What is Asian handicap?
An Asian Handicap (named so simply because of its Eastern origins) is a gambling term used to describe spread betting in soccer that has gained popularity over the years.
Asian Handicap is one of the most popular forms of betting. Handicap means that one team is given head start, so they have virtual lead in the game with 1/2 goal, 1/4 goal, 3/4 goal, 1 goal, etc. Asian Handicap eliminates a possibility of a draw in a soccer match. Handicap given on one team should make this game tie, so there will be equal number of punters on each side.
In other words, Asian Handicap is a form of betting where the perceived weaker team (or underdog) is given a number of goals head start. Conversely, the team perceived to be superior (the favourite) is penalised or “handicapped” an equal number of goals in an attempt to make the two teams equal for betting purposes.
The favourite has to overcome the handicap, and will have it taken away from its final score. The handicap for the favourite is preceded by a minus (-). The underdog is given a ‘head-start’, and will have it added to its final score. The handicap for the underdog is preceded by a plus (+).
The wider the gap between the two teams, the greater the number of goals head start is given to the weaker team. If the two teams on-field ability is considered to be approximately equal, no handicap is given to either team.
Football (called soccer in the US and Canada) is one of the few sports in the world where a tie is a fairly common outcome. With traditional fixed odds, ties are treated as an additional outcome to the game. In other words, bettors lose when they place a wager on either team to win and the game ties. With Asian Handicaps, however, the chance for a tie is eliminated by use of a handicap that forces a winner. This creates a situation where each team has a 50-50 chance of winning; similar to the odds for a basketball or baseball game where a tie is impossible.
This system works in a straight-forward manner. The bookmakers’s goal is to create a handicap or “line” that will make the chance of either team winning (considering the handicap) as close to 50% as possible. Since the odds are as close to 50% as possible, bookmakers offer payouts close to even money, or 1.90 to 2.00.