Asian Handicap Betting: What Is It and How Does It Work?
Even though Asian handicap betting is extremely popular, the vast majority of UK punters have no idea what it is all about which is a great shame because it is a great form of betting and once you get the hang of it, you may find that the various Asian handicap betting sites will become your number one port of call when it comes to placing your bets.
You probably already realise this, but the Asian betting market is absolutely huge, massive bets placed across a large number of markets is commonplace and Asian handicap betting is now available on the vast majority of quality UK betting sites.
Asian Handicap and Handicap Draw Betting
In answer to the question, what is Asian handicap betting, it is basically a form of betting where the draw is removed when placing a football bet but as you are about to learn, you can still place a bet on the draw.
The best way to have Asian handicap explained is that there are basically two types of Asian Handicap betting, and they are half goals (0.5, 1.5) and whole goals (0,1,2).
With the half goal handicap, there has to be a winner in the same way that you have to have a winner in the over/under goals market (1.5. 2.5 etc.).
With the whole goal Asian handicap, if the result is still a draw even after the handicap has taken place, the stake or a percentage of it is refunded.
The best way to describe this is to look at an example.
Manchester City are playing Newcastle United and if this matched was priced up using traditional odds there would be three options available to bet on if you simply wanted to bet on the outcome of the match.
That would be Manchester City to win, Newcastle United to win or the draw.
In the Asian Handicap market, the draw is removed, and a handicap is assigned to each one of the possible results.
Because Manchester City are the favourites the Asian handicap would look something like this:
- Manchester City –1.5
- Newcastle United +1.5
What this basically means is that because Manchester City are the favourites, Newcastle are given a one, and a half goal head start, and if you backed Manchester City on this Asian handicap market, they would have to win by two clear goals for you to collect.
If you backed Newcastle United to win on this Asian Handicap market, if they lost the match by only one goal, your bet would still be a winning one because you had a one and a half goal head start.
You obviously also have the added advantage of also being on a winning bet if the match ends in a draw.
The above example is the most basic form of Asian Handicap betting, but it will give you a great idea of how it all works.
Asian Handicap Betting on an Exchange
Without wishing to overwhelm you with the different types of Asian handicap betting, there is also a thriving Asian handicap market on the various betting exchanges such as Betfair.
The liquidity is high enough to ensure that you can take advantage of this form of betting but what makes it even more interesting is that you can also lay Asian handicap bets.
The method of betting is probably more suited to those punters who take their betting seriously, but the main piece of advice regarding betting on the Asian handicap markets on Betfair etc. is to make sure that you understand the Asian handicap betting terminology because it can get a little confusing when you are laying these bests in instead of backing them.
What Are the Best Asian Handicap Betting Sites?
If you carry out a simple Google search for the ‘best Asian handicap betting sites’ you will come across sportsbooks that you will have never heard of before and unless you can speak Chinese, these are sportsbooks which you won’t be doing business with for the sole reason that you won’t understand what an earth is going on.
We have already mentioned that Asian handicap betting is big business in countries like China and it is common knowledge that the Chinese are renowned for placing large bets on these markets so, with that in mind, some of the most reputable Asian handicap sportsbooks cater for the Chinese market only.
Don’t let that worry you though because most of the UK sportsbooks that you will be familiar with offer Asian handicap betting, so if you want to get involved in this type of betting you will have plenty of options that are open for you to place your bets.
If you had to choose one UK sportsbook for your Asian handicap betting requirements though, it would have to be bet365.
There are many reasons for this choice so apart from the fact that bet365 offer a fantastic all-round betting experience, in terms of Asian handicap betting they offer twelve handicap betting lines and with the exception of Marathonbet who offer nine, this completely blows away the competition who average around three or four.
They also offer European handicap betting, which is great for those punters who have an active interest in the highly competitive European football markets.
Don’t Walk Before You Can Run
There is no doubt that Asian handicap betting can prove to be extremely profitable for those punters who know what they are doing, but it is tempting for some punters who are not familiar with this kind of betting to take a quick look, realise that they could make some great profits and then jumping straight in, risking more money than they can realistically afford to lose.
There is lots of free information out there for those that are asking, how does handicap betting work, and the best way to learn about Asian handicap betting is to start betting with extremely small stakes so that it won’t matter to you if you make a mistake in some way.
Asian handicap betting is not like spread betting where you can lose more than your initial stake, so start small and build up as you get the hang of it.
The great thing is though, even though you should know exactly what you are doing before you place an Asian handicap bet, the learning curve is not particularly difficult so it won’t be long before you know exactly what you are doing.
Asian Handicap Betting Sites and Matched Betting
If you have an interest in matched betting it may be a good idea to look at the opportunities which Asian handicap betting can offer because by using Asian handicap betting to match out bonuses and promotions, it is easier to stay under the radar as opposed to betting on more obvious opportunities on the tradition football betting markets for example.
You will also find that it is usually possible to match out a qualifying bet or bonus for a smaller loss than when betting on the more common markets, and that is the aim of every matched bettor as it will ensure that a greater percentage of any bonus is retained.
Should You Get Involved with Asian Handicap Betting?
The answer to the question of should you get involved with Asian handicap betting has to be a resounding yes.
It doesn’t really matter what kind of punter you are, a matched bettor or someone who enjoys making speculative bets and it doesn’t matter if you are someone who just places recreational bets or someone who is a pro punter, Asian handicap betting will offer you so many opportunities to make a profit from your betting activities.
As already mentioned, though, it is so important that you take the time to understand exactly how Asian handicap betting works.
If you have never placed a bet of this nature before it can all seem to be a little bit confusing when placing a bet for the first time but it is one of those types of betting which will just ‘click’ with you when you have looked at a few examples.
Many punters will try Asian handicap betting for the first time and instantly realise what a great method of betting this is, and from then on, use Asian handicap betting as their betting method of choice.
If you have ever wondered what does handicap mean in betting, you now know, so it is up to you if you are going to get involved or if you are going to ask yourself what is alternative Asian handicap.
The best advice would be to take a look at the Asian handicap betting options at a sportsbook such as bet365, place a few very small bets and see what you think.
The chances are that Asian handicap betting will be something which could revolutionise your betting.
