Asian Handicap betting is one of the fastest growing forms of sports wagering at the moment, and it's not hard to see why. There are many advantages to playing on the Asian Handicap markets as opposed to more traditional offerings so let's take a look at some of the key bets and point out the value in getting involved.
The true value in betting on the Asian Handicap markets is that it provides you with more choice and flexibility in your betting. It's more precise, fair and there are fewer ways to lose your money. Let's illustrate that by looking at this Arsenal v Stoke match.
In Asian Handicap betting the odds tend to be fairly tight between opposing teams due to the way the handicap is framed. In this game Arsenal are conceding two goals to Stoke and are available to back at 2.36. Stoke have been priced at 1.66 with a two goal start.
As you can see there is no handicap draw option, and that's the real selling point of playing on this kind of market. Because in traditional handicap betting, if Arsenal win by two goals, it will be a handicap draw and stakes on both teams will be lost. on the Asians though, this 'draw' is referred to as a "push" and stakes are returned to players when it occurs.
A £50 bet Arsenal -2 on the Euro Handicap would result in a loss while a £50 wager on the same bet on the Asian Handicap would see the stake returned in the event of a two goal Arsenal win.
Another fascinating and valuable aspect of this kind of betting is the Double Handicaps that are on offer. These bets offer the player real flexibility by splitting their stake over two separate bets; in this case you can back Arsenal -1.5/2 at odds of 2.04.
That means half your stake goes on Arsenal -1.5 goals while the other is placed on Arsenal -2 goals. Therefore, if Arsenal win by exactly two goals, half your stake (-1.5) is a full winner while the other half (-2.0) is a push so that half is returned.
It's not just team performance markets where you can take advantage, Match Goals and Team Goals are also always available for Asian Handicap punters. Let's go back to the Arsenal v Stoke game and look at the Total Goals market.
Here we have Over 3 Goals priced up at 2.09 and Under 3 Goals at 1.81. In traditional betting if exactly three goals are scored then no one wins except the bookmaker; thankfully that's not the case with Asian Handicap betting. If indeed exactly three goals are scored in the Arsenal v Stoke game then everyone goes home happy as stakes are returned on both sides of the handicap. If you backed Over 3 Goals you'll get your money back, if you backed Under 3 Goals you'll get your money back. It's that simple. It's a push.
Similarly you can also utilise the Double Asian Handicaps on this kind of market too. In this case if exactly three goals are scored no one will lose all their entire stake. For those that backed Over 2.5/3 Goals, their half stake on Over 2.5 Goals is a winner at 1.86 while their half stake on 3 Goals is returned to them as it was a push; overall profit gained. For those on Under 2.5/3 Goals, their half stake on Under 2.5 Goals would be lost but they'd receive the other half on 3 Goals back in their pockets.
