Using the Asian Handicaps

These handicaps may seem foreign to a regular bettor. This is because Asian handicaps do not work like the ones most bettors are familiar with. Instead, Asian handicaps completely cut out the possibility of a draw. 

Asian handicaps are good to use when betting on the underdog in a game. With the draw option eliminated, you can bet on the underdog with an added insurance.

Asian Handicap 0.0

This is made at the beginning or before a game starts and with the score being started at 0:0. Let’s say that the match is between Real Madrid vs. Barcelona. The odds for the game are set at 0.0 Asian handicap and for the home team 1.90 and for the away team 1.95. 

So if you are to bet on Real Madrid with the Asian handicap at 0.0 and on the home team at 1.90. Your bet is $100. To profit from this wager, you need Real Madrid to win the game. There are three ways this bet could work out:

If Real Madrid ends up winning, you will win the $100 x 1.90 = $190. This leaves the player walking away with a profit of $90. 

If the two teams play to a draw, then you will get your bet completely refunded. This means the player will walk away with their original bet, or $100. Not a bad deal.

Third, if Real Madrid is to lose the game, then the player must also lose their bet. 

The same exact scenarios could be played out if the player was to bet on Barcelona. The only difference is that the odds for Barcelona are slightly higher in this game. 

Asian Handicap 0.25

This handicap is more similar to the ones most bettors are used to. This type of bet starts the game with an actual handicap, with the score starting at 0-0.25 goals in favor of one of the two sides. 

This variation also includes more than possible outcomes than the first handicap. Instead of only three, in this bet the player can win, win only the first half, lose or lose only a half stake of the bet. To see this bet play out, we will look at an example featuring two Serie A sides, Juventus and Napoli. 

The game featured both Juventus and Napoli, with the market Asian handicap set at 0.25. The odds for the home team are at 2.00 and for the away team sit at 1.90. Let’s say that the player again bets $100 on the home team (Juventus) to win -0.25 Asian handicaps. In order to win this bet, Juventus must also win the game. 

With a $100 bet on Juventus to win at -0.25:

Juventus wins the game, and therefore the player also wins their bet. The final outcome will look like this: $100 x 2.00 = $200. The player walks away from this bet with a profit of $100, effectively doubling his original stake. 

If the teams end up playing to a draw, the the player will only lose half of his stake. They will return $50 and at the same time will lose the other $50. 

If Napoli ends up winning the game, then the player will lose their original wager completely. 

On the flip side of this, if you bet $100 on Napoli to win at +0.25:

If the game goes Napoli’s way and they win, then the player will win their bet. Again, but with differing odds $100 x 1.90 = $190. The player then walks away with a $90 profit. 

If a draw happens to occur, the player will return half of their original stake ($50) and will win the other half multiplied by the odds assigned to the team. So the equation will look like ($50) returned + $95 ($50 x 1.90) = $145. The player finishes the game with a profit of $45 after removing the original stake of $100. 

If Napoli ends up losing the game, then the player will completely lose their stake, walking away with nothing. 

Asian Handicap 0.5 

Now, we will up the starting score even more to 0.5, or the equivalent to half a goal. Now is where we see the underdog start to have a bigger advantage in the game. For these bets, the player will not get percentages of their money back, they will simply win or lose their bets. 

For this example we will look at a fictional game between Chelsea and Manchester United. The market for Asian handicap is of course set at 0.5, with the odds for the two teams set at 1.85 for the home team and 2.00 for the away team. 

The player will once again bet $100, this time on Chelsea to win -0.5 Asian handicap. This handicap, unlike regular handicaps, will be negative for the favored team and positive for the favored team. 

In more detail, the negative handicap is placed on favorites that need to cover the spread, whereas the positive is used on favorites who have the handicap advantage. To win this bet, you will also need Chelsea to win the game. 

If Chelsea wins the game at, then the player will win $100 x 1.85 = $185. The player effectively walks away with an $85 profit. 

If Manchester United is somehow able to win or draw, then the player loses their stake entirely. 

The other option is to bet your $100 on Manchester United to win with +0.5 Asian handicap. Again, the +0.5 represents an advantage for this team by the odds. 

If Manchester United win the game or the game ends in a tie, then the player will win their bet. Doubling the players original $100 by the odds of 2.00, we conclude the player will walk away with a profit of $100. 

If Chelsea end up winning the game, then the bet is lost along with the player’s entire stake. 

As you can see from the examples, betting on Chelsea to win and betting on Chelsea -0.5 are the exact same bets. 

Asian Handicap 0.75

This time the game will start with a score of 0: 0.75. This will give the underdog a quarter goal advantage before the game begins. This Asian handicap and the 0.25 Asian handicap are completely different with one small exception. 

For this example we will imagine a game between PSG and Nice in Ligue 1. The Asian handicap market is set at 0.75. Odds for the home team are 1.90 and are the same for the away team. The player will stick with their $100 bet this time betting on PSG to win +0.75. In order to win this wager, PSG must finish the game with either a win or a draw. 

If PSG wins or draws in this game, the player will win their bet. The profit would be $90 after multiplying the odds and taking away the original stake. 

If Nice win the game but only by one goal, the player will be returned half of the original stake ($50) but will lose the other half ($50). 

Finally, if Nice ends up winning the game by two or more goals, the player will then lose their stake. 

Now, on the opposite side, you can bet $100 on Nice to win at -0.75 Asian handicap. In order to win this bet, Nice need to win the game by two or more goals. 

If Nice wins the game by only one goal, then again the player is stuck in the middle and will lose half ($50) and returns the other half ($50). 

If the game either ends with a draw, or if PSG take the win, then the player will completely lose their stake. 

Asian handicap -1 | +1

You may be beginning to see a pattern here, as this game begins with a score of 0:1. For this game, the underdog will have an advantage of one goal before the game is started. 

For this game, we will look at a matchup between Real Betis and Atletico Madrid. The market odds for the Asian handicap are set at +1 or -1. The odds for the home team are at 1.80 and for the away team at 2.05. 

The player will bet $100 on Real Betis to win the game at -1 Asian handicap. In order for the player to win this game, Real Betis must beat Atletico Madrid by at least two goals. 

If Betis wins the game by two or more goals, then the player will also win their bet. The profit returned will be $80. 

If Betis is only able to win by one goal, then the player’s money will be returned to them. 

If the game ends in a draw or Atletico Madrid wins it, the player will completely lose their original stake. 

Now, on the opposite side again, you could bet on Atletico Madrid to win at +1 Asian handicap. In reality, this would be a great bet for the player.

If the game finishes tied, or if Atletico Madrid is able to manage the win, the player will win his original wager. The profit attached would be $105. 

If Atletico only lose by a single goal, the player will receive his entire stake back. 

A final ending with Real Betis winning by two or more goals also results in the player completely losing their wager. 

Asian Handicap 1.5 

Now that we are into it you should start to see a pattern with how these handicaps work. The score of course starts out 0:1.5 in favor of the underdog. This bet differs from the other slightly as there is no outcome that will give the player a refund of their stake. 

For this game, we will dream up a scenario where AC Milan is going against Fiorentina in a Serie A league game. The market for the Asian handicap will be +1.5 or -1.5. The odds for the two teams is set at 1.90 for the home team and 2.00 for the away. 

The player bets $100 on AC Milan at -1.5 Asian handicap. In order to win that bet, AC Milan must win the game by two or more goals. The player will lose their wager in the event of any other outcome. 

If AC Milan is able to win by two or more goals, the player will win their bet. The profit after calculations are made will be $90. 

Any of the other possible outcomes such as AC Milan winning by only one goal, a draw or if Fiorentina wins, the player’s complete wager is gone. 

Now on the other side, the player instead bets $100 on Fiorentina to win the game at +1.5 Asian handicap. 

If Fiorentina are able to either win or draw, or lose by only one goal, then the player will win the bet. The profit they receive will be $200. 

If AC Milan end up winning the game by two or more goals, then the player will completely lose their bet. In this case, betting on AC Milan to win -1.5 Asian handicap is the same bet as AC Milan -1 with a European handicap. 

Further exploring Asian handicaps

Once you can understand the common lines used under Asian handicaps, you will be able to move on to some alternative Asian handicap lines. Some of these include -1.75, -2, -2.25, -2.5, -2.75, -3, etc. 

These handicaps will be listed differently depending on the bookmaker you are using. Some will offer the standard Asian handicaps like the ones listed in the examples above, while others will have sections marked as ‘Alternative Asian handicaps’. There are also Asian sports betting sites that list them even differently.

Understanding Asian odds can be very useful for the bettor. The main reason is because often these Asian handicaps have better odds than the regular 1x2 outcomes do. It can also add slightly more risk for players to bet on a heavy favorite, of course adding better odds in the process. 

They can take some time to learn, and the new players should be cautious when choosing these bets. The main thing is understanding all of the necessary outcomes needed to win your bet. Once you have these down, you will effectively give yourself more options when it comes to betting. This will hopefully lead to you as a player becoming more profitable in the long run.