If you know anything about betting, you’ve probably come across the word handicap by now. The term, which comes from English and means “disadvantage”, is one of the most common types of sports betting used today.

In this article, we want you to clearly understand what handicap is and learn how to read and interpret its numbers. Since our specialty is sports betting, we take this opportunity to invite you to visit the page. Know how easy it is to bet: when you enter the website you will find the SPORTS section, where there is a search field in which you can enter the name of the team or player and see all the possible combinations at that moment.

What is the handicap?

As we already mentioned, the handicap is a type of bet that is based on the disadvantage that a team or an athlete has with their opponent. For example, in a very simple way, let’s imagine a soccer game: team A against team B. Team A is better than team B, and that’s why it is the favourite. In handicap bet values, team A, being the favorite, appears with a goal disadvantage: team A (−1.0).

This means that, in the betting scenario, team A will enter the field losing 1 to 0. Our “job” as bettors is to decide if team A will be able to overcome this difference or not.

The handicap is basically divided into two types: Asian (HA) and European (HE).

Asian Handicap

To begin with, we will look at the Asian style of handicap, also known by the acronym HA (in English AH).

What is the Asian handicap?

The concept of the Asian handicap consists of balancing the forces between two opponents, placing, for this, a certain advantage of the weaker over the stronger. Another important aspect of the Asian handicap is that there is a refund of total or partial bets in case of defeat, in addition, there is no possibility of betting on a tie, so the result can only be 1 or 2. In case of a tie, with the handicap already applied, the money invested is returned.

An example to explain the Asian handicap

To understand the Asian handicap, let’s look at a real example. In one of the matches of the Spanish soccer championship, La Liga 2020/21, Real Madrid, second in the standings, faced Eibar, who was in last place. Obviously being superior to its rival, Real Madrid was the great favorite to win.

In the Asian handicap betting on the site, Real Madrid appeared at odds -2.0 and Eibar at +2.0. The interpretation of these values is that, being the favourite, to balance forces, two goals were taken from Real Madrid and they were transferred to Eibar. It would be as if the team from the Spanish capital entered the field losing 2-0.

Negative goal handicap

If in a match you already know which is your favorite team and you think they will win, you can “eliminate” a goal using −1. For example, with an odd of 1.40, you will have another odd of 1.70 at -1. But in order for you to win, it is necessary for the team to win by 2 goals difference.

Positive goal handicap

Unlike the negative goal handicap, in the positive goal handicap you can concede an advantage goal. In a match with teams of the same level, if you think the match will end with little goal difference or, at most, a draw, you can opt for the +1 handicap, to give one of the teams a small advantage. Therefore, you will win the bet with the victory or draw of the selected team. If you lose by 1 goal, the bet will be refunded, and if you lose by more than 2 goals, the bet will not be recovered.

European Handicap

Let us now know the second style of handicap, the European, whose acronym is HE (in English, EH).

What is the European handicap?

The idea of the European handicap is the same: to balance the forces between two opponents. The difference, however, is in the form of payment and the possibility of betting. In the European handicap there is no refund of bets, but you can bet on a tie, increasing your chances of winning.

How does the European handicap work?

Let’s analyze a real example to understand the European handicap: Real Madrid against Eibar in La Liga in Spain. Real is in second place in the standings and Eibar is in the bottom. The handicap bets for this match are: Real Madrid (-4.0) and Eibar (+4.0). In the case of the European handicap, there will be a third option: draw (−4.0).

If you decide to bet on a draw, you will only be victorious if the final score of the match maintains the difference of 4 goals for Real Madrid.

What is the tie handicap?

The tie handicap is the bet placed on the value of the odds difference between the two teams. To win a tie handicap, the match result must end with the favorite team’s exact goal/point difference.

Did you learn to use the handicap in betting?

Now you only have to access the Sports area, and bet on your sports using the handicap in football and sports in general. The techniques are varied, but there is a lot to take advantage of in this type of modality. You can not lose this.

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