Different Types Of Handicap Wagers In Sports Betting

Different Types Of Handicap Wagers In Sports Betting

Handicap betting is the most popular form of betting among specific sporting events across the globe. Punters can make handicap wagers on sporting events such as football, rugby, tennis, hockey, basketball, cricket, boxing, squash, MotoGP, F1, and other global sporting events. One of the main features of handicap wagers is to make expected or predictable outcomes more unpredictable and exciting. If a product is predictable, then a punter stands to win minimal profit on accurate predictions. They placed handicap wagers on outcomes between two unevenly matched teams. If two teams are already evenly matched, then a specific or general handicap wager may not be the most profitable wager. However, if the match is uneven, a punter can use a handicap wager to win a higher amount.

Types Of Handicap Wagers In Sports Betting

Some different types of handicap sports betting include regular or traditional handicap wagers, Asian handicap wagers, European handicap wagers, season handicap wagers, half-specific handicap wagers, and event-specific handicap wagers.

1. Regular Handicap

A regular handicap wager is the most basic form of handicap wager where one (weaker) team gets an advantage while the other (more robust) team acquires a disadvantage or handicap. A punter must estimate how a team will perform after the handicap and the benefit to both teams playing in the game. For example, in a match between Wolves FC and Barcelona, a handicap wager may give Wolvers a 4-goal lead while Barcelona a 4-goal deficit. Any bet on Barcelona wins if Barca scores at least four goals or more and wins the game by at least a 4-goal margin.

2. Asian Handicap

Asian handicap wagers are the most popular wagers utilized by punters in Asia and across the globe, especially for football. Under Asian handicap wagers, a punter is essentially making a wager on two different outcomes, either a team winning or losing. Pricing odds in decimal format helps prevent drawing results in Asian handicap sports wagers. While a punter has a high probability of winning an Asian handicap wager in a game of soccer, a punter’s payout is reduced compared to a three-way handicap wager.

3. Three-Way Handicap

The three-way handicap is also known as the European handicap with several European betting providers. Three-way handicap wagers are priced in whole numbers and not decimals. One of the most significant differences between European handicapped and Asian handicapped stakes is the number of potential outcomes. Punters have access to 3 different products (win, loss, and draw) when making three-way or European handicap wagers. On the other hand, punters make a wager between a win or loss (2 different outcomes), making Asian handicap wagers.   

4. Season Handicap

Punters can make handicap wagers based on which team will win the League in a given country. A punter makes a wager on a team to win the season at the start of a football season after strong teams deduct points and weaker sections have a point advantage. In most cases, the results of a season handicap wager may differ from the actual point results in a season of football. Some examples of season handicap wagers punters can make in different leagues, including the English Premier League, the Champions League, the World Cup, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga, the Chinese Super League, the Championship, and more.

5. First-Half Handicap

A first-half handicap is a handicap wager that applies to only the first half of a selected match. The score at the end of 45 minutes results from the bet. In most cases, the number of goals taken away or conferred on either team is lower than Asian handicap or European handicap wagers since the units only play a single half of football. First-half handicap wagers can be highly lucrative depending on other key metrics such as frequency of goals in the first half, penalties, cards, etc.

6. Sport/Event-Specific Handicap Wagers

Punters can make handicap wagers on specific sports and events, including football, basketball, hockey, rugby, Esports games, and other events with two or more participants. For example, an Asian handicap wager in basketball varies from an Asian handicap wager in football because of the rules of the game, scoring systems, and participating players.