Asian Handicaps

OK, THIS time we'll talk a little bit about a specific type of sports betting. Asian Handicap betting is one of the most popular forms among serious soccer* gamblers, perhaps because the over-round is generally quite low**. On betfair, the commission is just 1%, the lowest it offers.

The original idea of the Asian Handicap was to get rid of the possibility of a draw. One of the teams would be given a head start of half a goal, so that a draw would be counted as a win for that team so far as the bet was concerned. If the teams were mismatched, maybe a goal and a half or more could be used as a handicap.

However, half goal head-starts are not the only possible way to eliminate to draw. Another way is to simply ignore it - in a zero-handicap game, if there's a draw you get your money back. Again, handicaps needn't be restricted to zero: one or two-goal handicaps are fairly common. If you backed a team with a two-goal handicap and they lost 1-0, you'd win your bet; if they lost 3-1, you'd get your money back. Only if they lost by three or more goals would you lose.

But not even that was enough for some people. Instead, quarter-goal handicaps were introduced. Now, obviously a quarter-goal handicap, taken literally, is just the same as a half-goal. But that's not what it means. Instead, a quarter-goal handicap comprises a pair of bets with the same stake, one at the handicap above and one at the handicap below. For instance, if you backed a team with a head start of 1/4, you would be effectively backing them with half your money at a handicap of 0, and half at a handicap of 1/2. If the team wins, you win both bets; if it's a draw, you win one bet and get your stake returned from the other; and if they lose... you lose too.

The next article will explore the mystical world of exotic bets, beginning with doubles and heading on to other types of accumulator.

* I apologise to anyone who is offended at me failing to use the word 'football'. I prefer to use 'soccer' and 'American football' to avoid any confusion.

** The over-round, or vigorish, is one minus the total of the implied probabilities for each selection. For instance, if Player 1 is available at odds of 2.00 and Player 2 at 1.80, the total probability is 0.50 + 0.44 = 0.94, or a 6% over-round.