Asian Handicap is a special type of Handicap bet that can be graded Half-Win or Half-Loss as well as Win, Loss or Push (stake returned to the bettor).
All Handicap bets exist to even out the competition. They do this by applying a positive or negative goal or point handicap to each side.
A regular Handicap bet uses whole or half numbers. The possible outcomes when the line is a whole number are Win, Loss and Push. For example, a pre-live market for the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers offers Kazakhstan +1 or Denmark -1.
Betting on Kazakhstan +1 means you add 1 to their final score, so:
If Kazakhstan wins, the bet is graded Win.
If Kazakhstan loses by 1 goal, the bet is graded Push.
If Kazakhstan loses by 2 or more goals, the bet is graded Loss.
Betting on Denmark -1 means you subtract 1 from their final score, so:
If Denmark loses, the bet is graded Loss.
If Denmark wins by 1 goal, the bet is graded Push.
If Denmark wins by 2 or more goals, the bet is graded Win.
Introducing a half number to a Handicap bet eliminates the possibility of a Push grading. For example, a live market for the NBA offers the Golden State Warriors -8.5 or the Cleveland Cavaliers +8.5.
Betting on the Warriors -8.5 means you subtract 8.5 from their final score, so:
If the Warriors win by 9 or more points, the bet is graded Win.
If the Warriors win by 8 or fewer points, or if they lose, the bet is graded Loss.
Betting on the Cavaliers +8.5 means you add 8.5 to their final score, so:
If the Cavaliers lose by 9 or more points, the bet is graded Loss
If the Cavaliers lose by 8 or fewer points, or if they win, the bet is graded Win.
ASIAN HANDICAP: THE ONLY HANDICAP WITH QUARTER NUMBERS
The unique aspect of the Asian Handicap is that it can be a quarter number (0.25, 0.75, 1.25, 1.75, etc). In this case, there are four possible outcomes: Win, Loss, Half-Win and Half-Loss. For example, a pre-live market for the FIFA Confederations Cup offers Australia +1.25 or Germany -1.25.
Betting on Australia +1.25 means half the stake is bet on +1 and half is bet on +1.5, so:
If Australia win, the bet is graded Win.
If Australia lose by 1 goal, half the bet is graded Push and the other half is graded Win, therefore the bet as a whole is graded Half-Win.
If Australia lose by 2 or more goals, the bet is graded Loss.
Betting on Germany -1.25 means half the stake is bet on -1 and half is bet on -1.5, so:
If Germany lose, the bet is graded Loss.
If Germany win by 1 goal, half the bet is graded Push and the other half is graded Loss, therefore the bet as a whole is graded Half-Loss.
If Germany win by 2 or more goals, the bet is graded Win.
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