What Should You Know about Handicap Betting in Australia?
A handicap is a bet that allows the punter to hedge his bets by giving the weaker team a theoretical advantage. This stake appeared not so long ago but is actively used by punter in all sports.
The first use of handicapping was in horse racing when the weaker horse was placed a couple of centimetres ahead of other horses to have a head start – an advantage. Today, the staking is especially popular in football. On the best sites, you can play pokies online real money Australia and place bets simultaneously.
Types of Handicaps in Football Betting
Now you understand what a handicap is in wagering on football and hockey. By the way, the unit of measurement for the risk in games is points (goals). There are 3 types of the wager:
● Positive
In this case, the bookmaker assigns plus points to the weak team. Example. Manchester United and Southampton are playing. The odds for Manchester United are too low, and although many players will risk on his victory, the bookmaker needs to attract even more money into the bets.
Therefore, a bet appears the risk (+1) on Southampton. This gives the second team a 1 goal advantage. If Southampton wins by 2 goals or more (0:2, etc.), your wager is positive. If the score is 0:1, 1:2 or 2:3, etc., you will receive a refund of the bet because the handicap was (+1).
Well, a loss is possible if Southampton loses with more than one goal. If you risk for the stake (+2), then to win the bet, the second team can have a difference of no more than two goals (0:2, 1:3, etc.).
● Negative
Everything is the same as in the previous paragraph but in reverse. A strong team with a handicap (-1) receives a theoretical score at the start of -1:0. With the stake (-2) = -2:0, etc.
● Null
Allows you to gain an advantage in case of a draw. For example, if the second team has a handicap (0), we bet on its victory, agreeing with the stake. If the match ended in a draw, we would lose, but due to the risk, we get a refund. In essence, a zero handicap is a kind of insurance.
To better understand positive and negative stakes, let’s simplify: if the handicap is positive, we add its value to the final result; if it is negative, we add a minus.
Asian and European Handicaps
One of the most popular types of bets today is the European handicap.
The difference between Asian and European handicaps is simple – the Asian one uses fractional numbers (1.25; 2.75), while the European uses only integers (1, 3, 4). Also, when risking on the Asian stake, you must understand that there can be no draw here: we are betting on the possibility of a potential win or loss, increasing our chance of profit or a return of the bet.
Such a handicap is not very profitable for the bookmaker, but in this way, it attracts more players and money, which will bring him more profit in the long run.
Conclusion
By knowing what a handicap means in football risking and using it skillfully in your bets, you can improve your betting results. After all, the handicap was intended as a safety net and provided an advantage to the weaker team.
