Explaining Handicap Betting and When to Use It

In a world where most sports teams are unevenly matched due to player performance and coaching strategies, handicap betting is a popular way for bettors to even the playing field. This betting market takes the spotlight from the winner of a game and puts factors like recent form, squad value, and the size of the victory into consideration. That makes games with a heavy favorite more equal and boosts the odds to make betting on such games more interesting. However, handicap betting might seem more complex for beginners to grasp, although they are actually simple to understand.

If you’re looking to maximize the odds on point-based sports like basketball and football, this handicap betting guide will help you understand this type of bet, how it works, and when to use it. So, what’s handicap betting?

What’s handicap betting?

Handicap or spread betting is a type of sports betting online option that involves giving one player or team a virtual advantage or disadvantage over their opponent before the start of a game. The sportsbook gives the weaker team a virtual advantage, and the stronger side gets a virtual disadvantage to even the playing field. As a result, the player bets on which side will win the match, considering the handicap.

For instance, an EPL football match between a team like Liverpool against a relegation team would be boring to bet as the heavy favorite is likely to win and would feature short odds. However, a sportsbook like Betway can give the underdog a virtual advantage of +1.5 goals to level the playing field and boost the odds for Liverpool as they would need to cover the virtual advantage given to their opponents.

Which handicap betting markets are available?

Handicap betting has become a popular market across point-based sports like basketball, tennis, football, and rugby. This type of sports betting comes in various forms, including:

–          Match result handicap

Match result handicapping is the most common market on Betway, and the players place the handicap on the strongest team. This market involves giving the favorite team a virtual disadvantage to level the playing field against the underdog. However, it resembles the traditional three-way market where you can bet on a draw or any of the two teams playing, considering the handicap.

–          No draw handicap

Unlike the match result handicap, this handicapping market eliminated the possibility of a draw as the teams were awarded a half handicap disadvantage or advantage like +4.5. That leaves no possibility of a tie after applying the handicap.

When and why use handicap betting?

Most sports bettors use handicap betting to boost the odds on the favorite player or team, and it’s easy to understand why. If you’re betting on a strong team like Liverpool or Manchester City against a mid-table team, the odds might be too low that it might not be worth betting on them to win. That’s where handicap betting comes in, as it can turn these short odds into something worthwhile.

Although handicaps are great for boosting the odds on heavy favorites, you can also use them for close matchups where the odds are closer. For instance, consider a game where two top teams like Liverpool and Manchester City, are playing against each other with 2.60 and 2.85 odds, respectively. A handicap bet can be a great way to bet on the underdog and improve your chances of winning.