Betting on football is big and it’s not surprising. Football is the most popular sport in the world with a huge number of matches being played every day all over the globe. This means that there are plenty of opportunities to be able to bet on football. One of the most exciting ways to play football is with Asian handicap.
Asian Handicap
As the name suggests, this type of game originated in Asia and quickly became the most popular way to play in that part of the world. It took some time for the game to catch on in Europe, but it has grown big since the beginning of this century and is now the most popular way to play football.
Remove tie
With the normal ways of betting on football matches, you have three options: win for the home team, win for the away team and draw. You might be good at working out who will win, but the possibility of a draw can make things a little more difficult than that. This is where Asian Handicap comes in handy. By focusing on the difference between the two teams, Asian Handicap helps eliminate the possibility of a draw altogether.
However, there is another variant of Asian Handicap, namely European Handicap , that is below the drawing.
Here’s how it works
In an Asian Handicap market, the weak team is given an advantage over the strong team to give both teams a theoretically equal chance of winning. This advantage is given in the form of goals or parts of a goal. As the principle is to give both teams an equal chance of winning, their odds will typically be very similar, however it is very important to keep an eye on what you can get back by following the latest Mr Green Asian Handicap markets.
Zero-ball bets
This is the easiest form of handicap to understand. In a zero-ball handicap, both teams are equal, so the given handicap appears as 0:0. In this case, you can bet whichever of the two teams you think will win and in the event of a draw, your bet will be returned.
Whole-ball games
This is the most common type of handicap game. In a whole-ball handicap, a team is given a one-goal advantage. For example, if you bet on Hull +1 in a Premier League match against Arsenal, you will win if Hull wins the match or if the match ends in a draw.
Half-ball bets
A ½ handicap is also known as a ‘half-ball’ handicap and is quite simple. For example, if Arsenal have a ½ handicap advantage in a Premier League match against Chelsea, you simply add half a goal to Arsenal’s final tally and compare with Chelsea’s. The team with the most goals after that will settle the bet and in this type of game a draw is therefore not an option.
Quarter-ball game
In quarter-ball games, your bet is split. For example, if Tottenham stand to be the weaker team in a match against Chelsea, then they may be given an advantage of a quarter of a goal to start. If you bet on Tottenham with this, half of what you bet will go to Tottenham with a quarter-goal handicap, while the rest will go to a zero-ball handicap. If Tottenham win, both bets will go home. If the match ends in a draw, the bet on the quarter handicap will win while half of the bet on the zero-ball handicap will be returned.
Three-quarter-ball bet
These work on the same principle as quarter-ball bets, but this time your stake is split between a half-ball and a whole-ball bet. For example, let’s say Tottenham have been awarded a ¾ handicap over Chelsea. In this case, half of your stake will go to a half-ball bet and half to a whole-ball bet. If Tottenham wins or the match ends in a draw, both parts of the bet will be won. On the other hand, if Chelsea win by a single goal, you will lose half of the half-ball part of your bet, but the bet on the whole-ball part will be returned.
Do your homework
The key to Asian Handicap betting, as with many other forms of online betting, is to remember to do your homework. You need to focus not only on which team will win, but also by how much, which means keeping a close eye on updates about the squads. If a team is missing a key player, then they might not be able to score as many goals as they usually do. Context is also important. You might think that Arsenal can easily win by three goals over Hull, but if Arsenal have an important Champions League game later in the week, will they bet it all on a less important game over Hull?
False favourites
Another useful strategy that can pay off well with Asian Handicap is to pick false favourites. Since Asian Handicap markets are set to even out the advantage in a match, you can win big by backing the team that would normally be underdogs with a half-ball or quarter-ball bet, which means you’re essentially betting that the real favourite team won’t win the match.
This is often a good way to win in end-of-season matches with big teams like Real Madrid or Barcelona when they have nothing to play for and the opposing team is fighting for important qualification places or to avoid relegation. The big teams will be set to be favourites, but this can easily be an overestimate and the good player can use the Asian Handicap market at Mr Green to his advantage.