The Meaning of Handicap in Sports Betting

Here’s how Handicap Betting works

The bookmaker gives the weaker team an advantage in the form of goals or applies a disadvantage to the stronger team. This way, the chances of winning are more balanced.

As a bettor, your job is to decide which handicap to bet on. For instance, imagine Leeds United and Manchester City are playing, and you think Leeds will win even if you took away one goal. So, you place a bet on Leeds United with a negative handicap of -1.

If their match ends at 3-0, the final score with the handicap would be 2-0. That means you’d win the bet if Man City scored no goals, and if they scored only one goal, you’d still win. But if Man City scored two goals, you’d lose the bet.

You can even manipulate the handicaps to get better odds. But keep in mind increasing the handicap means taking a higher risk, but it also pays off with much higher odds. For example, if you bet on Leeds with a handicap of -2, it’s a higher-risk bet, but if Leeds wins by three goals, you’ll get much better odds.

A Closer Look at The Details of Handicap Betting

Handicap betting is when you bet on a team that’s not expected to win, but you give them a “head start” by giving them a few points. This makes the game more even and the odds more interesting.

Let’s say you’re playing basketball with LeBron James. He’s probably going to win every time. If someone were to bet on LeBron, they’d only win a little money. But if you bet on yourself, and LeBron had to play with one hand tied behind his back, it would be easier for you to win. You’d probably still bet on LeBron, but since he’s at a disadvantage, you’d win more money if you bet on yourself and won.

In handicap betting, the bookmaker gives one team a “handicap” by taking away points from them at the start of the game. This means that they have to win by a more significant margin for you to win your bet. For example, if Team A is the favourite and Team B is the underdog, and you give Team A a handicap of -2 points, then they have to win by at least 3 points for you to win your bet.

It might not seem very easy, but it’s a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.

Handicap Bets in Soccer, Rugby and Tennis

Handicap Bets in Soccer

In soccer, handicap bets work like this: the underdog team is given a head start with extra points, while the favourite team has to catch up. For example, if Team A is the favourite, they might start with a handicap of -1, which means they have to win by at least 2 goals to cover the spread. Meanwhile, Team B, the underdog, starts with a +1 handicap, which means they can either win, draw, or lose by only one goal for you to win your bet.

Handicap Bets in Rugby

Rugby is pretty much the same as soccer regarding handicap bets. The favourite team is given a negative handicap, while the underdog team gets a positive one. For example, the New Zealand All Blacks are the favourites and are given a -5 handicap against South Africa. If you bet on South Africa, they have to win or lose by less than 5 points for you to win your bet.

Handicap Bets in Tennis

In tennis, there are two types of handicap bets: set handicap and game handicap. With a set handicap, you bet on the number of sets each player wins. For example, if Player A has a -1.5 set handicap against Player B, they must win by at least 2 sets to cover the spread. With game handicap, you bet on the number of games each player wins in a match. For example, if Player A has a +3.5 game handicap against Player B, they can lose the match if they win at least 4 games more than Player B.

So there you have it, folks! Handicap bets can be fun and exciting to spice up your sports betting. Just remember always to gamble responsibly and within your means.

Good luck, and have fun!