Asian Handicap Betting is a recent development in handicap football betting that originated in Asia, as the name suggests. Its simplicity has been a key factor in increasing its popularity, especially among online bookmakers, since it provides a punter with fewer betting possibilities compared to fixed odds bet. 

How Asian Handicap Betting works?

Many novice punters lose a lot of money unnecessarily by placing Asian handicap bets without first understanding the general rules of this style of betting. 

Asian handicap football bets are similar to normal handicap bets in that the bookmaker essentially adds or deducts points to the final scores of either of the teams. These handicaps are in significantly lower increments compared to those awarded in other games like rugby or basket ball due to the low scores associated with football matches.

In a typical football match, there would be a winning team, a losing team, or a draw. However, Asian Handicap Betting eliminates the draw option by adding or deducting scores (quarter, half, three quarter or whole goals) from one of the teams. This allows Asian Handicap Betting bookmakers to define very fine odds (using decimals) to level the playing-field from a betting perspective.

Suggested online bookmakers for Asian handicap betting

Online Bookmakers	Bookmaker's Promotion	Amount	Bet Now
	Open Account Offer Bet £10 & Get £50 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required.	£50	Bet now
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	£30 Matched Free Bet If Your First Acca Loses + 50 Free Spins New UK customers only. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football or Horse Racing multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. 18+ BeGambleAware.o	£30	Bet now

The following are the kinds of handicaps that online bookmakers use to offset perceived differences in skills for football Asian handicap markets:

Level handicap: this applies when the abilities of both teams appear to be evenly matched, so the bookmaker does not assign any handicap bias. The start off score for both teams is 0-0. 

Single Handicap: this is a whole or decimal handicap given to either team due to perceived differences in abilities. Bookmakers use decimals like 0.5, 1.5 or 2.5 to eliminate the possibilities of a draw. However, the use of whole number handicaps like 1, 2 or 3 makes a draw possible. For such a case, stakes are returned whenever there is a draw handicap. 

For instance, Liverpool (-1.5) vs. Portsmouth (+1.5)

• This means that a score of 1.5 is either deducted from Liverpool, or added to Portsmouth, such that:
• A Liverpool win by 2 or more goals implies that they win the market after application of the handicap. 
• If, on the other hand, Liverpool wins by 1 goal or draws in the actual match, Portsmouth wins the market after application of the handicap. 

Split Handicaps: when the perceived difference in abilities between the two teams is small, your bet is split over two handicaps. 

For instance, (-1,-1.5) Vs. Portsmouth (+1,+1.5)

This implies that your stake will be evenly split between the two handicaps, such that a bet of £10 is actually a £5 bet on each handicap. 

• A Liverpool win by 2 or more goals implies that Liverpool wins both handicap markets after consideration of the handicap. 
• A Liverpool win by 1 goal implies that they draw the first market, but lose the second one. The stake on the first handicap, which is half of the total bet, will be returned, and you lose the other half. 
• If Liverpool either draws or loses in the actual match, then it means that Portsmouth win both markets after application of the two handicaps.