If you don’t know your full Asian Handicap lines from your quarter Asian Handicap lines, the chances are you’re missing out on multiple betting opportunities on your favourite sports. The reality is that Asian Handicap markets are now readily available across many of the world’s biggest sports.

Asian Handicap betting is a variant of spread betting for sports fans, which allows you to decide whether pre-game favorites can overcome a points or goal handicap against a pre-game underdog. How high this handicap is depends on the calibre of each team. When the pre-game favorite is only perceived to be narrowly better than the underdog, the goal deficit will be much smaller. By the same token, it’ll be much wider when the pre-game favorite is considered streets ahead of the underdog by our in-house traders.

Asian Handicap markets: How it all began

The Asian Handicap system was devised in Indonesia. It was created as a means of cutting the number of potential outcomes of a bet from three to two – as you get in a conventional 1X2 (Match Odds) market. It’s also become an opportunity for bettors to get a higher price – either pre-match or via the in-play markets on favorites capable of beating the handicap on the betting line.

Bet with no need to worry about score draws

One of the biggest advantages of Asian Handicap betting is its disregard of the draw betting option in the sports markets. It’s a very black-and-white form of betting. If you bet on the favorite to clear the pre-game handicap and they do, you win. If they don’t, you lose. Equally, if you bet on an underdog on the Asian Handicap, it’s still possible to win your bet if the game ends in a draw.

How does Asian Handicap betting work?

The Asian Handicap lines are determined by our in-house traders. This team is employed to crunch the numbers to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each team. When a team is vastly superior to an upcoming opponent, the betting odds on them in the Match Odds market will often be too low to convince people to bet on them to win outright. The Asian Handicap market attempts to level the playing field ahead of uneven matchups, giving favorite backers better value odds if they are confident they can clear the pre-game goal deficit.

What is a zero Asian Handicap line?

Essentially, the 0 Asian Handicap line acts in the same way as a Draw No Bet market. If the game you’re betting on ends in a draw, your bet is void and your stake is refunded to your Mr Green account. This means you can have a 50/50 shot at picking a winner in a football match, safe in the knowledge that you’ll get your wager back if neither team can do the job.

whole balls betting

Full Asian Handicap lines

A full Asian Handicap line will give a whole figure handicap to the pre-game favourite. This could be -1, -2, -3 or even higher if the gap in quality between the teams or players is stark. If you bet on an English Premier League team like Manchester City to win at a -2 Asian Handicap against Fulham, City would need to win by three clear goals for you to win your bet. Similarly, if you bet on Fulham to win at a +2 Asian Handicap against City, you’ll win as long as Fulham lose by no more than one goal.

half-balls betting

Half Asian Handicap lines

A half Asian Handicap line will be displayed as +0.5, -0.5, +1.5, -1.5 and so on. Of course, it’s not possible for a team to score half a goal. Therefore, they have to win by a total that exceeds the other team’s score – plus their own pre-game Asian Handicap. If you took Chelsea to beat Manchester United with a -0.5 Asian Handicap, they would have to win by one goal or greater. If you took Brentford to win at a +1.5 Asian Handicap against Arsenal, your bet wins if Brentford avoid defeat by less than a two-goal margin.

quarter-ball bets

Quarter Asian Handicap lines

Quarter Asian Handicap lines are shown as +0.25 or -0.25. It puts half of your stake on the quarter handicap and the other half on the zero Asian Handicap line. If you were to back Arsenal to beat Tottenham at +0.25, your bet would win fully if Arsenal win the game. If it ends in a draw, you’d win on the quarter Asian Handicap line and get a refund on the zero Asian Handicap line. If Tottenham win, you’d obviously lose on both legs.

three quarter ball bets

Three-quarter Asian Handicap lines

A three-quarter Asian Handicap line is usually displayed as +0.75 or -0.75. This bet puts half of your stake on a half Asian Handicap line and the other half on a full Asian Handicap line. If you have Newcastle United to win against Liverpool on a +0.75 Asian Handicap, half of your stake is placed on them at +0.5 and the other half at +1. If Newcastle win or draw, you’d win both legs of your bet. If they lose by one goal, you’d only lose half your stake (+0.5).

Which sports are best suited to Asian Handicap betting?

Football is one of the most popular markets for Asian Handicap betting as it removes the outcome of the draw from the equation. It’s designed to create a level playing field for bettors, so essentially this format works well for any team-based sport where there is often a disparity in quality from one team to the next.

Use Asian Handicap markets to your advantage at Mr Green

Think you’ve spotted a pre-game favorite that’s vulnerable against a certain type of opponent? Take on their Asian Handicap line and see if the underdog can beat the spread at Mr Green.