Asian Handicap Markets and when to use them

Asian Handicap (AH) is the name given to a collection of betting markets, mostly used in football, but can be applied to any sport where a draw (tie) can occur.

AH can remove the possibility of a draw from your betting, by adding or subtracting a half or quarter goal from the final result (more on the difference between a half goal and quarter goal soon). But that’s not the only way an AH market can be used.

Let’s look at every possibility of using the Asian Handicap markets.

AH=0

The AH=0 market is used to hedge your bets when you believe a team should win, but there is a distinct possibility of a draw. If a draw does occur, you are refunded your stake. If the win happens in your teams favour, then you receive all the winnings (although these winnings are much smaller than if you had bet on an outright win). And of course, if your team does lose, you lose your stake.

WHEN TO USE: This market is best for circumstances where a team is obviously better than their opposition. However, you are aware of circumstances where the superior team may draw. Examples include post-European games, or even cup games. Other alternatives might include Draw No Bet and Double Chance. But AH=0 delivers slightly more returns.

AH=+1/AH=-1

This market adds or subtracts a full goal to the final score of the assigned team. Let’s say your bookmaker features a game between Arsenal and Liverpool. A market of Arsenal AH+1 means that whatever the final result would be, Arsenal will get another full goal added to their tally. So a 0-0 draw in the real world would mean a 1-0 Arsenal win in this market. The -1 works similarly, where a full goal is subtracted from the team’s final tally. You can also get variations on this market with two goal handicaps (AH+2/AH-2) and even three goal Handicaps.

WHEN TO USE: when strong teams such as Man City take on much weaker teams like Slovan Bratislava or Sparta Prague in a high profile competition like the UCL. Be careful with applying this market in competitions which strong teams currently do not prioritise, such as the FA cup.

AH=+0.5/AH=-0.5

This market is similar to the full goals market, but adds or subtracts half a goal from the final score of the assigned team. This is particularly useful in soccer as adding or subtracting half goals absolutely precludes the possibility of a draw (tie) occurring, since I’m the real world, it’s not possible to score half a goal. Let’s go back to the example of tte Arsenal Liverpool 0-0 draw in the real world. If you suspected that a draw was a distinct possibility but still wanted to back an Arsenal win, then an Arsenal AH=+0.5 market would solve this problem. Minus 0.5 markets work the same way, removing half a goal from an assigned team. 1.5, 2.5 etc. markets work the same, allowing you to bet on strong teams AND precluding draws.

WHEN TO USE: if you get tired of draws ruining your betting then 0.5 goals are the answer. If your bookmaker allows you to include 0.5 goal markets in your accumulators then thus an ideal place to use them.

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