try some alternative betting strategies.

Limited applications: It’s fair to say that most Asian handicap bets will be for football betting. While you might put down an Asian handicap bet on cricket, for most other sports, it won’t work.

Requires a little arithmetic: If you’re not a fan of numbers, then you might want to stick to regular match winner bets. The last thing that you’re going to want to do is to figure out the finer points of split Asian handicap betting when you’re trying to enjoy the big match.

Had Asian handicap explained? Try these other betting strategies

There are so many excellent ways that you can find value in your bets away from just betting on obvious markets like 1×2. Over/under betting can be used on most sports and it offers you plenty of flexibility. Plus betting on the fortunes of individual players can work wonders in opening up further value. However, we’ve found that the best strategies are often the simplest. After all, there’s no substitute for doing your research and betting responsibly.

Conclusion – Take advantage of having Asian handicap explained

By now you’ll understand that Asian handicap betting offers you an excellent way to tilt the odds in your favour when you’re betting on football. It can be used to get better returns for backing the favourite, or more wins when you’re backing the underdog. Perfect for making that betting vacation a lasting success!

While Asian handicap betting might look complicated to begin with, it actually offers you a pretty straightforward way to balance out an uneven playing field between two teams. So now that we’ve had Asian handicap explained, you’ll be able to try this strategy out at the best betting sites.

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Asian handicap explained FAQ

⚽ How does Asian handicap soccer betting work?

Read our guide that will have Asian handicap explained in simple terms for all major sports like soccer. You’ll get to see the basics of what it means to put down an Asian handicap bet, and we’ll even have lay betting explained so that you can see some alternative betting options. Perfect for getting extra value when you bet on popular sports such as soccer. 

👀 Will I need an Asian handicap calculator?

Once we’ve had Asian handicap explained, you’ll quickly be able to see whether you need any kind of calculator for solving some of the tough arithmetic that comes with this betting strategy. After all, when we had the rising method explained, it quickly revealed some complex mathematics. So read our guide to see what Asian handicap betting is all about.

❓ Where can I get Asian handicap over/under explained?

There are many resources on the internet that attempt to explain how Asian handicap betting works. However, we have found that many of these sites will give you little but misleading information about how such betting strategies. However you can trust us to have Asian handicap explained with examples for over/under betting, and we’ll even have the oddsmarker explained too to give you plenty more options for your bets.

⭐ What is the Asian handicap 2.5 meaning?

Asian handicap betting offers you an excellent way to find greater value for your sports bets. Check out our betting guide which contains a handy article that has Asian handicap explained so that you can quickly see all of the different ways that you can put this strategy to good use. Perfect for seeing what numbers like 2.5 mean in Asian handicap bets.

✨ What are some alternative Asian handicap betting options?

For many people, Asian handicap betting will simply be used to try and gain greater value from your sports bets. However, there are many different ways that you can do this. So read our guide which has Asian handicap explained in all of the different alternative betting options. This means that you can quickly see whether these kinds of bets will work for you or whether you should try a system bet instead.

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