What Is Asian Handicap?
As a starting bettor one might wonder what does Asian Handicap +0.25 mean? Or -1.25? What’s the point of having a handicap involing quarters when one goal has 4 of them?! Asian Handicap is a form of betting where the weaker team is given a handicap, usually to even out the chances of both teams winning. It is often more appealing and advantageous for bettors compared to the traditional 1X2 format, as the probability of winning by betting on underdogs is usually around 50%, whereas in the 1X2 format, it could be as low as 10%. This means a more consistent return, the ability to place larger stakes, and thus faster turnover of funds, resulting in better returns with lower risk.
In most Asian Handicap bets, the theoretical return rate offered by bookmakers is slightly better than in 1X2 betting. Even small pricing errors are enough to tilt the advantage in favor of the bettor.
How does Asian Handicap Work?
Handicaps are offered in increments of 0.25 goals. In 0.5 goal handicaps, there are only two possible outcomes. In level handicaps, a third option is introduced: the stake is returned if the goal difference matches the handicap line. In +0.25 and +0.75 goal handicaps, the third option is that half the stake wins. In -0.25 and -0.75 goal handicaps, the third option is that half the stake is returned.
In 0.25 and 0.75 handicaps, the stake is automatically split equally between two bets. For example, in a +0.25 handicap, half the stake goes to the 0 handicap and half to the +0.5 handicap. If the match ends in a draw, half the stake in the 0 handicap is returned, and half the stake in the +0.5 handicap wins according to the odds.
Let’s say we bet on Real Madrid with a +0.25 handicap against Barcelona, with odds of 3.00 and a stake of $100, and the match ends 2-2, we would receive $200 (stake returned for the 0 handicap – ”Push”) + €50 x 3.00 = $150 (win on the +0.5 handicap), totaling $200, or $150 profit This calculation is done according to the “Half win” column in the table below, which is 0.5 x stake + 0.5 x odds x stake.
If, on the other hand, we bet on Barcelona with a -0.25 handicap for $100 and the match ends 2-2, we would receive $50 (stake returned for the 0 handicap), but we would lose the -0.5 handicap bet. This calculation is done according to the “Half loss” column in the table below, which is 0.5 x stake.
In the table below, you can see the possible outcomes for your bet based on the chosen handicap and the final result.
