- How Does Handicap Draw Work
- Sports Betting Terms Explained
- Betting Payouts Explained
- Handicap Draw Betting Explained Numbers
- Football Spread Betting Explained
The handicap betting markets that you can find in different sports (such as football, basketball, tennis, etc), offer a regular handicap way to bet in which you can add or deduct an specific quantity to the final amount of goals, baskets, tennis games Football handicap betting example. Handicap betting allows a side to only draw but your bet will be paid out. In tennis, short prices are commonplace and betting on the handicap is a popular method of extracting some more value! Other Types of Handicap Betting.
Find out the meaning of soccer handicap betting, how it works and the different types of soccer handicap betting markets available at Pinnacle. Continue reading to become a handicap betting expert.
In soccer as is an all competitive sports there is normally a difference in perceived quality of the opposing teams; the size of that difference varies depending on a complex range of influences ranging from historical dominance and financial backing to situational factors such as home field advantage or player injuries/availability. Slots capital usa. Soccer betting interprets these factors and represent them as chances of success for each side in the form of odds.
Handicap betting explained
Where the perceived difference in abilities is significant the betting odds on the favourite will be so small that it provides minimal returns and therefore little incentive for bettors.
Handicap
A numerical figure set by the bookmaker to counter the perceived bias in abilities of opponents - this provides more balanced odds.
To counter the perceived bias in abilities, and to provide more balanced and appealing odds, bookmakers offer what is known as handicap betting. In the context of soccer, the Handicap odds level the playing-field by accounting for difference in perceived strength of the participants by literally applying a goal handicap - positive and negative - to each side. This gives bettors the opportunity to find more value than when backing a heavy Favourite in traditional 1X2 bet - the most common way to bet on soccer.
The handicap is applied to the actual outcome of the game in order to grade (result) the bet. There are three types of Handicap bets you need to be aware of before betting:
Level Handicap
A level Handicap is where there is no perceived difference in abilities between Team X and Team Y, so no Handicap bias is assigned and both teams start with 0 goals.
To win a bet, the bettor must identify the team which they think will score more goals than their opponent. This type of handicap isn't relevant for one-sided encounters but is useful in that it eliminates the draw; if the game ends in a tie all bets are refunded because on a zero handicap neither team has any advantage.
Single Handicap
A single Handicap occurs when there is a perceived difference in abilities between Team X and Team Y.
The alleged superior team will be given an appropriate goal handicap to level the playing field for betting purposes i.e. -0.5 goal, -1 goal, -1.5 goals etc.
For example, if you bet on Team X with a handicap of -1 goal, they must win by more than one goal to cover their handicap and win you your bet.
If they only win by one goal, the result with the handicap applied is a draw for betting purposes, so your bet is refunded. If Team Y draw or win, you will lose your bet on Team X.
Split Handicap
A split Handicap occurs when the difference between the two teams’ abilities is small; allowing you to spilt your stake over two handicaps.
A split Handicap occurs when the difference between the two teams’ abilities is small; allowing you to spilt your stake over two handicaps.
For example, Team X might be offered at (0 & -0.5). If you bet on Team X and they lose, you will lose both bets, as they did not cover either handicap.
If the match ends in a draw, half of your stake at (0) will be refunded, and the other half at (-0.5) will lose. If Team X wins however , both handicaps will be covered, so both bets win.
If you’re stuck in the past slavishly following three-way fixed odds betting, the chances are you’re not getting a decent return on your investment, and your betting might benefit from the fresh perspective that soccer handicap betting provides.
Now that you know how handicap betting can be used to increase your profits, don't miss out on our number one most popular article - Staking: One method to improve your betting.
Handicap betting video explainer
Found this article useful? Why not check out our videos that details how Handicap betting works.
Asian Handicap video explainer
You can also understand how Asian Handicap betting works by watching this helpful video.
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A handicap is a system of betting which basically tries to level the playing field in games that appear to be a bit one-sided. It’s a popular type of betting across a variety of sports, from football, rugby and NFL.
What is a Handicap bet?
How Does Handicap Draw Work
Why would a bookmaker set a handicap? If you are looking at a football match of Manchester United v Rotherham in the FA Cup, for example, you would assume the Red Devils would be very strong odds-on favourites to win the game. There would be little value in backing them to win outright.
Sports Betting Terms Explained
However, if Manchester United were backed at a -1 handicap, that involves them winning the game still. In the handicap scenario of -1, United would be trailing by a virtual 0-1 scoreline at kick-off. That’s the condition that the handicap sets.
So think of a handicap as a virtual deficit for a favourite. The reverse of that is backing the underdogs at +1 which means in order for the bet to win, they would have to lose by no more than one goal.
How does a Handicap bet work?
A handicap bet will be presented with the team involved along with either a – (minus) or + (plus) numerical value next to it. For example Manchester United -1 handicap, but this number can actually be anything. A bookmaker will present plenty of different handicap options for a single game.
If United started the match in the virtual position of being 0-1 down at kick off, the minimum they would have to do to win the game from there is score two unanswered goals. In reality the score on the day would be United 2-0, with the handicap that’s a 2-1 win.
That means the -1 United handicap bet won. What happens if, in the example above if United were to win by a one-goal margin? Well if they had won 1-0, in accordance to the handicap the result would be 1-1. That causes the bet to not win because the handicap of -1 wasn’t covered.
You will see a wider variety of handicap margins in Rugby, because of the points scoring system in rugby matches. Here you will see something like a -6 handicap, requiring that backed team to win the match starting from a negative six points difference.
What is a 3-way and 2-way Handicap?
A 2-way handicap is backing a handicap selection in a match where the bookmaker has only options on either team winning. This ignores a draw as an outcome. However, if the result causes a draw with the handicap, the stake is refunded.
2-Way Handicap example
Gloucester 4/9 to win with a -6 point handicap
Harlequins 7/4 to win with a + 6 handicap
A 3-way handicap brings in that option of being able to back a draw as a handicap option. In the below example, the Draw is set at that +6 margin, which means that if Gloucester won 30-24, you add on the +6 handicap for Harlequins and the match is a draw. If you had backed the Handicap Draw, it would have won.
3-Way Handicap example
Gloucester are 4/9 to win with a -6 point handicap.
Harlequins are 7/4 to win with a +6 point advantage.
The draw is 22/1 +6 points.
Types of Handicap bets
The regular handicap is the one as described above, where you have the option of backing a team either to overcome a minus handicap or defend a positive handicap in a match to win the fixture.
Alternative handicaps add in half points in rugby matches, for example. So you may see Gloucester -7.5 handicap. That half point eliminates the possibility of a draw, so Gloucester would have to win by at least eight points for the bet to be successful.
You can also do a split handicap. This is when your stake can be split over two different handicap options, such 0 and -0.5 in one bet. It’s a useful option available on games where there isn’t much quality difference between the participating teams and could, therefore, be a close match. In this instance, if the game produced a draw, the 0 handicap part would be refunded, the -0.5 wasn’t covered so would be lost.
A level handicap is when the bookmaker can’t really see any noticeable difference in the quality of the two teams, so may offer both starting at a level 0 handicap. So basically then it’s a matter of picking the winning team. This is essentially the same as Draw No bet as if the game is drawn, the stake is refunded.
Betting Payouts Explained
Winning example of a Handicap bet in football
Going back to our FA Cup example of Manchester United v Rotherham, here are some handicap options.
In the match outright, Manchester United are 8/13 odds-on favourites, the draw at 3/1 and Rotherham at 21/4. So take a look at the handicap options:
Rotherham +1 | 13/10 | Rotherham not to lose by more than one goal |
Man Utd -1 | 7/5 | Man Utd to win by at least two goals |
Rotherham +2 | 1/2 | Rotherham not to lose by more than two goals |
Man Utd -2 | 7/2 | Man Utd to win by at least three goals |
Rotherham +3 | 1/7 | Rotherham not to lose by more than three goals |
Man Utd -3 | 17/2 | Man Utd to win by at least four goals |
The full list of handicap options would be a lot bigger. But you can see how the odds shift to be more favourable in backing United. As a punter you expect Man Utd to win, but that 8/13 outright winner odds does not have great appeal. Backing the same scenario of still expecting Manchester United to win, but by at least a two-goal margin, a Man Utd -1 handicap is better value at 7/5.
Devils delight slots free. Note that the scoreline in the game doesn’t matter. It could be 6-2 to Man Utd, or 2-0 or 3-1, as long as their margin of victory was by at least two goals, the handicap bet of -1 would win.
Losing example of a Handicap bet in rugby
A top rugby Premiership clash between Saracens and Exeter would present punters with a tough call in such a tight game. Exeter are away from home but they are top of the league and have great form behind them. But Saracens are a formidable team on home soil.
After weighing up the options you think that Exeter could easily defend a +6 point handicap for 10/11 odds. That means that Exeter could lose the match and your bet would still win, as long as they didn’t lose by a margin of more than six points.
For example if they lost 21-19 on the pitch, add on their six points from the handicap and they are the match winners.
In the game however, Exeter give a good account of themselves, but in the end, they are no match for the power of Saracens. Saracens outscore Exeter 21-12 in the game, a difference in favour of Saracens of nine points.
If you added the virtual +6 points awarded to Exeter through the handicap to their physical score in the match of 12, 12+6 = 18 which is three points short of them avoiding defeat. The handicap result would be 21-18 in favour of Saracens.
Handicap betting strategy
Focusing on football betting, you will be able to track how well a team is covering handicaps throughout the course of season. For example, you could study Liverpool’s home form and determine how often they are beating teams from the bottom half of the table by more than a one-goal margin.
Next time Liverpool are at home against a lower ranked team, it could be worth pushing the handicap margin on the Reds.
How to place a Handicap bet on bet365?
There are different ways to look at rugby handicap betting at bet365. If you visit their rugby section you will see under the Main menu, key markets for things like Game betting 3-way, Alternative Handicap 2-Way and Alternative Handicap 3-Way.
Handicap Draw Betting Explained Numbers
For example, if you click Game Betting 3-way, this will bring up a list of the main handicap options for upcoming games from different leagues. That means it’s easy to grab a few different handicap options from a variety of games.
Football Spread Betting Explained
If you want to focus on one game and its handicap options, browse to an individual game. You will see a grid of options for the handicap and the respective odds.