In this betting tutorial, I am going to explain what you need to understand about Asian handicaps. If you are akin to becoming a professional gambler, it is imperative that you get to grips with this form of betting!
ASIAN HANDICAP BETTING EXPLAINED
Did you know? Asian handicap odds are more competitive than traditional odds. In fact, once you understand the logic, the value aspect becomes instantly clear.
ADVANTAGES – ASIAN HANDICAPS
As with daily exercise, Asian handicap takes discipline! Nevertheless, it is worth the effort for the following reasons:
1. Low Juice betting. The average takeout of an Asian handicap is 1.5 to 2.5%, and that can be squeezed by having multiple (competition) accounts.
2. Bigger betting limits. On match day, it is possible to bet $30K in one hit on EPL and other top football leagues. Top sports equal high limits!
3. Bookmakers are less likely to limit or close winning accounts. In fact, many Asians operate a winner’s welcome policy.
4. Services include. Amalgamated odds betting platforms. Get the best bookmaker/exchange odds with just one click.
5. Broker service. Place your order and let someone else do the bet placement.
6. Asian handicaps reduce the number of chances to two. This is the easiest way to trade odds!
7. Agent accounts give a degree of anonymity, and they protect professional punters from bookmakers latching on!
8. Single wallet solution. Your agent/broker can move funds between platforms.
ASIAN HANDICAP BETTING EXPLAINED – WHAT IS ASIAN HANDICAP BETTING
An Asian handicap is a form of spread betting that essentially removes the tie. It involves levelling the imbalance for the purpose of betting.
By design, the favourite is asked to cover (minus) the handicap, whereas the outsider is given a head start. The bigger the favourite (shorter odds), the bigger the handicap. For example:
The Pinnacle 1X2 odds for Manchester City (home) versus Fulham (away) is 1.14 – 10.00 – 22.00. To balance the betting, the bookmaker makes Manchester City -2.5 goals and Fulham +2.5 goals. Any minor imbalance is adjusted within the odds and in this case 2.02 and 1.90.
For the purpose of settling:
If MC win by 3 goals or more goals, they cover the handicap. However, if Fulham wins, draw, or avoid losing by 3 or more goals, they cover.
For example, if the scoreline ended 3-1 (2 goal difference) to Manchester City, those who bet Fulham (+2,5) would have won the bet. However, if City win by 3 goals or more, they are the betting winner.
Such handicaps can be applied to other sports. In a recent NFL game, the money line odds Texans 7.00 vs Eagles 1.13. Based on those odds, the handicap was +13.5 Texans and -13.5 Eagles.
The bookmakers offer under/over (totals) lines based on the same theory. For the NFL match mentioned above, the line was 45 points.
For the record, the Eagles won 17-29 (12 points), but they failed to cover the 13.5-point spread. The total amount of points was 46, meaning those who bet over 45 won the bet!
While Asian handicaps originated from Football betting, the same is now applied to other sports. Consequently, Tennis, Golf, Cricket, NFL, Basketball, MLB, Ice Hockey, Handball, E-sports, Rugby and Aussie Rules are offered using a similar method.
FOOTBALL ASIAN HANDICAPS EXPLAINED
Matches are handicapped in halves, quarters, and round number intervals. Since the halves are a definitive number, they eliminate the possibility of a push (void bet). For instance, betting on the team with -0.5 is the same as betting on the win. Whereas, +0.5 is a double chance, meaning the win & draw are coupled.
With betting -1.5, the favourite needs to win by two goals or more. Alternately, betting +1.5 gives three options, which are win, draw, or don’t lose by more than one goal. For 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5, take a look at the chart.
As for whole numbers, +/-0 is the same as ‘’draw no bet’’. If the match ends in a draw, the bet is a push and the stakes are returned. With +1, bets are void if the team bet loses by exactly one goal. In this instance, drawing or winning means the bet won. However, the bet is lost if they lose by two or more goals.
The quarter ball is a split bet. For example, betting 100 on a -0.25 handicap is the equivalent of betting 50 @ +/-0 (draw no bet), and 50 @ -0.5. If the team wins, the bet is won in full. If the match ends in a draw, half of the bet (-0.5) is lost while the other half (+/-0) is a push (50 refunded). The bet is lost if the team loses.
Meanwhile, +0.25 is split into 50 @ +0.5 (double chance) and the other 50 @ +/-0 (draw no bet). If the match was drawn and the odds were 2.00, half the bet won (100) and the other half is a push (50). For the 100 bets, 150 would be returned.
For +0.75 the consolation is 50 @ +0.5 and 50 @ +1. A draw or win would make the bet a winner in full. If the team lost by 1 goal, half the bet is lost and the other half (50) is void.
At -0.75, the bet would be 50@ -0.5 (win) and the other 50 @ -1. For the bet to win in full, the team would need to win by two goals or more. If they won by a 1-goal difference, half the bet would be won and the other half void.
Take a look at the chart for a clear understanding, and memorise the numbers!
ASIAN HANDICAPS – BOOKMAKERS & EXCHANGES
Traditional Asian handicap bookmakers include Pinnacle, IBC, ISN, Singbet and SBO. Most professional punters access these accounts through betting agents.
Betting exchanges are another possibility, with all of Betfair, Betdaq, Matchbook and Smarkets offering clients Asian handicap betting. While lesser known in Europe & the US, there are a number of Asian-facing betting exchanges. Also, there is a bunch of agent platforms offering the best-amalgamated odds, with 3ET, VBet, & Molly Black to name a few.
Over the years, most European bookmakers added Asian handicaps to their offerings. Tip, if you cross-check through standard lines, it won’t take long to see the betting value!
On that note, all of Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, Unibet, Betfred, BetVictor, 888sport, Betsson, Marathonbet, and 10bet have immersed themselves in offering Asian handicaps.
OTHER SPORTS
For the sake of clarity, the rules of settling bets will depend on individual sports. It is important that you understand bookmaker rules before betting.
Take into account that most US sports (NBA, MLB, NBA, and College games) include overtime. For example, if an NFL game was offered at Team A -4 points and team B +4 points, the total was 46 points!
If the game ended 22-22 at the end of normal time, but after overtime, the result was 29-22. For the sake of settling, Team A covered the line, and the total (51) points are over (46). While punters who bet the other way can deem themselves unlucky, the rule is clear!
In tennis handicap (game) betting, the only thing that counts is the numbers. A person betting the favourite at -2.5 (games) who was defeated 6/0 6/7 6/7 would have still won the bet. After all, the totals equalled 18-14.
CREATE BETTER ASIAN HANDICAP ODDS
This is something I teach within specialised one-on-one coaching, and you can find details here.
For a professional punter, getting every ounce of juice out of betting odds is the challenge. While there are many ways to go about creating better odds, one of them is to convert traditional 1X2 lines into handicaps.
In a recent conversation, I showed a client how to get nearly 8 pips more out of a Football bet. The best odds in Asia for Degerfors +/-0 (draw no bet) was 1.88. However, by placing 26.1 (of a 100 total stake) on the draw at odds of 3.83 with Pinnacle, we had covered the ‘’draw no bet’’ (100 returned) With the remaining 73.9, the client was able to bet with another bookmaker Degerfors to win @ 2.65 = 1.958 odds.
If you are ready to sharpen your betting & improve your wealth, get in touch – admin@betting-analyst.com.
PS – All levels (understanding beginner to full-time pro) – This is a FEE-based service and is only available to suitable clients.
THE BEST 10 COUNTRIES FOR PROFESSIONAL SPORTS-BETTING – Go watch and subscribe? (Youtube).