What are handicap bets?

 

Handicap betting is common in point-based sports such as soccer, basketball, rugby, and tennis but is also frequently used in racing, particularly horse racing.

 

Handicap bets affect the way the odds are presented, and it is important to understand this type of bet to be able to interpret those odds and place effective handicap bets.

 

What are handicap bets?

 

Also called line betting, spread points or points betting, handicap betting is a process through which a bookmaker changes a sporting event, in which there is a variety of odds, in a clash of more even odds (money even) between the competitors, giving a virtual advantage or disadvantage to certain participants to equalize the match.

 

In point-based sports, a more even odds match, or money even, is often created simply by adding points to the bottom player.

 

For example, if Real Madrid were favorites to beat Rayo Vallecano, the bookmaker could give Rayo a 0-2 handicap advantage.

 

If you place a handicap bet that Real Madrid win but they only win 1-0, you will lose your bet due to the handicap that has been applied in favor of Rayo (0-2). In fact, in the face of the bookmaker, Real Madrid lost the game 1-2.

 

Keep in mind that in this type of bet, the handicap only applies to the selection you are betting on.

 

Similarly, for example, you could place a handicap bet on a match between Spain and Brazil. If the bookmaker has applied a 3-0 handicap and you place a bet on Spain's victory, your bet will be a winner even if Brazil wins the match 0-2; since for the bookmaker Spain they would have won 3-2 in that virtual handicap.

 

How do handicaps appear on the web?

 

Using the example above about Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, the handicap bets are presented as follows:

 

Real Madrid (-2) at odds 2.0

 

Draw with handicap (-1) at odds 4.0

 

Rayo Vallecano (+2) at odds 3.0

 

If the match ended with a 1-0 result in favor of Real Madrid and you had bet on the victory of Real Madrid in that handicap market, you would not win your bet. Real Madrid would have needed to score at least the same number of goals indicated in the handicap market for your bet to be a winner.

 

If you bet on a draw with handicap, you could win your bet if Real Madrid win by the exact margin specified in the handicap. When betting on a draw with handicap, it is the margin of victory that is important, rather than the number of goals scored.

 

If you bet on the victory of Rayo Vallecano, you would win your bet since, facing the bookmaker, Rayo won the match 1-2.

 

If the sportsbook thinks that the competitors of the sporting event are even, you might see the English term 'scratch' (sometimes referred to as 'scr') instead of handicap markets. This means that no handicaps would be applied in that event and that, in fact, the winners are seen on equal terms by the bookmaker.

 

Handicap betting without a draw

 

Handicap betting exists to make sports matchups with a clear favorite more interesting for those who have fun gambling.

 

To this end, many bookmakers offer no-tie match bets so that there is a guaranteed winner for the bet, regardless of the actual outcome of the match.

 

The way the no-tie handicap is established is by giving half handicap points to certain teams.

 

For example, in a league match between Celta de Vigo and Villarreal, the bookmaker has given Celta a handicap of +1.5 and you place a bet that Celta de Vigo win.

 

The match ends in 2-3 in favor of Villarreal but thanks to your handicap of +1.5, your bet is a winner since, for the bookmaker, the final result has been 3.5 - 3 in favor of Celta .

 

Also, for the bookmaker, it would have been impossible for your bet to have ended in a draw, as half goals cannot be scored in soccer.

 

Again, it is important to note that in handicap betting, the handicap only applies to the selection you are betting on.

 

League Handicap Betting

 

One of the most popular forms of handicap is league handicap bets through which you can place a handicap bet on a team's performance throughout the season.

 

In this mode, you place a bet at the beginning of the season based on a selection of odds that establish different handicaps on all teams in that division. The 'scratch' (scr), or zero handicap, is applied to the favorites of that league. The rest of the teams will have a handicap based on the expectations of the bookmaker about their possible performance. Therefore, greater handicap advantages are given to the teams considered weaker to equalize the competition.

 

Unlike in match handicap bets, where the handicap is applied only to the selection you have bet on to calculate the outcome of the bet once the match is over, in league handicap bets you need to apply the respective handicaps to all teams in the division you are betting on to calculate the result at the end of the season.

 

When all the handicaps have been applied, the final table of the league, facing the bookmaker, is reordered and you can find out if your bet was a winner .

 

Asian handicap betting

 

A variant of handicap betting popularized in Asia includes handicaps with a range between a whole number and said number plus 0.5 (1 - 1.5; 2 - 2.5 - 3.5; etc) so that draws are not possible. It is similar to no tie handicap betting.

 

The fundamental difference in Asian handicap bets is the ability to split the handicaps, so your selection can have one handicap that is a whole number and another that is half a number. Example:

 

Real Madrid (-1; -1.5) against Rayo Vallecano (+1; +1.5).

 

In this example, Real Madrid needs to win the game by two goals clearly for the market to be a winner due to the handicaps applied.

 

But if Real Madrid win by one goal, then the whole handicap number would result in a draw, while the half handicap would give Rayo Vallecano victory. You would still receive half the amount wagered (not the winnings, just half the money you bet) if you placed a bet on Madrid's victory, while anyone who bet on Rayo's victory would receive half the amount wagered and the other half would be paid as winnings, at the quota established by the bookmaker.

 

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