What is Handicap Betting: A Sportsbook Guide

What is Handicap Betting

Before heading to some of the best online sports betting Malaysia sites, we suggest you figure out what is handicap betting first. For a quick summary, handicap betting offers one team with a goal disadvantage (for example -0.5, -1, or 1.5) in betting purposes. It can make the games with a superior team more equal and interesting to bet on. 

In addition, a team must score more goals than their handicap to win a bet in the game. In this guide, we will explain to you detailed information about this term with the purpose to help you increase the winning. So, prepare carefully until it finishes. 

What is Handicap Betting Actually?

What is handicap betting? It is a way for the bookmakers to make a sporting contest a more even event. Meanwhile, the official definition of handicap is ‘a condition that makes progress or success difficult’. The bookmakers give one choice in an event a ‘handicap’ that they must overcome to win. 

This is especially the case while one team is far superior to the other one. To level the playing fields, the bookmakers will offer more odds than just win/draw/lose and offer a handicap bet on 1 team having to meet specific criteria for you punt to land. 

To give more understanding about what is handicap betting, let’s break away from reality rapidly to give a clear example. Imagine if you soon will, that Manchester City were playing Sheffield United, the odds on City winning will be 1/40, whereas the odds on Sheffield winning will be 40/1. 

Hmm…. Doesn’t sound like a bet you are wished for? Well, what if we spiced up and told you that City had to beat Sheffield by a mere 4 goals at odds of events for you punt to win? Of course, we thought as much, now read on so you can be a master in handicap betting. 

The Football Season Handicap Betting

Have you got the point on what is handicap betting? Well, we will move on…

The football season handicap betting is only accessible before the season starts as it relies on each team being given a handicap before a ball is kicked. In addition, every team’s handicap is according to how likely they are to win the league. 

Then, if we were to have a look at the season of 2019/2020 Premier League, the front runners, Manchester City, were given a handicap of scratch, whereas the team is likely to be downgraded after a good start, however, you get the idea. 

Simultaneously, if anyone is at all interested, Derby Country will have needed a handicap of +77 in the 2007/2008 season, when they calculated a staggering and record low points of 11 all season after Manchester United won with 87. 

The NFL Handicap Betting

To know more what is handicap betting, NFL handicap betting in the NFL market is possibly the most popular as far as handicap betting goes around the world. Perhaps, that has to do with its simplicity.

For example:

There is very little to be worried of here even if the NFL handicap markets can look a little intimidating. Somewhat like Manchester United under David Moyes, appears dynamic and complex, but extremely easy and simple to figure out. 

So, let’s assume that the Dallas Cowboys as -4.5 point favorites and you bet on it, it means if you subtract 4.5 from the Cowboys’ final results and they still have more points, you win your bet. 

Otherwise, if you choose to take the handicap bet on the outsiders who are the Bears, of +4.5, you will win your bet only if the Chicago teams’ final result with 4.5 added onto it is greater than that of the Cowboys. Until now, have you got the idea about what is handicap betting?

The Rugby Handicap Betting

Now, we move to what is handicap betting in the case of a rugby game. Similar to the NFL handicap betting, rugby follows an almost identical blueprint when you will be given odds of 1 team winning or losing by a specific amount of points. 

Let’s take an example of Wales vs France in the Rugby World Cup 2019. Wales were given a handicap of -5 in the game It means that any punter taking this handicap bet would need Wales to win by 5 points or more. On the other hand, the French were at +5 that means if they won or lost by less than 5 points, you would lose the bet if you had gone with Wales at -5. 

With that example, the +5 bet on French will have landed after Wales scraped home 20-19. We should thank to what the French will call a rather questionab;e interpretation of the knock-on rule by South African referee Jaco Peyper. In addition, Any South Africans holidaying in France in the future might want to have an excellent American accent.

The Asian Handicap Betting

What is handicap betting in Asia, it gets its name from a popular betting type that exists in, will you believe it, yes Asia? It is a football betting type market that is created to level playing fields as all handicap bets do. Crucially, it makes draws null and void that lowers the match to 2 possible results, win or lose, by offering the number of goals a team starts with as 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and so on. 

Then, if Manchester City plays Everton, City will be at -3.5 and Everton at +3.5. It means that if Pep Guardiola‘s team finished as the winners with 5-1 score, a player who bet on City -3.5 Asian Handicap will win. In addition, it has to be said, Manchester City winning 3.5 goals on the Asian Handicap that makes up the 3 certainties in life. Now, we assume you have understood what is handicap betting.

Final Thoughts

To sum up about what is handicap betting, it is a fascinating way to bet on sports because it gives teams advantages or disadvantages, which levels the playing field. Understanding the specifics of each betting type, whether it be Asian Handicap, NFL, rugby, or football, improves one’s chances of placing right bets. 

Learning about all of these strategies not only makes sports betting more exciting, but it also may lead to profitable results. Handicap betting offers enthusiasts a chance to go further into the world of sports betting with confidence and skill, but mastering it takes patience, strategy, and a deep understanding of the sport.