Betting terms explained: what is Asian Handicap Betting? Pros and Cons

Asian handicap betting is not a new concept in the world of sports betting. But for some reason, only a few punters actually know about it. And even out of this few, only fewer know the right time to use it. Not the bettors’ fault, though. Because despite the popularity of the Asian Handicap betting, only a few betting agents like bola online ibet44id.org actually offer it.

So in order to shed some light on the rudiments of this betting option, we’ve decided to create a post to that effect. So, let’s see what we’ve got on Asian Handicap betting.

What is Asian Handicap Betting?

Before we go into talking about what this betting option is all about, let me first clear the air and say that “Asian handicap betting” is not about a Japanese guy or a Chinese monk with crippled legs or some special disabilities, LOL. The name Asian handicap betting is used to describe this betting option because it originated from Asia, Indonesia, to be specific.

Now that we’ve gotten rid of the misinterpretation let’s now talk about the betting style itself.

Asian handicap betting is a type of betting that is found in those sports that can end in a draw. Its main aim is to give a level playing field to two competing teams of disproportionate strength (usually a favorite and a handicap) and to eliminate the possibility of a match ending the draw.

In simpler terms, it is a type of betting that involves giving a slight advantage (in terms of goals, points, or counts, depending on the sport) to an underdog – the team that’s more likely to lose – before the start of a match. Usually, handicaps could be awarded in terms of decimals, fractions, or whole numbers, depending on the sport in question.

History of Asian handicap betting

Kudos to those bettors from Indonesia for inventing something as cool as an Asian handicap betting! Originally, when this betting style was first introduced in Indonesia, it was called “Hang Cheng Betting.” And not until 1998, it remained Hang Cheng Betting. But in 1998, an Indonesian bookmaker asked a British Journalist to coin a word for it so that the Asian handicap betting can make the jump into the English and European betting market.

Why do bettors play this type of betting?

The answer to that is fairly simple. Punters go for the Asian handicap betting because it gives them a much higher probability of winning a bet. Usually, in a 3-way sport like football, basketball, boxing, MMA, etc., where games can end in a win, a loss, and a draw, there is a 33.3% of each event happening. But by eliminating the possibility of a draw, you’ve raised the probabilities to 50%, with the games now having just two directions it can go, a win for a team, and a loss for the other.

Having said all of that, I know you’re already itching to discover how this type of betting works. But you need not itch too much because we are there already.

How does the Asian handicap betting work?

In Asian handicap betting, the team identified as the underdog in a match will start the game with a slight advantage over the favorite. Usually, this advantage can be in the form of a goal, multiple goals, fractional goals, or points (as the case may be).

Let’s take a match between Liverpool and Portsmouth as a case study. Let’s say in this match; the bookies have decided to make Liverpool the favorite (they’re always going to be anyway) and Portsmouth, the underdog. And a punter decides to give Portsmouth a handicap of .5 goal. What this means is that, at kickoff, the game’s scoreline is not the usual 0:0 like we see in every other game, but 0:.5, with the advantage of winning going to Portsmouth.

Now if Liverpool scores just one goal in the match and Portsmouth also happens to hit the back of the net once, that would have normally been a draw, but seeing as Portsmouth already started the game with .5 goals ahead, their final score would be 1:1.5, with the underdog winning the match.

That’s a typical scenario of the Asian handicap betting. But please bear in mind that the handicap is not a set fraction, and can vary depending on what the punter chooses to go with, such as ¼ goals, 1 goal, 1 ½ goal, or 3 ¼ goals, etc.

Pros of the Asian handicap betting

Tilts the scale slightly in the bettor’s favor by eliminating one of the possibilities of an event, a draw.
When used in a parlay bet, there are less possible outcomes which increase the chance of winning
Depending on the handicap, you might still win the bet even if the team you bet on goes on to lose the game.