Asian Handicap betting is a style of betting in which one team starts the game at a disadvantage, and the other starts with an advantage, handicapping one of the teams. Believed to have originated in Indonesia, this style of betting gained popularity across Asia and can now be found as a common market at most sportsbooks.
The handicapped side is usually the favourite to win the match, and this type of bet allows you to bet on them and still get reasonably good odds, as you are betting on them to win and win well. For this market, the handicapped team starts the game effectively at -2.25 goals.
There is a wide range of Asian handicap bets, and the +2.25 / -2.25 market is one of the more complicated markets. The main thing to know is that your bet actually has two parts, and it's possible for both parts to win or lose, but it's also possible for only half of your bet to win.
Confused? Don’t worry, we will explain further…
What does -2.25 Asian Handicap Mean?
So because of the .25 within the bet this means that your bet is split. Half of your stake will go to the -2 market, and half will go to the -2.5 market
Now, it’s impossible for only part of a goal to be scored, which means your bet will be settled differently depending on whether there is a two or three-goal difference between the teams at the end of the game.
So half of your stake will go to the -2 market and half to the -2.5 market. If your team wins by three or more goals, let's say 3-0 or 4-1, when either handicap (-2 or -2.5) has applied to the winning team's number of goals, the figure is higher than their opponent's, so the whole bet wins.
If the team loses, draws or only wins by one goal, then after the handicap has been applied both parts of your bets will lose as the winning team will now have fewer goals than their opponent.
There is a third outcome, which is that your team wins by exactly two goals. For example, let's say it's a 3-1 win. Now, this time, when we apply the -2.5 again, their total is now fewer than their opponent's score, so this half of the bet is settled as a loss.
But importantly when we apply the -2 handicap the result becomes 1-1 which is a draw and when this happens half your stake will be returned to you as this part of your bet has neither won or lost.
Still not 100% sure? Then check out the table below, which should make it 100% clear.
Half of your bet will be on the -2 market, and the other half will be on the -2.5 market.
- The team wins by three clear goals then the whole bet wins.
- The team loses or draws then the whole bet loses.
- The team wins by one goal the whole bet loses
- If your team wins by only 2 goals, the -2.5 part of the bet loses, but the -2 part of the bet is refunded to you.
| -2.25 | Win by 3+ | Win |
| Win by 2 | 50% Lose / 50% Stake refunded |
| Win by 1 | Lose |
| Draw | Lose |
| Loss | Lose |
What does +2.25 Asian Handicap Mean?
So, all the maths here is exactly the same as the above section. But this time, your team is gaining an advantage at the start of the game.
Half of your bet will be on the +2 market, and the other half will be on the +2.5 market.
- The team wins or draws then the whole bet wins.
- The team loses by three clear goals then the whole bet loses.
- The team loses by one goal the whole bet wins
- If your team loses by two goals, the +2.5 part of the bet wins, but the +2 part of the bet is refunded to you.
| +2.25 | Win | Win |
| Draw | Win |
| Lose by 1 | Win |
| Lose by 2+ | Win 50%
Other 50% returned |
| Lose by 3+ | Lose |
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