Understanding the Asian Handicap (AH) betting system

Do you always find yourself placing the same bets on Match Odds? Are you looking for innovation in the way you bet? If the answer to either or both of these questions is ‘yes’ then the Asian Handicap system represents a whole new world of possibilities when deciding on a selection. But how does it work?

How does the Asian Handicap (AH) work?

The Asian Handicap (AH) is a football betting system which eliminates the possibility of a draw. Therefore, if the result is a draw after the handicap has been applied, the original stake is returned.

For example, in a match between Chelsea and Everton, a bet of AH-1 can be placed on Chelsea. If Chelsea win 1-0, after the handicap is applied the result is 0-0, and in this instance the bookmaker would return the original stake to the customer.

AH zero goal difference

The bookmakers offer the AH in blocks, starting with the AH without goal differences. The AH 0.0 (or AH + 0) discards the draw, meaning it is practically the same as betting on a ‘draw invalid’ bet or “Draw No Bet” (DNB).

In the example of Chelsea V Everton, if we choose to bet on Chelsea 0.0 then the bet is won if Chelsea win the match, the stake would be refunded if there is a draw, and the bet is lost if Everton win.

AH with whole point differences

The AH system applies a positive or negative handicap to teams, for example -2, -1, +1, +2. The handicap is applied to the final result of the match but, unlike the regular European style of betting, the bet is invalidated and returned (push or void) if, after applying the handicap, the result is a draw.

A bet is declared void and the original stake returned if a team win the match by the chosen margin. Using the same match as an example, if the final score is Chelsea 2 – Everton 1, by applying AH-1 the score would be 1 – 1. Similarly, if the AH + 1 is applied to Everton, the score would be a 2-2. In both cases, the result is a draw and there is a push or void.

AH midpoint

AH midpoint means applying either a positive or negative half handicap, selected as  -2.5, -1.5, -0.5, +0.5, +1.5, +2.5 etc.

Using half values, this eliminates the possibility of a draw:

Chelsea -1.5  3.80 (The bet is only won if Chelsea win by 2 or more goals).

Everton +1.5 1.30 (The bet is won in the event of a victory for Everton, a draw, or Everton lose by only one goal).

Another example could be AH-0.5:

Chelsea -0.5 1.95 (The bet is won if Chelsea win the match (by any margin).

Everton +0.5 1.95 (The bet is won in the event of a win for Everton or a draw).

Continuing with this example, if the match ends scoreless (0-0), after applying the AH-0.5 the score would be calculated as: Chelsea  -0.5 Everton 0 (or Chelsea 0  Everton +0.5).

Please note that in a 3-Way market (1X2), a bet of AH-0.5 (Chelsea -0.5 or Everton +0.5 respectively) is equivalent to a bet on victory for the home team, or a double chance bet on a draw-victory for the away team.

AH quarter points

AH quarter points are those which end  in .25 or .75. These may seem the most confusing AH selections as they are a combination bet featuring the two closest midpoints (.5 and .0) Half of the bet goes to the lower midpoint while the other half goes to the higher one.

For example, if betting €100 on AH+0.25, this means we are betting €50 on AH0.0 and €50 on AH+0.5. In this case, the possible outcomes are: 1) winning the full bet, 2) winning half, or 3) losing the total bet.

Once again using the example of Chelsea vs Everton, where the bookmaker introduces this line:

Chelsea -0.25

Everton +0.25

Depending on the bookmaker, this could also be presented as:

Chelsea (-0.0, -0.5)

Everton (+0.0, +0.5)

If the bet is made at Chelsea -0.25, the possible outcomes are:

The bet is won if Chelsea win the match.

Half of the bet would be lost if there is a draw (since the €50 would be returned at AH-0.0 but the €50 played on AH-0.5 would be lost).

The entire bet would be lost if Everton win.

In the case of the second bet (Everton +0.25), the possible outcomes are:

The bet is won if Everton win the match.

Half the bet would be won if the match ends in a draw (€50 would be returned at AH+0.0 and the bet would be won at AH+0.5).

The bet would be lost if Chelsea win the match.

Finally, it is very  important that you become familiar with various bookmakers as they often present the AH in different ways. Some present the AH in one combination (eg. 0.5), while others separate them (0.50, 1.00). Furthermore, some bookmakers present the AH systems of one and midpoint in a different format from those of a quarter point.

OVER / UNDER (OU)

Asian lines can also be applied to over/unders, for example Over 3.75 goals. In this case, half of the bet is given to over 3.5 goals and the other half to over 4 goals. Here is how it works;

Over 3.75 goals: half of the bet is made at over 3.5 while the other half is made at over 4. In this case, the full bet is won if there are 5 or more goals, half the bet is won if there are exactly 4 goals (since the over 4 would be void), but the entire bet is lost if there are less than 4 goals. This can be seen in the table below: