Asian handicap

The number one appeal for this betting market is the way that it helps to level the playing field between teams/individuals in a sporting fixture.At first, this market can appear a little daunting or complicated, but hopefully our explanation will help explain that it's straight forward, and show you why it's arguably the most popular market amongst professional sports bettors. If you really want to make money from sports betting, a comprehensive understanding of this market is important.

Being able to find value is the most important aspect of sports betting. The traditional 1X2 market (home/draw/away) often leaves you with extra risk. Especially when backing the underdog. Say you price the underdog at 10.00, but they're priced at 13.00, there's value to be had. However, you know the bet is still likely to lose, the risk is still high. With Asian handicap, the underdog is given an advantage that is intended to level the playing field, at least from a betting perspective. Asian handicap creates a genuine two horse race - a line. As a sports bettor, you decide which side of the line you'd like to bet.

Pros of Asian Handicap

• Betting on asian handicap is considered to be one of the best ways for steady betting bank growth and a higher strike rate is more likely than the 1x2 market, especially backing underdogs.
• Asian handicap betting, particularly with asian bookmakers, has the highest limits and best liquidity. You should have no problem betting anything from £0.10 to £1,000,000 at the right bookmaker.

Cons of Asian Handicap

• The lines used are often deemed a bit daunting or confusing to understand, especially with newcomers to sports betting
• Being that asian handicap is so popular and an incredibly liquid market, it can sometimes be hard to find mistakes or value in the lines/odds provided by the bookmakers.

Types of Asian Handicap lines

There are three main types of Asian Handicap lines: half goal, full goal and quarter goal. This is how they work:

Half goal Asian handicap

This is the easiest of the three to understand. Betting on a half goal (either positive or negative) means the bet will either win or lose. If you back the favourite, there'll be a negative line (-0.5, -1.5 and so on). The easiest way to look at this is to know that in order for your bet to win, your team must win by a number of goals greater than the Asian Handicap line. Example: you back Team A -1.5, Team A must win by 2+ for your bet to win.

The underdog is given a positive handicap of half a goal (or 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and so on), in order for your bet on the underdog to win, your team must lose by fewer goals than the asian handicap line. Example: you back Team B +1.5, Team B must not lose by 2 or more for your bet to win (if they win, draw, or lose by one, your bet wins).

Full goal Asian handicap

This Asian handicap line works in a similar way to a half goal Asian handicap line, but there is an added chance of a "push", where your stake is refunded. The line, as the name would suggest is a whole number. The line applied to the favourite can be 0.00, -1.00, -2.00 etc with the opposite number for the underdog. If you were to back a team with a -1.00 Asian handicap, you would need your team to win by 2 or more goals. However, full goal lines work similarly to how the "draw no bet" market works, in that should your team only win by 1 goal, your bet is refunded. Similarly, should you back a team with a +1.00 Asian handicap, and they lose by one, your stake would be refunded.

Quarter goal Asian handicap

This has been left until last as it's the toughest to explain. Once you understand this line, you'll have a strong grasp on one of the best markets available for all sports bettors. Whilst it's quite complex at first glance, it's very logical.

The easiest way to look at a quarter goal Asian handicap is to understand that it effectively splits your bet into two. Whatever your line (say, -0.25), your stake is split between the nearest half goal line (-0.50) and the nearest full goal line (-0.00). Understand that concept, and you'll get along really well with this betting market.

Here's one example: you back Team A -0.25 Asian handicap for £100. Effectively, this bet has become £50 on Team A -0.00 and £50 on team A -0.50. For both parts of the bet to win, Team A must win the game. However, should they draw, you'll see the £50 on the -0.50 line lose, but the £50 on -0.00 refunded. Total = £50, which is often called a "half loss".

Another example (a half win this time): You back Team B +0.25 Asian handicap, again for a £100 stake. This becomes £50 on +0.00 and £50 on +0.50. If Team B win, both parts of the bet win. If Team B lose, both parts of the bet lose. If it ends in a draw, the +0.00 will be refunded to you (no profit), and the +0.50 part wins. This is known as a "half win".