What exactly is an Asian Handicap in betting?

Do you enjoy soccer but find that simple outcomes such as “winning” and “losing” are insufficient while betting? Then Asian Handicap betting might be right for you!

Speaking of Asian Handicap soccer, the phrase was coined in Indonesia to describe hang cheng betting. In 1998, Indonesian bookmaker Joseph Phan enlisted the help of English journalist Joe Saumarez Smith to coin a word to interpret hang cheng betting. Smith realized Phan’s actions were handicapping and concluded that getting creative with the term was not required at all. 

At the moment, betting is an activity that has slowly become an investment rather than something to while away time. Take football for example. 

There is a perceived quality gap between the two opponents in a football match. Several dispositional and situational factors influence the disparity, including:

• Performance over time
• Form
• Financial stability
• Suspensions or injuries playing a part in player availability.

Traders and bookies analyze these factors and use odds – the implied likelihood of winning a game – to indicate each team’s fortunes.

The disparity in perceived ability between the two sides can be enormous, leaving the favorite with low value and small returns on normal 1X2 markets.

By leveling the playing field and eliminating the potential of a draw, Asian Handicap soccer betting markets offset perceived ability bias, resulting in superior odds.

How does Asian Handicap Soccer betting work?

For football traders searching for an alternative to the more typical 1X2, Asian Handicap soccer betting markets are ideal. Here’s a glance at what Asian Handicap betting is, how to place bets on markets, and the advantages of doing so. 

The Asian Handicap betting market seems a bit complicated, but once you get a hang of it, you will have a new perspective on the football trade. In a game of football, bettors in the United States are used to betting on whole or half numbers with point spreads, such as -3 or +7.5. On the Asian Handicap soccer , fractional spreads function the same way, except they split your stake between the two closest half numbers. It’s a more convenient way of indicating that you want your wager split into two spreads. Let’s pretend Italy defeats Turkey 1-0 in the first match of Euro 2020, and we’ll utilize three distinct Asian handicap bets to demonstrate how it works. One bettor wagers $20 on Turkey +1.25, which has odds of -141 on DraftKings. You’re splitting your $20 into two $10 wagers, each with -141 odds (though sportsbooks only make you place the one bet).

Asian Handicaps arose as a result of the low number of goals scored in soccer matches. Bettors wanted a way to indulge in betting without being fully dependent on the Football Gods when it came to goals scored. After 90 minutes, a team can have a dozen or more great scoring chances and yet not find any luck going its way. As a result, Asian Handicap soccer aids in the reduction of part of that variance.

Asian Bet Soccer on a level playing field

When two teams have no perceived ability difference and both start the game with 0 goals, a level Asian Handicap is offered. You’re essentially betting on the game’s overall winner. The difference is that the draw has been removed, thus your stake will be reimbursed if the match ends in a tie. A Draw No Bet market is the same as this. The table below explains how the outcome of a Level Asian Handicap – where neither team has a perceived advantage – influences your reward.

Betting on a single Asian Handicap (Asian Handicap Soccer Chart)

When there is a significant perceived gap in talent between two teams, single Asian handicap betting is perfect. To erase the difference in quality for betting reasons, the better team will be given a goal handicap. They’ll start the game with -0.5, -1, -1.5, and -2 goals, for example.

The table below shows how a Single Asian Handicap outcome affects your reward.

Asian Handicap in betting is split into two parts (quarter goal)

When the difference in ability between the two teams is less defined, a Split Asian Handicap betting market is available. You can split your bet on a team over two handicaps in this market. A favorite team can start the game with (0 and -0.5), (-0.5 and -1), or (-1 and -1.5) goals. Quarter goal Asian Handicaps soccer are another name for these markets, where 0 and -0.5 are listed as -0.25, -0.5 and -1 are published as -0.75, and so on.

The table below shows how a Split Asian Handicap outcome affects your reward: 

Asian Handicap Betting Advantages

You may trade Asian Handicaps in-play, reacting to match specifics, allowing you to trade just like any other football market-making bets before the game or using the Asian Handicap market to obtain maximum profit during the game.

There are also many advantages to betting in Asian Handicap markets:

Depending on the handicap, your bet can win or be canceled even if the team you backed loses. When compared to a 1X2 market, this reduces the danger of losing your wager. The two graphs below, for example, show the winning outcomes of a bet on the underdog to win on the 1X2 market versus a bet on the underdog to cover the + 1.5 goal handicap.

• All experienced bettors prefer Asian Handicaps, which means the market tends to give higher value.
• Because the draw has been abolished, the betting margins are reduced, giving you a better opportunity of making a long-term profit.
• It gives bettors more value on highly favored teams by reducing perceived bias between two teams.

Why is it referred to as an ‘Asian’ Handicap?

Since this method of betting had taken roots in Indonesia and is popular throughout Asia, it is quite fittingly known as the ‘Asian’ Handicap.

This has relevance in betting as well.

You have another option for trading football markets now that you know how to bet on Asian Handicaps. Asian Handicap betting can be a more intelligent approach to trade, allowing you to locate more value and boost your return on investment over time.

Is Betting on the Asian Handicap a Good Idea?

The chance of each outcome is put into the price, just like everything else in sports betting. Other articles on the Asian handicap will claim that it “reduces variation” because soccer is such a low-scoring sport, which may be true, but you’ll always pay for that reduced variance, or whatever other ostensible advantage you’re getting with a different bet type.

For some people, fractional spreads are a terrific option since they assure them of perhaps winning one wager while pushing another.

However, if you don’t accept the security, you’ll get a better deal – Italy is +143 at -1.5 against Turkey, and +108 at -1.25.

Betting fractional spreads like +1.25 or -1.75 instead of +1 or -2 isn’t necessarily better. Prices are constantly taken into account.