What Is Handicap Betting? – OddsMonkey Blog

With sports betting evolving over the years, introducing new and unique ways to place bets, handicap is one of the betting formats that has gained massive popularity. With the ability to give one side of the bet an advantage, handicap betting can make the most uneven sporting events close. Handicap betting is a technique used in value betting, as it can create value in even the most mismatched games.

Here at OddsMonkey, we will explore what handicap betting is, how it works, and its applications across various sports.

Handicap Betting Explained 

Handicap betting provides one team with a goal or points advantage over the other side, otherwise known as a handicap. The aim of this type of bet is to make uneven matches closer, so if a top team is playing against a lower-ranked side, you can give the lower team a handicap so they start a couple of points ahead. If the handicap is set at one goal, then the opponent must score two or more goals to overcome the handicap and be considered the victor.

To understand handicap betting, let’s say you had a football match with Liverpool coming up against Blackpool in the FA Cup. As Liverpool has a much stronger squad, you would expect Liverpool to win by a handful of goals, which means the odds offered by the bookmaker would be quite low. However, with handicap betting, we can give Blackpool a head start, and by giving them a handicap of a couple of goals, it makes the game harder to predict, and therefore the odds more even.

Let’s have a look at the different types of handicap bets that are available.

Variations of Handicap Bets 

Firstly, there are the most basic handicap bets, also known as the European Handicap. With the European Handicap, you can simply add or subtract points or goals from one of the sides to create a handicap. Handicap betting is not typically used in matched betting due to the complex nature of the bets featured in these stakes. Let’s have a look at some of the handicaps available:

Another version of handicap betting is the Asian handicap betting, and this is slightly different from the standard European handicap, as it does not allow for draws. The handicap system uses decimal places, meaning there is no opportunity for a tie to be made. Let’s have a look at how Asian handicap betting works:

If you are interested in learning more about the Asian handicap, then you can check out our Asian handicap betting guide, which is available on the OddsMonkey site.

Now that we are familiar with the types of handicap betting, we are going to look at how you would physically place these types of bets and what it means for the odds that are offered.

How To Place Handicap Bets 

If you are looking to place handicap bets, then you can look at our example here, as we will go through how to place both European and Asian handicap bets at Sky Bet.

Similar to other types of sports betting markets, handicap betting is available in various options. At Sky Bet, you can find these handicap options by scrolling down the list of options once you find the match or event you want to place your bet on.

With these options, you can choose whether you want to use handicaps for the home team or the away team. Depending on what option you pick, this will greatly influence the odds you will be offered.

For example, we can see that if West Brom start the match a goal down, then the odds are 7/2 for them to win the match. However, if you do not use the handicap, then West Brom are given the odds of 6/5.

By using this example, if you bet on West Brom with the handicap of -1, then West Brom will effectively start the game 1-0 down. They will have to beat Leicester by 2 goals for the bet to be successful. If they win the game by 1 goal, then the game effectively ends as a draw, as the handicap has given Leicester a goal.

Since we have done the standard handicap betting scenario, let’s take a look at how to place an Asian handicap bet.

At Bet365, you can place Asian handicap bets on different sports, including football. You can decide the size of the handicap by scrolling down the website.

How Do Handicaps Affect Odds?

The main aim of handicap bet markets is to make the odds even, so if you even find games that are heavily mismatched, then checking out the handicap options could be worth it. Seen plenty of times in football, teams in cup competitions will play each other from different leagues. This means that lower-ranked teams can end up playing against top-level opposition, making it the perfect place for handicap bets. If you are interested in football betting, you can check out our football betting guide, available at OddsMonkey.

When the teams are negatively affected by handicaps, it makes it harder for that side to be deemed the winner, as they will start a couple of points down. As it makes it harder for one team to win, the odds become higher for that side.

Harder to Win = Increasing Odds

Easier to Win = Decreasing Odds

If you are interested in learning more about betting, check out our matched betting blog, which is full of betting techniques and strategies.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Handicap Betting – H2

Handicap betting comes with both positives and negatives, and it is important to remember what these are when you are looking to place these bets. Here are the different benefits and negatives that take place in handicap betting:

✅Evens the odds – In the most mismatched games, betting opportunities with close odds can be created through handicap betting.

✅Create betting opportunities – Without handicap betting, there are plenty of scenarios where the betting options do not offer great odds. With handicap betting, we can even the odds and create betting opportunities where none existed previously.

❌Requires Research – Whilst handicap betting can even the odds, it requires research to understand how likely a team is to overcome the handicap.

❌More Complicated than Other Selections – Compared to single betting markets and other options at bookmakers, handicap betting can be quite confusing to understand and operate successfully.

Handicap Betting FAQs 

Handicap betting raises numerous questions, so we have addressed the most frequently asked questions related to this topic.

What Does Handicap Tie Mean In Betting? 

With European handicap betting, there is the possibility for teams to draw. For example, if one team starts a goal down and scores one goal, the game ends in a draw. Bettors can place bets on a tie, with odds related to the likelihood of a game overcoming their handicap without exceeding it.

Where To Find Handicap Bets?

Depending on the bookmaker, you can find the handicap betting section at the top navigation bar. If it is not on the navigation bar, it will be found where the other betting selections are. For example, you can find the handicap betting system in the list of selections when you click on the match you want to bet on.

What is 3-way handicap betting? 

Three-way handicap betting is effectively European handicap betting, as this allows for wins, draws, and losses to occur. As Asian handicap betting does not allow for draws, this is only a 2-way handicap.