What is Handicap Betting? Tips, Strategies and Real-Life Examples
Handicap betting is popular globally, especially for lovers of football, rugby, basketball, tennis, American football, and surprisingly, exports too. Most professional bettors prefer this bet type for matches and events where one team clearly has the advantage. However, if you're new to punting, you may be finding it difficult to understand handicap meaning in betting. The short answer is that it's a betting market that tries to balance the difference between two unequally matched teams.
In this article, we go fully into the details, explaining the types, variations, and workings of this bet type. You'll also see how to properly place a handicap bet, and tips to help you place your bets, and how to avoid taking serious losses as a beginner bettor.
What is handicap betting?
In sports betting, a handicap is used to give a team a virtual advantage or disadvantage, especially where there's a significant skill/popularity gap between both teams. The stronger team starts with a -1 number, while the leader team starts with a +1 number. What a handicap in betting does is make the results less predictable and the odds more attractive.
How does handicap work?
Imagine for a moment that Manchester United is about to play against Leicester in the English Premier League. Clearly, Manchester is the bigger team and has the most likelihood of winning the game outright. While Leicester is the underdog and will most probably lose the match. Now, if you place traditional bet types in this game, the payout will be very little because the outcome is almost a foregone conclusion.
The bookmaker then introduces handicap betting to make things more exciting. So it goes something like this:
- Manchester United: -2.5
- Leicester: +2.5
If you wagered on Manchester United, then they have to win the match with more than 2.5 goals for your ticket to win the bet. But if you wagered on Leicester, they must lose by less than 2.5 goals for you to win. Now, at the end of the match, the bookmaker does the calculations to determine which side won the bet. So if the match’s final score is: Man U 4:1 Leicester.
Players who staked on Manchester -2.5 will have a winning ticket. For Leicester +2.5 tickets to win, Leicester must win the match, lose with less than 2.5 goals, or draw the match. i.e., the final score has to be something like this:
- Man U 2:1 Leicester
- Man U 2:2 Leicester
Beyond balancing out the differences, it's a way to add a heavy dose of excitement to a match that might have been lacking before because it decreases the probability of a draw. Since a team cannot win by .5 odds, the final outcome of the bet is more decisive; thus, there's hardly a draw. It also increases the odds by high margins by attaching conditions to the perimeters of winning and losing. Where betting on an outright win may have odds of 1.00 or 1.10, football handicap betting usually has odds of 2.00 and above.
Basic Types of Handicap Bets
Now that you know what handicap is in betting, let's look into the major types of this bet type in the gambling industry. There are two: European and Asian handicaps. While the end goal of both is generally the same, they function differently and have slightly different rules.
European (Three-way) handicap
Also known as the three-way handicap, this type doesn't seem to have two absolute outcomes, i.e., win or lose; it is more welcoming to draws. It does this by using whole numbers instead of decimals to give an advantage or disadvantage to teams. So you'll usually see something like these in the odds:
- +2/handicap 0:2 meaning that the away team has been given a two-goal advantage
- +4/handicap 0:4 meaning that it's a four-goal advantage for the away team.
But in the end, there are three final outcomes: win, lose, and draw, which is also known as 'push', and you can place bets on all three. Let's say you staked on Manchester -1 and they end up winning the match by exactly 1 goal; it's considered a draw, and your initial stake will be returned to you.
Asian handicap
Unlike the European variant, there are only two possible outcomes in an Asian handicap: win or lose. The second significant difference is that it uses decimals to ensure that there's no room for draws. Lots of experienced gamblers love this bet type because it's more decisive than the three-way handicap. Here, you get options like a handicap -1.5 meaning that the favourite team must win by more than 1 goal.
However, there's an option called the Split Asian handicap. It has odds like -1.25, +1.75, and +2.25. Here, your bet is split into two parts. Let's assume you wagered on Manchester United -1.25, and then Man U ends up winning by 2+ goals; you've won the entire stake. But if they win by exactly 1 goal, you'll lose half of the bet and have the other half returned to you (like the European handicap draw). All of this is meant to ensure that the final result tilts towards a definite loser and winner. Nevertheless, there's also an Asian handicap 0.5 meaning that half a goal can be added to or subtracted from a team.
In summary, the differences are best represented in this table.
European | Asian |
|---|---|
Uses whole numbers | Makes use of decimal numbers |
Has three possible outcomes | Only has two outcomes |
Focused on balancing the odds | More focused on eliminating draws |
It's simpler to understand | Sometimes more complex, especially with split handicaps |
Simple Betting Strategies
In addition to understanding the handicap meaning in betting, you also have to arm yourself with strategies that'll be useful to you when you stake in this bet type. The easiest way to do this is by understanding the current position of your favourite teams in the league tables and studying the team form and their recent performances. This gives you the leverage of knowing which top clubs are best for -2.5 handicaps and which of the underdogs will likely perform better for +1 handicaps.
After studying the 2024/2025 league tables, for instance, our experts have come to the conclusion that clubs like Napoli, PSG, Chelsea, and Tottenham FC will most likely perform better for -1 handicaps. This is because these teams consistently won matches by a margin of 2 or more goals. Teams like Crystal Palace and Liverpool, on the other hand, show more promising signs for +1 handicaps.
Handicaps Across Different Sports
The basic idea of handicaps is the same across the board, but the application changes depending on which sport you're betting on. Let's take a look at the most popular ones.
Football
We have mostly used football matches to break down the concept of handicaps in this article, so you probably have a good idea of what handicap football betting is all about. It's simply about giving a goal advantage or disadvantage to a team. The stronger team starts off with a -1 (or any number) handicap, meaning that they have to win the game with at least two goals. The weaker team is always given a + handicap to balance the odds favorably. On some bookies, you may see something like a handicap 0:3 meaning that the away team is weaker and has been given the advantage to balance the odds favorably.
eSports
Unlike football betting handicaps, eSports is more varied and deals with + and - on maps, rounds, and kills. So let's take the Best of 3 series in popular titles like DOTA2 and League of Legends; a strong team might have a -1.5 map handicap option. If you pick this, it means that the team must win at least 2 maps at the end of the round. For shooting games like CS:GO, however, you'll mostly find +/-1.5 rounds, which focus on how many rounds a team wins or loses instead.
Tennis
Tennis is the only sport on this list where you can place handicaps on entire games instead of goals or kills. You can bet on a -3.5 game handicap for a strong player and get a good win if the player wins at least 4 games overall. You can equally wager on set handicaps in tennis, which gives +/- how many games in a set a player needs to win or lose.
How to place a handicap bet online
As a beginner who has just learned handicap meaning in football and other eligible sports, it's natural to want to try your luck at it. Since practice is the best way to learn, here's our expert step-by-step guide to placing your first handicap bet online:
- Choose a fully licensed sportsbook if you aren't already registered on one, and create an account. You can make your pick from the list of betting sites on this page.
- Fund your account by depositing some money on the cashier section of the bookmaker
- Go to the sports page to see the available fixtures in eligible sports like football and tennis. Then tap on a match to see the betting markets and odds
- Select the handicap market, where you'll find European and Asian handicap betting odds. Simply pick the market you want to start adding odds to your bet slip
- Ensure you read the rules on the page to know what happens if it's a draw
- Enter your stake amount on the bet slip and place the bet
- Monitor the match to know the outcome, and once your stake is settled, cash out your winnings if you have any
Tips for Beginners: How to Avoid Mistakes
It's unavoidable that you'll make mistakes even after fully understanding betting handicap meaning. Lucky for you, these beginner tips that our team has thoughtfully put together can reduce the likelihood of mistakes occurring.
- Don't mix up the + and - signs. When you see a minus sign, the team is starting at a disadvantage. When you see a + sign, it's starting with an advantage.
- Always read the rules before you place your bet since there are two distinct types. If you want an option for a draw, ensure you're going with the European option.
- Double-check your bet lines before staking, especially if you're betting on Asian handicaps. The decimals are often identical, i.e., 1.25, 1.5, 1.0, etc., but there's a huge difference between these identical numbers, and it can change the outcome of your bet.
- Start with small handicaps. As a beginner, +/-1 goal is a good place to start with most matches. You can go for higher numbers when you understand the market and teams better.
How to Avoid Losing It All in One Go: Practical Tips
It's easy to get carried away when you start betting, and as a result, many beginners take huge losses. Thankfully, it can be avoided if you apply these practical tips to your betting journey.
- Always set a budget before you start betting and stick to it. The amount should be something that you're comfortable with losing
- Take advantage of responsible gaming tools like deposit limits. It could be a weekly or monthly affair, but the point is to ensure that you don't put in more than you originally budgeted.
- Cut your losses and move on. Losing is a normal part of the staking experience, so it isn't wise to chase losses when they happen. Don't try to stake higher amounts with the hopes of winning big, as this is a surefire way to lose it all.
- Take breaks from time to time, especially when you're on a losing streak.
- Focus on having fun since gambling is primarily for entertainment.
Conclusion
On the surface, handicap betting looks complicated, but once you understand the rules, you can become a pro in no time. Just remember to study the market, read forecasts to know how each team in a league is predicted to perform in the season as this will help you know which should fall under the + or - category in your slip. Also, don't be in a hurry. All good things including fully understanding what handicap betting means takes time. When in doubt, always consult this comprehensive article.
