Understanding Handicap Betting in Soccer

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What to do if you are bored with standard 1X2 and double chance markets in betting? Yes, it is time to move to complex solutions. By that, we mean one of the most used markets on the BetPawa platform – Handicap. It ensures more freedom in punters’ predictions.  You can guess whether an underdog team will score more goals with a positive number of extra points you granted that team at the start. For now, it must sound a bit vague but do not worry. We will explain everything in the following review of the handicap market. Keep reading.

About Betting Codes

Handicap About Betting Codes

Before we talk about betting markets, let’s discuss your opportunities on the BetPawa platform. When a punter decides to place a bet, it should not necessarily be placed and confirmed immediately. So, what is BetPawa booking code meaning? You can build it and turn it into a combination of letters and digits to approve it later when you think it is time. That is what a betting code stands for. You can make a betting code even when you build a great bet.

What Is Handicap Betting?

What Is Handicap Betting?

Handicap is a popular market that can be applied to point-scoring types of sports, such as soccer, tennis, basketball, and others. It is also used in horse racing. This market influences the odds offered by the bookmaker. So, it is vital to understand how this market functions in order to place better bets.

How Does Handicap Betting Work

Handicap betting is also known as the spread, points, line, and Asian handicap betting. The point of it is to select matches via unequal odds and turn them into equal betting contests. Punters can add some points/goals to the underdog team and bet on their win with particular odds. Or make it all the opposite, subtract a couple of goals from the leading team, and bet on their win.

For instance, if you bet on England against Brazil 2-0, and the latter will score 1-0, your bet will still win. Usually, the weaker team becomes boosted by some extra goals at the beginning of the match. However, players can also take away some goals from the leading team.

Soccer Handicap Betting Explained

Handicap Soccer Handicap Betting Explained

Punters mainly prefer to use the market in soccer betting. It is widely popular in Tanzania and allows players to create really successful complex bets and even accumulators. BetPawa allows 2-way and 3-way handicap betting.

What does it mean? Everything is simple. In 2-way betting, punters can make predictions by adding or subtracting goals from either of the teams and bet on any of them to win after the full match time when the advantage is on. Additional time and penalties are not included here.

A 3-way betting works by the same rules. However, here you can also net on a draw. This market variation is also called a European handicap. Punters can make predictions on any of the teams to succeed with some bonus goals at the beginning. The bet does not cover extra time and penalties. 

Using Handicap Bets for Soccer Betting

Soccer betting offers a massive number of markets that allows players to diversify their choices. This market is one of the complex but quite intriguing options. The principle of wagering is the same:

  1. Log into your account on BetPawa and go to the sports section.
  2. Pick soccer and a game of your choice, and select handicap among other options.
  3. Select your stake and add it to the bet slip.
  4. Confirm your bet and wait for an outcome.

The algorithm is the same as with other betting markets. In the brackets, you will see how many goals you can add or subtract and which odds you can select on the BetPawa platform.

Handicap Betting Types

Handicap Betting Types

The market has several variations. It significantly increases the level of excitement and joy while you compose your stakes. In this part of our review, we will explain to you the meaning of level, single, and split advantage bets. 

What Is a Level Handicap Bet

This is a variation similar to the European handicap with the exception that here the number of goals is 0 for both teams. It means that each team has even conditions at the beginning of the match. The outcome of the tournament will decide whether your stake wins or not.

What Is a Single Handicap Bet?

It is the same as a single bet. It means you are making only one separate selection and adding it to your bet slip. Your aim is to guess which team will win and with how many extra goals at the beginning of the game it can do it.

What Are Split Handicaps / Double / Asian Handicap Betting?

This type of option is known under many names but basically means the same. Asian handicap does not provide you with 2 or 3 goals, it offers such options as 2.5 and 2.25. Sounds interesting, right? Let’s take a closer look to understand how it works. 

The multiple options here are called lines and can be presented to you in a table. For example, an Asian handicap of +3.25. The amount for this type of bet is divided into two equal parts between neighboring bets in increments of 0.5. Each half is calculated separately. The bet wins if, after adding the handicap, the score is in favor of the selected side. A draw will result in a refund.


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Handicap Betting For Football

Handicap Betting For Football

If you decide to place stakes with an advantage for football (or soccer), then you would need to understand some of the terms we will discuss in the next part of the review. 

First Half Handicap

Tanzanian players can be surprised, but they have an opportunity to place handicapped bets on the first and second halves of the match. If we talk about the first half, it means that your stake only covers the first time of the match. And the goals you added to your team at the beginning of a competition will be counted only for this period. 

Handicap Draw

A draw is excluded from an Asian handicap market, and if the outcome is a draw, a stake here is refunded to a player. However, a draw is allowed on the European market. So, if you bet on a draw +/- some goals, you would need to check the result. For example, if the first team was -2 goals and the 2nd team was +2 goals, and a draw was -1 with the result 1-0, your bet wins. You receive exactly the draw you predicted.

What Is A Goal Handicap?

It is a special term used for cases when one of the teams misses a particular number of goals to the other. So you can place a bet where you predict that one team will miss any number of goals to the other one. 

What Is a No Draw Handicap Bet?

Such an option can be applied to one of the teams you bet on, as in any other market. A no-draw handicap is similar to an Asian one. There will always be a winner. For instance, if team number one scores 3 goals and team number two scores 2 goals, but you previously granted it a handicap +1,5, then the 2nd team wins.

What Is Handicap League Betting?

Here you can bet on the team’s games’ results throughout the season. Players can make a bet at the beginning of the season based on the current odds and offered markets with an advantage. As a rule, the favorite team will get a zero handicap, while the weakest teams will be offered to add more goals. 

Unlike standard soccer handicap betting, which is applied to a particular team to calculate the bet odds after the match is over. Here it is applied to all the teams you bet on to calculate the results at the end of the season.

Conclusion

Handicap Conclusion

As you might notice from our review, handicap bets are quite diverse. You can observe the options a bookmaker has and decide which one you’d like to try. Since we described all the variants, it would not be a problem for you. We recommend testing the classic European option first and then seeing how other types might work out.

F.A.Q.

Is handicap betting legal?
Yes, it is absolutely legit. Many bookmakers, including BetPawa, offer different variations of such markets.
Is handicap betting only available in football?
No. It mainly depends on the bookmaker. But this market can be used for games with points and goals, like tennis, basketball, and so on.
When is the best time to wager on handicap bets?
Professionals think that one of the best chances to bet on handicaps is when the lines are first launched.
Are handicap bets also offered in exchanges, not only in Sportsbooks?
Yes. The handicap bets are also offered on exchanges. It is even better to bet on them in the exchange because there is a chance of higher odds.
What does +1.5 handicap mean?
It means that one of the teams was given a handicap at the beginning of the match. In case the score is 1-0, your team will win because it has an extra +1.5 goals.
How do handicap bets work?
Handicap bets are not so complicated. A player must decide which of the teams will win. Based on that, a punter adds or subtracts the necessary number of goals to even the chances of both teams winning before the match begins.
What does it mean to handicap in betting?
The meaning is that one of the teams has more or fewer goals at the beginning of the game, so its opportunity to win can become even with the chances of another team.