How do football handicap bets work?
Betting on sports is a fun way to boost the excitement when you watch a football game. Betting on football has also become a lot more fun and realistic as punters are now able to bet on live games, accumulate bets, and take advantage of handicap bets.
Handicap betting is used to even out the playing field between two teams who are not equally matched. The online bookie allows a virtual advantage for the weaker team, and a disadvantage for the stronger side. If you bet on the weaker side to win, they would have the edge over the stronger team, and chances are subsequently evened out. This way betting becomes even more realistic, taking into account all factors that play a role in sports betting.
Looking for a betting site to start betting with, or want to know how to build a bet?
What is handicap betting?
What does handicap mean in betting? Handicap bets are also known as “point betting” or “line betting” and are used to even out the playing field between two unbalanced teams with one side being a lot stronger than the other side. Bookies give a virtual advantage to the weaker team and a disadvantage to the stronger side, balancing the chances of each team. Without a handicap bet, the stronger side would’ve most likely won against the weaker side, which would have made the bet very predictable and even less lucrative. Handicaps offer a way for the bettor to take out the predictable bets and twist them around to make them interesting in the end.
Handicap betting explained
Handicap bets are generally shown in brackets after the name of the team. For instance, let’s imagine you’re betting on a match between West Ham United and Chelsea. If the online bookie suggests a handicap of 1.5, then the results would look like this.
West Ham United (1.5) playing Chelsea (-1.5)
- West Ham United starts the game with a 1.5 goal advantage compared to Chelsea.
- As the advantage is more than 1 goal but not 2, a draw becomes impossible.
- If you bet on Chelsea, The Blues would need 2 goals or more if you want to win the bet.
- If you would wager on West Ham United, they can either win, draw, concede a single goal at most, and you would still win the wager.
Difference between handicap and Asian handicap
Short version? If you draw when placing an Asian handicap bet, you win. If you draw with European handicapping, you lose. But let’s take a look at it in more detail, discussing both.
Asian handicap
It is crucial to know that draws get refunded when placing bet via Asian Handicapping:
Imagine Liverpool playing Sheffield United
The handicap is placed on Sheffield United +2.5.
This means that in order for a bet on Sheffield United to lose, Liverpool would need to score at least 3 goals. If the game ends in a 2-0 win for Liverpool and you bet on a Sheffield win, you would win because Sheffield United started the bet with a 2.5 goal advantage.
European handicap
European Handicaps work the same way as Asian Handicapping, but in this case a draw is possible as well. So if you bet on Liverpool and they are at -2 and they eventually win 2-0, that would be considered a draw and you would still lose your stake. In an Asian Handicap bet you would get your money refunded.
What is a no draw handicap bet?
A handicap bet as a decimal number is called a no draw handicap bet. In this case the chance of a draw is automatically excluded as there’s no such thing as a half (0.5) goal. Bear in mind though that the advantage or disadvantage is only granted to the side you’re wagering on. Let’s illustrate this as well with the following example.
Arsenal (2) playing Crystal Palace (-2)
- If you place your bet on Crystal Palace, they have to win with a difference of 3 or more goals.
- If you place your bet on Arsenal to win, you win if they lose by a margin of only 1 goal.
- If you place your bet on Arsenal and they lose by 2 goals your stake will be returned.
- Since this handicap bet doesn’t include a decimal, your stake is refunded in case of a draw.
Handicap league betting
Handicap league betting is really quite similar to the normal way of handicap betting. The big difference is that you bet on a team’s performance during the season. As the form of a team changes during the season, you’ll see that there are different odds at the start of a new season while this gradually changes across the season. You would place your bet on the team you consider most likely to win the league. The league favourite is known as the SCR, which stands for zero advantage. The other teams all have their own odds according to the expectations of the bookie. In this case the less stronger sides will get an advantage over stronger teams. The main difference between regular football handicaps and handicap league betting is that there are multiple teams that get a handicap instead of a single team.
Bookies that offer handicap bets
Most bookmakers offer handicap bets and most bookmakers offer to bet on football. Nonetheless, there are some bookies that deliver a better service than others and we consider it our job to inform you about the best bookmakers out there. We have therefore compiled a 2021 Bet Builder list of the bookmakers that offer their services in the United Kingdom. When comparing the different bookmakers available in the UK we thoroughly dived into criteria like customer support, website user friendliness, mobile compatibility, bonuses and terms and conditions. This had led to the following top 3 bookmakers who offer football handicap odds:
If you don’t already have an account at any of these bookies, please check their odds for both handicaps and Asian handicaps. When doing so we urge you to check out their bonuses or first go through our complete reviews to get a better understanding of their service. Most of our recommended bookies offer bonuses to both new and existing clients.
FAQs handicap betting
How do handicap bets work?
Handicap betting allows one team to overcome a, let’s say, deficit (the handicap), they have in comparison with the opponent. If you use a handicap bet you will bet on the underdog, taking into account the handicap of this particular team. An online bookmaker therefore gives a virtual advantage to the weaker side and a disadvantage to the stronger team, evening out any inequalities. Handicap bets are a good way to offer some excitement to predictable bets.
How do you win a handicap bet?
When wagering on a handicap bet you win in the event of an outcome that takes into account the advantage or disadvantage one team has over the other. In short you could bet on the top dog who needs to score more goals (for instance +1.5, which means they win with 2 or more goals) to win the bet. Every bet with less than 2 goals would be a losing bet if you apply a handicap, despite the fact that a 1-0 result in favour of the top dog would normally be a winning one if you would have picked this team over the other.
How do you read a handicap in football?
What does handicap mean in betting? The side who overcomes the handicap is basically the winner of the bet, despite the real result. For instance, if you bet on Manchester City to win against Burnley with a handicap of -1.5, then to win your bet, City will need to win the game by at least 2 goals. You lose if Burnley win, if it’s a tie or Manchester City win by only 1 goal.
What does +1.5 handicap mean?
Football handicaps might seem a bit challenging at first sight, but once you get the trick you’ll see it’s actually pretty easy. The number in brackets after the name of the side stands for the advantage or disadvantage applied with the handicap. In case of a +5 handicap this would be:
1.5 handicap Leeds United (-1.5) playing Newcastle United (1.5)
- Newcastle United starts the game with a 1.5 goal advantage.
- As this is more than one goal, the chance for a draw is automatically excluded.
- If you bet on Leeds United to win, they must score at least 2 goals for your bet to be successful.
- If you bet on Leeds United to win, they must either win the match, draw, or concede 1 goal at most.
