Say you want to bet on Manchester United beating Everton, but you are not impressed by the odds offered by online sportsbooks. You can make those odds better by giving Manchester United a handicap. This could be one goal take off their total, for example, or one goal being added to Everton’s total. If Manchester United were to win the game by one goal, then your bet would fail once that handicap is applied. This means you are essentially betting on Manchester United beating Everton by two clear goals, in this example.<\/p>\n
As we have said, this is just one example of a handicap, and a few other handicap types exist which will be explained further on in this article.<\/p>\n
How to Place a Handicap Bet<\/h2>\n
Placing a handicap bet is no different to placing many other types of bet<\/a>, but we will outline an example for you. Here is the placement of a simple handicap bet at one of our favourite UK betting sites, bet365<\/a>.<\/p>\n The game we are going to be placing our wager upon is the U21 international between old rivals England and Germany. Access to the game is given by the image as shown below, which we will need to click on.<\/p>\n We need to scroll down the options until we get to ‘Handicap Result’. The odds are shown below:<\/p>\n Naturally, we want England to win, although to be extra confident, we’re going to take the draw too, so we select the odds for ‘England U21 +1’ which will add a goal to England’s score. To place our bet, we click on the ‘1.50’ odds to transfer the bet to our betslip.<\/p>\n We’ve set our stake at \u00a32, with potential returns of \u00a33. All we need to do now is click the ‘Place Bet’ button, and our bet is on – come on you young lions!<\/p>\n The handicap bet example given above is the most simple type of handicap bet there is – England will be given a +1 handicap to be added to their total if we back them, so any England win or a draw would mean a winning bet. It’s only one of many types of handicap bets, and we explore a few more of the most common ones below.<\/p>\n 3 way handicap betting is one of the most popular methods of handicap betting in the UK. With 3 way handicap betting (it usually only applied to football) you can bet on one team winning, the other team winning, or a draw.<\/p>\n An example of a 3 way handicap betting line is as follows:<\/p>\n Arsenal -1 Draw -1 Wolves +1<\/strong><\/p>\n So, if you bet on Arsenal, one goal will be deducted from their actual score. If you bet on Wolves, one goal will be add to their final score. If you bet on the draw, then one goal will be deducted from the winning team’s score or, if it is a draw, your bet will lose.<\/p>\n This is another handicap bet that is only really used in football. One side will be given a goal handicap, and it is up to you to predict the winner of the game once that handicap is applied. For example, if Arsenal are given a single goal handicap in our example game v Wolves, it is up to you to determine whether Arsenal or Wolves will win once that handicap is applied, or if the game will end in a draw.<\/p>\n So, what is Asian handicap in betting? It won’t surprise you to learn that this form of handicap takes its name from the style of handicap betting that is popular in Asia<\/a>. It is identical to the form of handicap betting we outlined in our Manchester United v Everton example at the start of this article apart from one important difference – a draw once the handicap is applied results in a push.<\/p>\n Asian handicaps can be whole goals, half goals or quarter goals. With whole goals, a draw results in a push and your stake is returned. With half goals, draws are not possible. With quarter goals, a draw (when the nearest whole goal handicap is applied) results in half your stake being returned, or half your stake being lost depending upon the result.<\/p>\n The final type of handicap betting we are going to take a look at is alternative handicap betting. Bookmakers with only usually offer one ‘normal’ handicap bet, with the goal handicap (usually one goal) being set by them. If you want to explore alternative handicaps, then you can.<\/p>\n Going back to our England U21 v Germany U21 example, bet365 were offering a number of alternative handicaps. These ranged from England being given a -2 goal handicap at odds of 12.00, to Germany being given a -3 goal handicap at 26.00. If you are unhappy with the normal handicap bet offered by a site, you can investigate alternative handicap betting odds instead.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n When it comes to handicap betting strategies, the most effective approach is to analyse team or player performance and identify situations where a significant difference in skill or form exists. By taking advantage of a positive handicap you can back the underdog who receives a ‘fake’ head start, increasing their chances of ‘winning’. This strategy is particularly useful when a strong team faces a weaker opponent, as it provides an opportunity for the underdog to be wagered upon.<\/p>\n Conversely, negative handicaps can be advantageous when betting on favourites. If a team is expected to win convincingly, assigning them a handicap can boost the odds and provide a more attractive betting opportunity. However, careful consideration is crucial, as there is always a risk of the favoured team ‘winning’ once the handicap has been applied.<\/p>\n Additionally, researching team news, injuries, and playing conditions is vital in handicap betting. These factors can significantly impact a team or individual’s performance, making it essential to stay updated with the latest information. This strategy is particularly effective if a usual top tier team or individual is not performing or not expected to perform to their usual levels.<\/p>\n Naturally, football<\/a> is the number one sport for handicap betting. The handicap of goals scored is very easy to apply to football games. There are other sports where handicap betting can be applied, and we will now take a look at a few of them.<\/p>\n Handicap betting is the most popular form of betting in the US by far, although in the US it is known as ‘spread betting’ (not to be confused with the UK version of spread betting<\/a>, which is very different) or ‘betting on the spread’. It is applied to all four major US sports (American football, basketball, baseball and (ice) hockey) and is used to level the playing field to make betting on the winner more challenging. In the UK you can ‘bet on the spread’ in the same way in US sports.<\/p>\n Tennis<\/a> is another excellent sport for handicap betting as with most tennis games, the better player usually wins. Handicap betting therefore brings the two players closer together in terms of ability. The match handicap is usually in terms of games won, which ignores the actual score. So, if Player A was to beat Player B 6-3 0-6 7-6, when it comes to the handicap Player B would be determined as the winner, 15 games to 13, depending on the handicap once applied.<\/p>\n Handicap betting in rugby league is also popular with handicap betting aficionados. Normal (2-way) handicap betting is usually available, as is 3-way handicap betting. The handicap that’s offered will be in terms of points but works in the same way as goal handicaps do in football. Handicap betting is also offered in rugby union, but it is not as popular.<\/p>\n Most sports, and even eSports<\/a>, can be offered up for handicap betting, but the scope of handicap betting on offer depends on the bookmaker offering betting on those sports.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Calculating handicap betting odds is no different from calculating the odds<\/a> of any other type of sports bet – you just have to make sure that you remember to apply the handicap when the event you have bet on has concluded!<\/p>\n![\"handicap](\"https:\/\/bettingsites.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/handicap-betting.png\" "\\"handicap")
<\/p>\n![\"handicap](\"https:\/\/bettingsites.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/handicap-betting-2.png\" "\\"handicap")
<\/p>\n![\"handicap](\"https:\/\/bettingsites.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/handicap-betting-3.png\" "\\"handicap")
<\/p>\nTypes of Handicap Bets<\/h2>\n
3 Way Handicap Betting<\/h3>\n
Goal Handicap in Betting<\/h3>\n
Asian Handicap<\/h3>\n
Alternative Handicap Betting<\/h3>\n
Handicap Betting Strategies<\/h2>\n
Best Sports for Handicap Betting<\/h2>\n
US Sports<\/h3>\n
Tennis<\/h3>\n
Rugby League<\/h3>\n
Calculating Handicap Odds<\/h2>\n