Asian handicap explained

One of the unique things about soccer betting, at least in the past, is that you could bet on three different outcomes. There’s the obvious decision on which team will win, then you might even get tie odds. That made betting on the sport very difficult, especially when it came to two teams that were essentially even. However, these days, there is a much easier way to bet on sports. Through the Asian Handicap system, you can essentially place a bet on the goal difference of the game without having to worry about the possibility of a draw at all.

So how does this work? What it essentially does is allocate a point to distribute the game. Instead of betting Liverpool at -250 to win the match, you may need to bet Liverpool -1.5 goals. This means that Liverpool would be giving up a goal and a half to an opponent who is obviously inferior in this scenario. Why would people want to bet this way? It’s good because you can get pretty close to even money on your bet when you play an Asian handicap, having to pay only the vig to the sportsbook, as they have to take a cut of your winnings.

However, the target spread is not limited to just this number. It is different from many sports (such as hockey) in that the distribution of goals can change depending on the teams playing. You might see a team giving up 3.5 goals on an Asian handicap if they are in a completely different talent class than the team they are playing against. When betting on these lines, it is important to understand not only a team’s ability and desire to win the game, but also their ability to score a lot of goals in order to cover the number.