what is handicap betting in cricketWhat is handicap betting？ Ultimate 2022 Guide
Handicap betting is becoming increasingly popular in sportsbooks around the globe. Initially limited to football (especially in Asia), handicap options are now available in different sports and markets.
But, what is handicap betting, how does it work, and what is the difference between a regular handicap bet and an Asian handicap bet?
Let’s dive in.
Handicap in betting is a form of sports betting– also known as ‘spread’ betting– that helps level the playing field when one selection in the market is deemed ‘inferior’.
In other words, if one team is considered ‘superior’ in a match and has a much greater chance of winning the event, the bookmaker will give it a virtual deficit (a handicap) to overcome (this automatically gives the ‘inferior’ selection a virtual advantage).
If your chosen selection has a greater score than its opponent’s after the handicap has been applied, they’ll be considered the winner of the event.
DID YOU KNOW: In rare circumstances, bookies might give the ‘inferior’ selection a deficit to overcome, which would usually mean a higher price.
Three-way handicap betting allows bettors to bet on the handicap tie option, which is essentially betting on a team that receives the virtual deficit to win by the exact margin that’s offered.
Consider the following 3-way handicap margins:
Manchester United: +2Draw/handicap tie: effectively -2Chelsea: -2
If you backed Chelsea and they win the match 1-0, you’ll lose the bet because they didn’t cover the spread– based on the betting margins, Chelsea effectively lost 2-1 to Manchester United.
If you bet on the handicap tie, your bet again loses since Chelsea didn’t win by the stated (2) margin.
A no draw handicap eliminates the chance for a draw and guarantees that there’s a winner this is also called draw no bet betting.
In such a bet, you’ll often see the following margins:
Arsenal: -0.5Liverpool: +0.5
Since Liverpool has a half-a-goal advantage at the very start of the game, bettors that are backing Arsenal will win the bet if the team wins the match.
If the match ends in a draw, they’ll lose the bet because, in betting terms, Liverpool will have a half-a-goal more. Those backing Liverpool will win the bet if the team wins or draws the match.
Asian handicap is essentially a variation of the no draw handicap that eliminates a draw, which is immensely popular in Asia and usually applies to football matches.
There are two types of handicap in Asian handicap betting: half goal and whole goal.
In the case of a whole goal handicap, all bets are refunded if the result is a draw after the handicap. In the case of a half-goal handicap, there’s no possibility of a draw, and there’s always a winner.
Some Asian handicap markets give teams two handicaps, as in the following example:
? Liverpool +0 & +0.5
? Chelsea -0 & -0.5
In this case, the bet placed is divided between a bet on the half-goal handicap and a bet on the zero handicap. If you back Chelsea for ￡20, your bet is automatically divided into two separate bets: ￡10 on the zero handicap and ￡10 on the half-goal handicap.
If Chelsea loses, you’ll lose both bets, and if they win, you’ll win both bets. However, if the game is drawn, the half-goal handicap bet will lose, and the zero handicap bet will be voided (which means the bookmaker will refund the bet).
Handicap betting gives punters on both sides a better chance of winning a bet, especially when a selection in an event is considered ‘superior’ or ‘inferior’.
It’s a popular form of betting that offers an alternative to the more traditional 1×2, and although it may take some time to become a proficient handicap bettor, it is one of the most interesting options that bookmakers have to offer.
What sports can handicaps be used for?
Handicap betting is most popular in football. Other sports with handicap markets include rugby, golf, tennis, basketball, NFL, basketball, cricket, and eSports such as League of Legends.
What is the difference between handicap and spread betting?
Spread betting and handicap betting refer to the same form of betting.
what is handicap betting in cricketWhat is Rugby Handicap Betting and How Does it Work？
Handicap betting, also known as line betting or spread points, is a bet type that gives one team a virtual handicap to overcome by the end of the match. In simple terms, handicapping levels the playing field, giving the weaker team an equal chance to win the game; however, there's more to understanding handicapping in rugby than just knowing what it does.
Before you start betting on rugby, or any other sport, you first need to understand how to use Money Line, and only then can you progress to handicap betting, which often offers more value. However, anyone with basic knowledge of betting will understand Money Line – which is essentially betting on which team will win – so it won't be challenging to progress to handicap betting.
There isn't too much that goes into explaining what handicap betting in rugby is. The handicap in rugby betting refers to a team's imaginary advantage or disadvantage relative to their perceived strength.
The bookmakers will offer handicaps to make the game more balanced and level the playing field while offering you a bit more flexibility with your bets.
If a team is expected to win, they will be given a negative handicap, which they will need to overcome for your bet to win. In contrast, a team with a positive handicap is expected to lose and can afford to draw or lose by less than the offered figure for your bet to win.
When betting on rugby with handicaps, you will see a wide range of figures to choose from. The numbers will depend on how strong/weak one team is perceived to be, with some instances offering even double digits handicaps.
For this example, we will take a look at a match between Western Province and Pumas. Western Province enter the match as the stronger team and are priced as -278 favorites, while Pumas are priced as underdogs at +220.
Since Western Province are expected to win, the bookmakers will offer a negative handicap on them and a positive handicap on Pumas. For this example, let's say that the handicap is set at 7 points.
By picking Western Province with a -7 points handicap, you're predicting that they will win the match by more than seven points. On the other hand, you could side with Punas with a +7 points handicap and expect that they will win, draw, or lose by less than seven points.
The handicap you chose gets added by the end of the game to the final score. If we assume Western Province end up winning the match 11-1 and you backed them with a -7 point handicap, your bet would win since the final score (after factoring in the handicap) would still show Western Province as the winners (4-1).
The exact same principle applies to the positive handicap, where you add the figure to the final score. In this example, your bet on Pumas +7 points handicap wouldn't hit since they would still end up as losers (11-8).
The above example is fairly simple – you pick a positive or negative handicap and add/deduct the figure to the final score. But what about handicaps that aren't whole numbers?
Handicaps are usually written in full numbers (ex. +7); however, you can also bet with half-point handicaps (ex. 7.5). Although it might seem like a complex bet, the whole process is exactly the same as with whole number handicaps.
The only big difference the half-point handicap introduces is that it removed the possibility of a draw – since teams in rugby can't score half points.
For this example, we will assume that you bet on Pumas with a +7.5 handicap against Western province, and they lost 3-10. Even though Pumas lost the game convincingly, your bet would still win since the final score – after factoring in the 7.5 handicap – would end in their favor (10.5-10what is handicap betting in cricketWhat is Rugby Handicap Betting and How Does it Work？).
We have talked about how handicap betting in rugby is used to level the playing field by putting stronger teams at a disadvantage and giving teams that are perceived to be weaker a head start. So what is the point of the +/-0 handicap?
The +0 handicap does not follow the aforementioned rules since it "gives" a team a zero-point advantage. And while zero-point handicap might seem like an outlier, it perfectly illustrates the main reason why people use Handicap betting in rugby – to avoid losing money on a draw.
The zero-point handicap is essentially the same thing as a Draw No Bet (DNB), which removes the possibility of a draw. If you bet on Team A with a +0 handicap and they end up winning, your bet would hit, whereas a draw would result in your stake refunded.
If you draw a line, handicap betting is straightforward to understand. If you believe a team will win with more than X points to spare, you bet on them with the same figure handicap. Alternatively, if you believe that the Y team will not lose by more than X points, you bet on them with a positive handicap.