A detailed guide on Asian Handicap Betting

Asian Handicap betting has traditionally been the most popular way of placing bets on football in Southeast and Far East Asian markets. Handicapping is a method bookies use to make a sports contest more even, in order to provide better options to the bettors. In betting, this is done by awarding the weaker team, or the underdog as it’s called, a lead.

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What is asian handicap betting

In asian handicap betting each team has roughly equal chances of winning. That's because the draw is technically taken out of play and a competitive market is formed instead. So, rather than selecting between three possible outcomes (Home win, Draw and Away win), you simply choose whether the biggest side will surpass the handicap, or if the underdog will be benefited by the lead. This way of betting offers additional value to the punter and is far less risky than the traditional european handicap or 3-way betting.

Asian Handicap betting has its roots in Asia, but during the last years has become increasingly popular in Europe as well. It might seem a bit overwhelming at first, as you have to get accustomed to all the different symbols that bookies use to indicate the various handicaps, but it really is worth your time. You have a 50% chance of winning, that is obviously an improvement compared to the 33% on traditional three-way betting, as the outcome of a draw is removed. By placing asian bets you can even win if your team draws or loses the match. Meanwhile, using our Bet Calculators you can save time being more accurate in your decisions.

The greater the difference of strength between the two teams, the higher the goal difference placed on the favorite will be. The underdog will be given a certain head start, a handicap, (of 0,5 goal, 1 goal, or even 0,25 goal) in regards to the favorite.

The favorite has to surpass the indicated handicap, in order to gain the win. For example if Team A have a -1.5 goal handicap placed on them, they must win by two goals or more, to be considered as winners. The underdog, on the other hand, will have the handicap added to their final score. This means that if you've backed Team B on a +1.5 goal lead, you will win the bet if they either win, draw, or lose by no more than one goal.  The handicap for the favorite is preceded by a minus (-) symbol and indicated by a plus (+) symbol for the underdog. You can find the best odds on Asian betting on Bet365 and Pinnacle.

Types of Asian Handicap

AH 0.0 or Draw No Bet

As the name implies, this type of handicap usually occurs when the chances of either team winning the match are fairly even. You are basically betting without the option of a draw, as your stakes will be returned in case of a tie. You accordingly win, if your selected team wins the match.

Alternative asian handicap symbols: dnb, level 0, asian -0, asian 0:0, asian handicap 0 or simply 0

AH -0,25/+0,25

If you bet on the team that has a -0,25  handicap placed on them, you will win if the selected team wins, regardless of the score. In case of a draw you lose 50% of your stake and the other half is returned to your account. If you chose to back the opposition with an +0,25 AH, you will once again win if the team wins the match, but in case of a draw half your stakes is returned, while the other half will be considered as a winning bet, at the selected odds.

Alternative asian handicap symbols: -1/4 +1/4 or -0&-0,5 +0&+0,5 or 0,25:0 0:0,25

AH -0,5/+0,5

This is perhaps the easiest-to-understand Asian Handicap, as the favorite has to overcome a simple half goal lead. If you bet on a -0,5 AH, you will win if your team gets the victory. Placing a bet at a +0,5 handicap on the underdog, is the same as betting on a double chance of a “draw or away win”. You might notice a slight difference between the AH +0,5 and the Double Chance in terms of odds. That’s because bookmakers places a higher overround on traditional 3-way betting, in order to cover the higher number of outcomes.

Alternative asian handicap symbols: -1/2 +1/2 or 0,5:0 0:0,5

AH -0,75/+0,75

If you select this bet, you technically split your bet and instead place two equal bets on your team to overcome both the -0,5 and -1 handicaps. You win both these bets, if the team wins the match by two or more goals. If it wins by a single goal, then half your stake will be returned (as the -1 handicap is considered as void) and win the other half at the odds offered. The same occurs if you select the underdog, as once again, half your stake is placed on the +0,5 bet and the other half on the +1 bet. You'll win if your team wins or draws the match and lose half your stake if they lose by at most one goal.

Alternative asian handicap symbols: -3/4 +3/4 or -0,5,-1 +0,5,+1 or 0,75:0 0:0,75

Where to bet with Asian Handicap

AH -1/+1

This type of handicap is really easy to get a hold on. If you choose the -1 handicap, your team has to win by at least two goals. If your team wins by only one goal then your stake is returned. If you select the team with the one goal lead (+1) then you win if they manage to avoid defeat. If your team loses by just one goal then your stake is refunded. It offers you a safe way of betting on underdogs, given that you won't lose if they can limit their defeat to just one goal .

Alternative asian handicap symbols: 1:0 0:1

AH -1,25/+1,25

Your stake is split into two bets. Half of it is placed as a -1,5 AH and the other as a -1 AH bet. The principle here is the same as in AH -0,25/+0,25 , with an added goal from default. In case of a -1,25 bet, you win if your team wins by at least two goals. If they win by one, you lose 50% of your stake. When you place a +1,25 bet and your team avoids defeat you win the full stake. In case of a defeat by one goal half your stake is returned and the other half is a considered a winning bet at the chosen odds.

Alternative asian handicap symbols: 1,25:0 0:1,25 or -1.0,-1.5 +1.0,+1.5

AH -1,5/+1,5

If you bet on a -1.5 handicapped team you win if the team wins the match by two or more goals. In case of a single goal victory, you will lose your stake. By choosing a +1,5 handicap, you do not only win in case they win or draw, but also if they lose by just one goal.

Alternative asian handicap symbols: 1,5:0 0:1,5

AH -1,75/+1,75

This is roughly the same as the AH -0,75/+0,75 with the addition of an extra goal. Half your bet is placed as a -1,5 AH and the rest as a -2 AH. You get the full stake if the favorite wins by a margin of at least three goals. In case of a two goal difference, you get half your stake back and the other 50% is considered a winning one, at the odds taken. When you select a +1,75 bet you receive full stakes in case your selected team avoids a defeat of two or more goals. If your chosen team loses by exactly two goals, you get half your stake back. You lose your whole bet in case your team is defeated by more than two goals.

Alternative asian handicap symbols: 1,75:0 0:1,75 or -1.5,-2.0  +1.5,+2.0

These are the most common Asian Handicap symbols. In some cases (i.e. matches between National Teams, where the difference in strength is significant, or Cup matches where top clubs are playing against lower league opponents) handicaps can be even higher. You might see a -2,25 handicap or even -2,75 and -3 handicaps. The principle remains the same with the -0,25, -0,75 or -1 handicaps, as you just change the number of goals indicated.

In Asian Handicap betting you have five different types of payouts:

Win: you win your full stake multiplied by the odds

Half win: you win half your stake multiplied by the odds and half your
stake is returned

Push: your stake is returned, as if you never placed the bet.

Half lose: you lose half your stake, the other half is returned

Lose: you lose your whole stake