Find out what soccer handicap betting is, how it works and the different types of soccer handicap betting markets available. Read this article to become an expert in handicap betting.
In soccer, as in all competitive sports, there is usually a difference in the perception of quality between teams; the magnitude of this difference varies with a complex set of influences, ranging from historical dominance and financial support to situational factors such as home field advantage or player injury/availability. Soccer betting interprets these factors and represents them as odds of success for each team in the form of odds.
Handicap betting explained
When the perceived difference in skills is significant, the odds of betting on the favorite will be so low that the payouts will be minimal and therefore of little interest to bettors. Disadvantage
Number set by the bookmaker to offset the perceived ability gap of opponents and thus balance the odds.
To counteract the perceived ability gap and offer more balanced and interesting odds, bookmakers offer what are called handicap betting . In the context of soccer, handicap odds rebalance the playing field by taking into account the difference in perceived strength between the participants by literally applying a goal handicap, positive and negative, to each team. This gives punters the opportunity to win more than if they were backing a heavy favorite in a classic 1X2 bet (which is the most common form of betting in football).
The handicap is applied to the final result of the game to score the bet. There are three types of handicap betting that you should be aware of before betting:
Level handicap
A level handicap occurs when there is no perceived difference in ability between team X and team Y, so no handicap bias is assigned and both teams start at 0.
To win a bet, the bettor must identify the team that scores more goals than their opponent. This type of handicap is not relevant to one-sided games, but it is useful because it prevents ties; if the game ends in a draw, all bets are refunded, because without a handicap neither team has an advantage.
Single handicap
A simple handicap occurs when there is a perceived difference in skill between Team X and Team Y.
An appropriate goal handicap will be assigned to the supposedly superior team to rebalance the betting odds, for example: -0.5 goal, -1 goal, -1.5 goal, etc.
For example, if you bet on team X with a handicap of -1 goal, that team must win by more than 1 goal to cover the handicap and allow you to win your bet.
If the team wins by only 1 goal, the result with the handicap applied is a draw in terms of betting, so your bet will be refunded. If team Y draws or wins, you will lose your bet on team X.