Handicap Betting

Everything you want to know about handicap betting, their formats and strategies.

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What is Handicap Betting?

A handicap is when the bookmaker or the market opening at a betting exchange offers odds on the outcome of an event in which one of the sides is given an advantage before its start.

It allows players to place bets even on games with a very clear favorite.

 

To place these bets, you must understand what handicap betting is, when and how you should be using it.

 

Many sports betting players hesitate to use handicap markets, but there are great advantages to them to maximize your winnings.

Handicap Bet Types

European Handicap

The most common 2-way market with only win or lose options.

Asian Handicap

Preferred by professional and experienced bettors for 3-way markets.

Spread Betting

A popular option for US sports to get more value on favorites.

Handicap Betting Examples

Let’s explore the potential for higher returns in handicap betting with a real-life example.

Imagine Manchester City, a top-tier team, playing against a team at the bottom of the Premier League table at the Etihad Stadium. Man City’s odds of winning the game might be less appealing at 1.15 – 1.30.

Without handicap betting, you could either exclude this game from your slip or potentially bet a larger amount to secure a more substantial paycheck.

However, with handicap football betting available, there are odds for the events that the Citizens start the game with a one-goal deficit (-1), a two-goal deficit (-2), etc.

If you get the odds for -1, then the game hypothetically starts with Man City losing by one goal.

If the game ends 1-0 for City, players who bet on the draw with that handicap will get paid their stake plus winnings.

Pros and Cons to Handicap Betting

Pros

  • Helps players see value in games with a clear favorite
  • Increases the number of markets available for every event
  • Introduces players to more complicated and demanding aspects of sports betting
  • Creates opportunities for trading and hedging

Cons

  • Some of its forms (e.g. Asian Handicap) are complicated to understand

Top Three Strategies

1

Price
Hedging

Find odds from bookmakers and betting exchanges to create 0% or positive margin opportunities to mitigate losses or guarantee profit.

2

Live Betting
Adjustments

Things are going differently than planned with the bet you placed before a game? No problem! Modern-day live betting platforms will let you reverse these unfortunate situations by betting in-play.

3

Start Using
Asian Handicaps

There is a reason why Asian Handicap is so popular among professionals. Learn how to read the lines there and avoid losing all your money on a lost bet.

How to place a Handicap Bet at MadMarket

The MadMarket platform offers the easiest and most complete handicap betting experience in the industry.

 

Players can navigate the different markets and events and observe as the odds are added and fluctuate before the games start.

Thousands of games are offered daily, and you must choose the odds that suit your betting profile.

 

After you create your betting slip, you can select if your handicap selection will be a single bet or part of a parlay. Or even a system bet. You then need to add the stake you wish to play and you are ready to go!

FAQs

It all depends on what kind of player you are. Handicap betting has an audience prepared to study more to extract value from bets. We can only say that this type of betting is an interesting addition to 1X2 and Under / Over, but I can’t substitute them.

There are usually differences between sports that include the draw as a potential outcome against those that can end with a draw. For example, handicap football betting is based on goals, while handicap betting cannot be based on the outcome of a boxing fight.

You most definitely can! Betting exchanges like Sharp featured handicap betting and Asian handicap betting from the early days of their operation, in the early 2000s.

This statement is more like an urban legend. Lazy players who don’t want to study betting theories can find it hard to interpret Asian Handicap Odds. However, we can reassure you that it takes a very short amount of time to get used to them. And then extract great value from your next handicap betting football coupon.

A simple search online will reveal thousands of threads and even websites specializing in this type of bet. We suggest selecting a few analysts or tipsters. Those who write in a style that is easy to understand. They will often provide tips on certain leagues and how you can turn handicap betting into a powerful tool for your game. Always seek updated advice and sources focusing on a few sports and competitions. Since advice on Premier League handicap betting might be dictated by completely different principles from the advice for Serie A or the NFL.

Spread Betting: There is a debate about whether spread betting is a subcategory of handicap betting or an entirely different type of betting. It is a very popular option for US sports and those who like to get more granular in their analysis to place bets on teams or players with a handicap applied to the total beore an event begins.