Asian Handicap betting has been very popular for a long while in Asia, where it originated. With the increase in the popularity of online betting in recent years, Asian handicap betting is now available to everyone and has become popular worldwide. Similar to point spread betting, it aims to handicap the favourite in a match and allow you to bet on the favourite with better odds than you would get from the win/lose/draw market.
This article specifically explains the +1 / -1 Asian Handicap market, which is one of a few similar Asian handicap markets known as whole-number handicaps. “Whole number” means that there are no quarter or half markets, just whole numbers -1 -2 -3. This is important as it makes it different from most Asian handicap markets, as with this market, the final result of the game can be a draw, and your stake will be refunded.
We shall explain further……
What does -1 Asian Handicap Mean?
The -1 handicap means that the team you are betting on starts the game on -1 goals rather than zero. So, for your bet to win, you need the team to overcome this handicap. Or to put it another way, they will need to win the game by two clear goals for your bet to be settled as a winner. So you are betting on the team to win 2-0 or 3-1 or some other scoreline with at least a two-goal difference.
Above, we mentioned it was a whole-number handicap. This means that if the team you bet on were to win by only one goal, the final score after the handicap had been applied would be a draw. So, if they were to win the game 2-1 after the -1 handicap is added, the result would be 1-1. In this case, your bet doesn't lose; you are refunded your stake.
So there are three possible outcomes when you bet on a team at -1 Asian handicap.
Check out the table below, which should make it 100% transparent.
- Your team wins by two clear goals, then the bet wins.
- Your team loses or draws, then the bet loses.
- Your team wins by one goal, then your stake is refunded.
| -1 bet | Win by 2 | Win |
| Win by 1 | Stake refunded |
| Draw | Lose |
| Loss | Lose |
What does +1 Asian Handicap Mean?
Not surprisingly, the +1 Asian Handicap means exactly the opposite of the -1 handicap. Instead of starting with a 1-0 disadvantage, the team starts with a 1-0 advantage. This will shorten the odds as they are beginning with a headstart.
So again there are three possible outcomes when you bet on a team at +1 Asian handicap.Explained in the table below
- Your team wins or draws, then the bet wins.
- Your team loses by two or more goals, the bet loses.
- Your team loses by one goal, then the result is a draw, and you get your stake back.
| +1 bet | Win | Win |
| Draw | Win |
| Lose by 1 | Stake returned |
| Lose by 2+ | lose |
Outcomes for Asian handicap -1 / +1 Examples
Below are the exact odds on a Spanish La Liga game between Barcelona and Osasuna. In the Win/lose/draw market Barcelona are 1.27 favourites to win the game and Osasuna are 12.0 outsiders.
The odds that the bookmakers are offering on the -1/+1 Asian handicap market were
- Barcelona -1 @ 1.40
- Osasuna +1 @ 3.60
The odds on the game change when either the handicap is applied to Barcelona or the head start is given to Osasuna. Barcelona's odds have grown from 1.28 to 1.4. So they are still firm favourites to win the game, even with the -1 handicap. This suggests they are expected to beat the handicap and win by at least two goals. Osasuna odds shorten from 12.0 to 3.6, but are still outsiders, suggesting they are expected to lose by at least two goals.
Let's say we were to place a 10 bet on each of the outcomes above
| Match Result | Barcelona -1 bet | Osasuna +1 bet |
|---|
| Any Osasuna win | -10 | +26 |
| Any Draw | -10 | +26 |
| Barcelona victory by 1 goal | 0 | 0 |
| Barcelona victory by 2+ goals | 4 | -10 |
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