What Does Handicap Mean in Sports Betting

Playing games of chance is fun, but a much better way to spend your time and money is wagering on sporting events, especially if someone is a sports enthusiast. Yes, every sport is fun on its own, but when every game has some higher meaning, especially when you can make money from it, everything gets much more entertaining. Of course, setting certain limits is not just highly recommended but a must, but overall, betting on sports adds that special something to the entire game. Besides that, it can even make a dull game more interesting, as even though nothing actually happens during the match and we would otherwise not watch or follow it, the fact that the outcome of it can bring us money will make us at least check the final score.

Another great thing about it is that now all that’s needed to bet on our favorite team or sport is just a few clicks away, as we can do everything online. Understandably, since bookmakers give different odds, doing a bit of research before placing a bet is preferable so that you could win as big as possible if you guess the outcome of some match, and luckily, you can find all about that and more at https://onlinebetting.net.nz/.

What is it?

For someone new to sports betting, this might seem way too complicated and confusing, but only at first glance, as once you gather more info about how it works, you’ll realize that it is the easiest type of bet. The entire purpose of such odds is to make a much more interesting match out of any sport, even when the first-placed team plays against the last-placed one. Overall, it is a sort of a trick that bookmakers use to draw more players, as when they add a handicap to some bet, the odd gets bigger. Now, everyone who has ever bet on sports knows that there are certain odds that you simply must use and bet on, and in most cases, it’s about the handicap.

Source: smartbettingguide.com

On the other hand, bookies benefit too, as they gain more profits, as the higher the odds, the higher the risk, meaning that predicting the outcome of some match is more challenging. Of course, this is not reserved just for teams, as there are handicaps even in individual sports, like tennis. Take Djokovic as an example, and when Nole plays against a player who’s not that high in the ranking, bookmakers simply need to add that handicap so that players can place a bet on that match if they want.

How does it work?

When some team has a -3.5 added to their name, that team needs to win by a higher margin in order for us to actually win. In practice, if there is such a handicap, and the team wins by 2, then even though the team you have bet on to win might have won, you will not win money because they haven’t won with a big enough margin. If it makes it easier when you notice -3.5, just subtract that from the team’s score, and you’ll find out whether the outcome of the match benefits you or not. Now, this handicap is not the same for every match and for every sport, but in essence, the meaning of it doesn’t change that much.

Different types of handicap betting for a single match

Now that we have explained what handicap betting represents, it is time to pay more attention to various types of it and understand them better. It is not difficult since the point is the same, and the only difference is in the amount of the handicap awarded to one (or both teams). When it comes to no-draw handicap on a single match, the disadvantage awarded to one team is never a whole number, so no matter what happens, the match cannot be finished with a draw result. Another type is the one, where the disadvantage is represented in whole numbers, so we can choose even the draw result to bet on, but we need to be very careful and calculate it before placing a wager.

Source: investrajasthan.com

In the end, we will mention the so-called Asian type, where the handicap is awarded to both teams, which makes betting and watching the game much more interesting. Asian type is the most popular in football, as it is one of the most watched sports in Asia, and similar to the no-draw type, it is also impossible to bet on the draw result. In that situation, one team is getting the handicap which is the whole number, while the other is getting the fractional one, so the draw result is not an option.

Betting on the whole league

Another popular form of handicap betting is on the whole league instead of only one match. It might seem confusing, but it is easy, especially if you already have a favorite team and watch the league in which your favorite team plays regularly. All you need is to guess the league winner, but it is necessary to do it when the league starts in order to win more money if you succeed in it. The principle is simple, and the favorite will have zero handicaps, while other teams will get it depending on many factors, such as their performance in the last season, the outcome in friendly matches, and much more. Of course, you need to wait for the league to finish to win some money, so it is not a great option for impatient people.

Sports to bet on

Source: gamblingsites.org

Although football is one of the most popular sports worldwide, and most people choose it to try their luck and predict the outcome, handicap betting can be used in many other sports and make waiting for the results much more interesting. Besides football, the second most popular sport is American football, thanks to its popularity in the USA and also outside it. The most popular individual sports for handicap betting are golf and tennis because of their popularity, but this great betting system can certainly be applied to any other sport.