Asian Handicap Betting

Asian handicap betting, otherwise known as “Asian line betting”, was created in Indonesia and is a form of wagering on football. There are usually only two possible outcomes in Asian handicap betting: either the bet wins or loses - the possibility of a drawn contest is eliminated. The possible number of outcomes are reduced from three to two because the draw equation is removed. This gives the wager straightforward betting options, as each selection has an even chance of winning the bet. This is achieved by applying a handicap, in the form of points to either side, to remove any advantage or disadvantage that one team or player may have over the other. Point handicaps are normally applied as half numbers such as +1.5 or -0.5. Once the handicaps are applied to the final score, the winner and loser can then be deduced.

Many Sportsbooks offer this form of betting in addition to the traditional win-draw-win betting option. Asian handicap betting is the most prevalent wagering system throughout the Middle East and Asia, and it is rapidly becoming popular in Europe.

At times when teams of uneven prowess are competing, the handicaps are even bigger. In this situation, the underdog be backed successfully even if the selection loses the game by a large margin. Occasionally, handicap betting will use whole numbers, in which case a level score may occur - however, as draws are not permitted, the bet would be refunded.

For fixtures that appear to be more evenly matched, the bookmaker may offer +0.5 points on the underdog and no handicap (0) on their opponent. This invites the possibility of a draw for those taking the favourite, and should that happen, instead of losing the wager, the entire bet is reclaimed as a push or, at some bookmakers, half of the original bet is returned. Again, this is far better for the punter than losing the entire stake when teams tie.

Generally speaking Asian handicap betting suits customers with more experience and a clear understanding of how it works. Due to this, bookmakers tend to make fewer profits than they do with traditional forms of betting.

A new wrinkle in Asian handicap betting is so-called “quarter goal betting.” Instead of awarding half goals, it provides the opportunity to split a wager into two portions, one on the half goal and the other on a full goal difference. For example, a £20 wager on Side 1 at ¾ is the same as a £10 bet on Side 1 at 0.5 and another £10 bet on Side 1 at a full goal handicap. Some bookmakers also refer to this as a “two-way handicap” or a “split handicap.”

A later development in Asian Handicap Betting has been the quarter-point bet where the wager is split into bets, one on the full point and one on the half point. So, a £10 bet on 1.25 would be divided thus: £5 is placed on 1 point and £5 is placed on 1.5 points. Again, once the handicaps have been applied to the final score, pay-outs can be calculated.

Asian handicap bets can be mixed with traditional wagers; this provides increased winning opportunities whilst lessening the chance of loss. When the odds vary between bookmakers, it is possible to hedge bets, which creates the possibility of being successful on both sides.