Asian Handicap for Beginners – Complete Guide

Asian Handicap or AH is one of the most exciting and most important betting markets today. Every sports bettor should use this type of handicap, simply because it offers many advantages, and there are almost no disadvantages.

This article will explain what the Asian handicap is, how it is used, and its advantages in relation to other types of markets and different types of handicaps that you can find in the offer of the best online betting sites.

What is an Asian Handicap?

Asian Handicap (AH) is one of the most exciting sports betting markets, simply because the player eliminates the so-called draw problem at the start! It is logical to ask how this is even possible. Still, in the Asian Handicap market, every game has only two possible outcomes: the host’s victory and the guest’s victory (with some specific rules that we will explain in detail later).

Be sure that the moment you understand in the right way what the Asian Handicap is and how it works, you will see all the advantages of this way of sports betting, compared to the old-fashioned and conservative way of betting in three-way markets. Also, you will see how easy it is to make money on sports betting by playing this market. The popularity of this betting market is so big, that even online casinos that have sportsbooks within their websites almost always offer AH to their customers.

Asian Handicap Betting Lines

The Asian Handicap is in some parts similar to the handicap used in sports betting on basketball, and if you have ever bet on handicaps in basketball, understanding this type of handicap will make it easier for you.

However, to fully understand this type of betting market, it is necessary to explain each line of the Asian lines separately.

Asian Handicap 0 (AH0) – This type of handicap is often referred to as a risk-free handicap or Draw No Bet (DNB). If you bet on the host, your bet wins if the home team wins. If the match ends in a draw, your bet will be refunded in full, as if you had not bet on that match. That’s why it’s called Draw No Bet. If the away team wins, the bet is lost.

If you wonder about the difference between AH0 and DNB bets, they are absolutely the same, but in most cases betting sites have different odds on those markets.

Asian Handicap -0.25 (-0.25AH) – Now it’s getting a little complicated. But only at first glance. When you play Asian Handicap -0.25, you actually play two bets, with half stakes -0.5 AH and half stakes 0 AH. Here is an example:

You bet on Arsenal -0.25 AH with odds of 1.90 and a stake of €100. If Arsenal wins, your bet is won, and you will get back €190. If there is a draw, you lose half of the stakes, and half of the stakes are returned to you, so you are minus €50. If Arsenal loses, your bet is lost, and you are €100 down.

Asian Handicap +0.25 (+ 0.25AH) – Counter-bet of -0.25 AH. If your team wins, your bet is fully won. Half of the stakes are returned to you if there is a draw, and half of the stakes are won. If your team loses, your bet is lost. Here is an example:

You bet on Arsenal +0.25 AH with odds of 1.90 and a stake of €100. If Arsenal wins, your bet is won, and you will get back €190. If there is a draw, €50 is returned to you, and half of the stake is multiplied by the odds of 1.90. So a total of €145 is returned to you. If Arsenal loses, your bet is lost, and you are minus €100.

Asian Handicap -0.5 (-0.5AH) – The easiest type of Asian Handicap line to understand. If your team wins, your bet wins. If there is a draw or your team loses, your bet is lost.

Asian Handicap +0.5 (+ 0.5AH) – Your bet is won if your team wins or draws. If your team loses, the bet is lost.

Asian Handicap -0.75 (-0.75AH) – Again, one of the more complicated handicaps. And here you play two bets. Bettor puts within this line a half stake at -0.5 AH and a half stake at -1 AH. Here is an example:

You bet on Arsenal -0.75 AH with odds of 1.90 and a stake of €100. If Arsenal wins with more than one goal difference (2-0, 3-1, etc.), your bet is won, and you will get back €190. If you win with one goal, the half stake of €50 is returned to you, and half of the stake is multiplied by the odds of 1.90. So a total of €145 is returned to you. If Arsenal draws or loses, your bet is lost, and you are €100 down.

Asian Handicap +0.75 (+ 0.75AH) – Counter-bet of -0.75 AH. If your team plays a draw or wins, your bet wins completely. Here is an example:

You bet on Arsenal +0.75 AH with odds of 1.90 and a stake of €100. If Arsenal draws or wins, your bet is won, and you will get back €190. If Arsenal loses with one goal difference, you lose half of the stakes, and half of the stakes are returned to you, so you are €50 down. If Arsenal loses by more than one goal, your bet is lost, and you are in the red €100.

Asian Handicap -1 (-1AH) – Pretty simple handicap. The favored team you bet on needs to win by more than one goal difference for the bet to win. If he wins with exactly one goal, the stake is returned, and if it is a draw or loss, the bet is lost.

Asian Handicap +1 (+ 1AH) – Counter of -1 handicap. If your team loses by more than one goal, the bet is lost. If he loses with exactly one goal, the bet is returned, and if it is a draw or your team wins, the bet is won.

There are more Asian Handicaps that grow proportionally by a quarter (-1.25, -1.5, -1.75, -2, etc.), and they all function in the same way as these basic handicaps we explained.

Asian Handicap in the Goal Market

In addition to the Asian handicap in the full-time market, there is another market. This article will explain Asian Handicap in the goal market, how to use it effectively, and what its advantages are compared to other types of goal games in sports betting. You can play this and different types of handicaps on many quality betting sites, whose honest reviews you can find on our website.

Although the Asian Handicap is mainly played in a full-time market, this handicap can also be played in other markets, such as the Goal Line Market, the Corner Market, and sometimes even Card Market. Also, it is perfect for those players who like to take advantage of different bonuses and promotions, as it gives you a fair chance to win money.

At the beginning of this article, we explained the advantages of this handicap, especially in situations when the outcome is a draw, so there is no losing ticket, and the stake is returned to bettors. Like the Asian Handicap on full-time, in the goal market, we have some specifics that need to be explained step by step to make it easier for you to navigate and potentially take advantage of this type of handicap in your betting portfolio. Also, there are advantages over the standard goal game, which are reflected in the number of lines you can play.

The sportsbook offers you two options in a standard goal market. For the sake of easier understanding, we will explain everything in the example of a football game. So, in a football match in the regular goal market, the bookmaker offers you two options: Less than 2.5 goals (0-2 goals per match) and more than 2.5 goals (3 or more goals per match). When you decide to play Asian Handicap on the goals market, you have more options. Here are the options:

Over / Under 2.5 Goals – This handicap is identical to a regular goal market, and we will not explain it in detail. So Over 2.5 game is identical to playing three goals and more, while the Under 2.5 goals game is identical to playing 0-2 goals per game.

Over / Under 2.25 Goals – As we said, it’s getting a little complicated now. But only at first glance. When you play Over / Under 2.25 Goals, you are playing two bets, with half the Over / Under 2 Goals and half the Over / Under 2.5 Goals. Here is an example:

You bet on the Arsenal – Chelsea match that there will be Over 2.25 Goals after the end, with odds of 1.90 and a stake of €100. If the match ends with three or more goals, your bet is won, and you will get back €190. If the match ends with exactly two goals, you lose half of the stakes, and half of the stakes are returned to you, so you are €50 down. If there is zero or one goal, your bet is lost, and you are €100 down. If you played Under 2.25 Goals in the same game, if there is zero or one goal, your bet is won, and you will get back €190, if there are precisely two goals, then half of the stake is returned to you, and half of the stake you get 1.90 * 50, so €45, which gives you a profit in the total amount of 145 Kuna, and if there are three or more goals, your bet is lost.

Over / Under 2.75 Goals – Counter bet on Over / Under 2.25 Goals. Here is an example:

You bet on the Arsenal – Chelsea match that there will be Over 2.75 Goals after the end, with odds of 1.90 and a stake of €100. If the match ends with four or more goals, your bet wins, and you get back €190. If the match ends with exactly three goals, then half of the stakes are returned to you, and you get 1.90 * 50 for half of the stakes, which gives you a profit in the total amount of €145. If there are two goals or less, your bet is lost, and you will be down €100. If you played Under 2.75 Goals in the same game, if there are exactly three goals, you lose half of the stakes, and half of the stakes are returned to you, so you are in the minus of €50. If it is zero, one or two goals, your bet is winning, and you will get back €190, and if it is precisely four or more goals, your bet is lost.

Over / Under 3 Goals – the best part is just coming. This is a great handicap line, and the rules are the same no matter how extensive the line is (Over / Under 1, 2, 3, or maybe 4). Namely, when you play this “round” handicap line, then the rules are very clear. We will show this with the example of the Over / Under 3 Goals line.

You bet on the Arsenal – Chelsea match that there will be Over 3 Goals after the end, with odds of 1.90 and a stake of €100. If the match ends with two goals or less, then your bet is lost. If the match ends with four or more goals, then your bet wins. If the match ends with EXACTLY three goals, then your bet is the so-called PUSH, and your stake will be returned to you in full.

The same rules apply to the Under 3 Goals bet, just the opposite. So, below three goals is the winning bet, above three goals the losing bet, and exactly three goals is the PUSH, and the stake is returned.

Conclusion

Words cannot explain how important it is to understand and how to use both the ordinary Asian Handicap and the Asian Handicap in the Goals Market in the right way. After all, this type of handicap gives bookmakers great opportunities and provides them with a “safe zone” in case of the correct number of goals. Hence, our warm recommendation is that if you are able, you should always opt for the Asian Handicap rather than a simple goal market. For this reason, we always warmly recommend the so-called Asian bookmakers or bookmakers that offer the Asian Handicap.

FAQ