Handicap betting provides one team with a goal disadvantage (-0.5, -1, or 1.5 for example) for betting purposes. This can make games with a superior team more equal and interesting to bet on. A team must score one more goal than their handicap to win a bet.
If you’d like to learn more about handicap betting then look no further. Our guide will discuss in detail what handicap betting is, how a single handicap bet works for football and what exactly is an Asian handicap.
What is Handicap Betting?
Handicapped betting is an alternative way to bet on certain events. For instance, if a professional 100m sprinter lined up against the average bloke off the street, you would expect the professional sprinter to win every time. This would be boring to bet on, and you would never get worthwhile odds that hold any value. How about if you gave the average bloke a 50m head start? That would make the race outcome harder to predict. Suddenly, it would be more interesting to bet on.
This is exactly how handicap betting works. You are effectively giving one outcome an advantage, and the other outcome a disadvantage to make something you’re betting on more even.
Handicap Meanings
Handicap -1 meaning: A team has been given a 1 goal handicap, and so must win by 2 or more goals to overcome it and win the bet.
Handicap -2 meaning: A team has been given a 2 goal handicap, and so must win by 3 or more goals to overcome it and win the bet.
Handicap -3 meaning: A team has been given a 3 goal handicap, and so must win by 4 or more goals to overcome it and win the bet.
Handicap +1 meaning: A team has been given a 1 goal start, and so must draw or win by any margin to win the bet.
Handicap +2 meaning: A team has been given a 2 goal start, and so must win, draw or lose by no more than 1 goal to win the bet.
Handicap +3 meaning: A team has been given a 3 goal start, and so must win, draw or lose by no more than 2 goals to win the bet.
Handicap Betting on Football
Handicap betting on football is similar to that of other sports such as golf, tennis, and darts. You’re essentially giving one person or team a virtual deficit or advantage in a specific match. Handicap betting for football is popular on matches that are predicted to be relatively one-sided.
Football Handicap Betting Example
We’ve provided a football handicap betting example for Fulham’s match against Southampton. The example we’ve shown you is for Fulham to cover a -2 goal handicap.
This means that we’ll need Fulham to win by at least three goals in the match. If they win the match by one or two goals, draw, or lose the match, then our bet would be a losing one. The table below shows all the different scenarios if you’d placed a handicap bet on a favourite.
| Result | Result when backing -1 handicap | Result when backing -2 handicap |
| Team win by 3+ goals | Bet wins | Bet wins |
| Team win by 2 goals | Bet wins | Bet loses |
| Team win by 1 goal | Bet loses | Bet loses |
| Team draw | Bet loses | Bet loses |
| Team lose | Bet loses | Bet loses |
There are plenty of Premier League handicap betting markets available on matches throughout the year in the top-flight of English football, and if you’re keen to find out which are the best Premier League betting sites in the business, then head over to our dedicated page, which has you covered with everything you need to know.
First Half Handicap
This type of handicap betting in football is straightforward to understand, as you’re betting on a team to start with either a deficit or an advantage. If you start them on a minus-one handicap for the first half, then they’ll have to be winning by two goals by half-time in order for your bet to be settled as a winner. If they don’t score at all, or are losing by half-time, then your bet will be settled as a losing one.
Handicap Draw
Handicap draw is essentially the score of an event being level after the handicap has been applied. Handicap draws can’t occur when the handicap being offered by the bookmaker involves a decimal (e.g. 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 etc), but when a whole number is offered, handicap draws can occur. We’ve provided an example and some clarity on the handicap draw.
- E.g. Newcastle (-1.5) v Leicester (+1.5)
Where there is a whole number handicap (0, 1, 2, 3, etc.), the draw is a possible outcome. - E.g. Newcastle (-2) v Leicester (+2)
Stakes will be returned when a handicap draw occurs (the final result of the match is drawn after including the whole number handicaps).
What is a Goal Handicap?
A goal handicap is a term commonly used in football betting to describe a handicap betting market in which one of the teams concedes a certain amount of goals to the other. In football, goals are scored which can impact handicap bets that have been placed.
Football matches can sometimes be one-sided sided in terms of quality, and so bookmakers provide their customers with some value on bets placed on those types of games. This is where goal handicaps come into play, and they can be a useful way of earning a potentially sizeable profit depending on the odds of each handicap betting market being offered by a betting site.
A great way to try out the goal handicap is in international football, for example, when England plays San Marino. Whilst backing England to simply beat San Marino by any score would be offered at incredibly restricted odds, you’d get far more attractive odds on a goal handicap market where any England victory had to be by five or more goals.
Want to use a handicap bet? Find out the best football betting sites to use this strategy.
Handicap Betting on Rugby
It’s relatively straightforward to understand handicap betting in rugby. You’ll be placing a bet on a team to either start a certain amount of points ahead or behind in a game. If they cover that points spread, then your bet will be settled as a winner. If they don’t, then your bet will be settled as a losing one. Below, is an example that we’ve provided for handicap betting on rugby.
Rugby League Handicap Betting
Rugby League handicap betting often proves popular amongst bettors, as they look to find value for their money in matches that are predicted to be one-sided. As briefly mentioned above, you’ll be either giving a team a deficit to overturn, or an advantage to keep hold of during a match. If they cover that handicap, then your bet will be settled as a winner. If they don’t cover that advantage or overturn the deficit you’ve covered on a Rugby League handicap betting market, then your bet will be settled as a losing one.
Handicap Betting on Basketball
Basketball handicap betting is hugely popular amongst punters, especially if they’re looking to find potential value on matches that are predicted to be one-sided. You’ll be betting on a team to start with a points advantage or deficit to make up in the match. Below, is an example of a basketball handicap bet. For this example, if Orlando Magic were to win the match by two points or more, then the bet would be paid out as a winner. However, if they won the match by one point or less, or even lost the match, then your bet would be settled as a losing one.
Handicap Betting on Tennis
You can place handicap betting on tennis, which has plenty of events taking place on a daily basis, on plenty of different levels. The ATP, WTA, Challenger, and ITF events have plenty of matches which can be one-sided, which results in short odds.
Therefore, there isn’t ever much value in backing a specific player to win, which is why handicap betting is often popular. Handicap betting in tennis often means that you’re wagering funds on a player to start a certain amount of games ahead or behind in the match. Below, we’ve provided an example on a tennis handicap bet on LiveScore Bet. For a closer look at the LiveScore Bet sign up offer, head over to our dedicated page, as they’re a great bookmaker to consider using for tennis handicap betting.
How does a Single Handicap Work?
Let’s take the example of football as it is the most popular sport in the UK. The number in brackets after the team name denotes the advantage or disadvantage applied to the handicap. Let’s go through some examples:
0.5 handicap e.g. Arsenal (-0.5) v Newcastle (0.5)
- Newcastle are effectively starting the game with half a goal advantage.
- If you’re backing Arsenal, and they win the match, you win your bet.
- However, if you’re backing Arsenal and the match ends in a draw, you lose your bet.
- If you’re backing Newcastle, you win the bet if they win or draw the match.
1 handicap e.g. Arsenal (-1.0) v Newcastle (1.0)
- Newcastle are effectively starting the game with a one-goal advantage.
- If you’re backing Arsenal they must win by at least two goals for you to win your bet.
- All other scenarios, including Arsenal winning by only one goal, would see you lose your bet.
1.5 handicap e.g. Arsenal (-1.5) v Newcastle (1.5)
- Newcastle are effectively starting the game with a one and a half goal advantage.
- Because it is a bit more than a single goal, the ability for a draw to occur is eliminated.
- If you’re backing Arsenal to win, they again must score at least two goals for you to win your bet.
- If you’re backing Newcastle to win, they must either win the match, draw, or lose by only one goal.
2 handicap e.g. Manchester City (-2.0) v West Ham (2.0)
- West Ham are effectively starting the game with a two-goal advantage.
- If you’re backing Manchester City to win, they must win the game by a margin of three goals or more.
- All other scenarios, including Manchester City winning by one or two goals, would see you lose your bet.
2.5 handicap e.g. Manchester City (-2.50) v West Ham (2.50)
- West Ham are effectively starting the game with a two and a half goal advantage.
- If you’re backing Manchester City, they must win the game by a margin of three goals or more for you to win your bet.
- If you’re backing West Ham, as long as they don’t lose by a margin of three goals or more, you will win your bet.
What sports can Handicap Bets be placed on?
Although football is the most popular sport to apply handicaps, there are other sports that often have handicap markets, including:
- Rugby – One of the teams will start with a points advantage. The points handicap will be greater due to higher point scoring nature of rugby.
- Golf – Many bookies will allow you to place handicaps on players’ rounds, for instance, +3 shots.
- Tennis – Handicaps can be applied to either sets or games in tennis. If the handicap applies to games, then all the games from the match will be totalled up to form the outcome, which might not necessarily be the same as the winner of the match.
- Horse Racing – With horse racing, you can bet on a horse to overcome a handicap of a specific numbers of lengths. If it does so, your bet would be successful. This shouldn’t be confused with horses being given a handicap weight based on past performances and ability.
What is Asian Handicap Betting?
The Asian handicap is a popular betting system in sports, particularly in football. It is designed to remove the possibility of a draw by assigning handicaps to teams. As with traditional handicap betting, this system offers a more level playing field when one team is perceived to be much stronger than the other.
How does Asian Handicap Betting work?
In Asian handicap betting, the weaker team is given a head start in the form of goals, while the stronger team starts with a deficit. The final outcome is calculated by adding the handicap to the actual match result. When handicaps include half or quarter goals, the outcome is binary, so you can only win or lose. Refunds are possible in cases where the Asian handicap is set as a whole number, for example +1 or -1. Here, you may get your stake refunded if the adjusted score results in a draw.
Asian Handicap example
Imagine a match between Liverpool and Southampton, where Liverpool are the favourites.
In the first scenario, you head to the Asian Handicap -1.5 market. You bet on Liverpool to win with a handicap of -1.5. This means Liverpool must win the match by 2 or more goals for your bet to succeed. If they do so, you win. If they win by no more than one goal, you lose.
In the second scenario, you look at the Asian Handicap +1. You bet on Southampton to win with a handicap of +1. This means if Southampton lose by exactly 1 goal, the result on the handicap market is settled as a draw (stake refunded). If Southampton draw or win, your bet is paid out as a winner.
Next Steps
- Found this article useful? We have loads more similar ones in our learning section. Here are some popular ones.
- Each way betting explained
- Learn what laying a bet means
- Our homepage lists all available UK betting sites and their new customer offers.
Handicap Betting FAQs
A handicap in betting is when a team or player is given an additional number of goals or points to overcome. By backing a team to win on a market with a goal handicap, you will be rewarded with better odds than you would have received for simply backing them to win by any score.
The minus in handicap betting means that your team or player will start a certain amount of points or goals down in a match before it even starts. For the bet to win, you’ll need your selection to win the match by over the minus handicap which you placed your bet on. An example is that if you bet on a -1.5 goal handicap for Manchester City and they won the match 2-0, then your bet is a winner. If they won the match 1-0, then your bet would be a losing one, as you’d still be in the minus after the one goal they scored.
Plus and minus handicap provides value for bettors in matches that are expected to be one-sided. If you think a team/player will cover a minus handicap comfortably, then the minus handicap could be for you, or if you think an underdog won’t be beaten as heavily as the odds are suggesting, a plus handicap would be better-suited.
A +1.5 handicap means that a team or player starts 1.5 goals/points ahead in a match. If your selected player or team finishes the match two goals/points ahead of the opposition with the +1.5 handicap, then your bet will be settled as a winner.