Handicap betting is one of those things that experienced punters talk about a lot – but newcomers might rightly feel a little daunted by it all.
Shifting the final score in games to change the odds seems complex. Indeed, it does take a little bit of getting used to. Yet with a bit of practice anyone can become a handicap betting expert and enjoy this fresh way of betting on sport.
Of course, a handicap in betting isn’t just about changing the end result to tweak the odds. You can also get horse racing handicaps, which is a very different thing!
But don’t worry – Paddy’s here to explain everything in this quick guide to handicap bets. We’ll look at what handicap odds are and which sports they’re most commonly used in. We’ll also dip into the world of the horse racing handicap, so you don’t get muddled.
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What is handicap betting?
Let’s start with the basics. Handicap betting is a way of adjusting the odds of an event by adding or subtracting from a team’s final score. For example, England might be given a -1.5 goals handicap in a game versus Brazil. They therefore need to win by two goals for you to win your bet.
Why would you do this? Well, because England’s odds to beat Brazil with a -1.5 goal handicap are bigger than if they were to simply win the match. You therefore get more value from the odds. Of course, the risk is greater because if England win 1-0 or 2-1 then you lose your bet. BUT that’s the decision you, as a punter, need to weigh up when you use a handicap in betting.
Now let’s look at specific examples of betting handicaps in action.
Handicap Betting: Football
We’ve just shown you a football handicap bet example above but it’s worth looking at this in a little more detail. Football is really good for handicap betting because it evens out the odds on uneven games. So, you can still bet on Manchester City to beat Oxford in the FA Cup at decent odds by throwing a -3.5 goals handicap on City’s final score.
What’s particularly good about football handicap betting is the high value of a single goal. In sports like rugby, American football and basketball (see below for more of those sports!) a single ‘scoring moment’ like a try, touchdown or three-pointer is not worth much. However, the value of a single goal in football can be huge.
Football handicap odds therefore get really big, really quickly.
Learn how football handicap betting works
Just look at the difference here between two handicaps on Juve to beat Brugge. Juve are 4.50 to win with a -1.0 handicap, yet 12.0 to win with a -2.0 handicap. That one-goal difference is huge.
You don’t get that same value jump in sports that contain higher scores, like rugby and basketball. That’s one of the reasons why punters love football handicap betting so much.
Handicap Betting: NFL
While football is popular with handicappers, NFL is arguably the home of handicap bets. That’s because, in the US, there is a fixation on point spread betting that effectively works the same as a handicap.
In both instances the aim is to find a handicap that gets as close to Evens as possible, so your bet has a 50/50 chance of winning.
At Paddy Power, punters get NFL handicap lines that settle at 1.90 odds for both teams. In our example below, the Commanders are 1.90 to beat the Eagles with a +6.5 points handicap. The Eagles have a -6.5 handicap.
So, if you back Washington and they win or lose by no more than six points, then you win your bet. Likewise, if you place an NFL bet on Philadelphia then you’ll need them to win by seven points or more to secure a return.
Betting on handicaps in the NFL at Paddy Power
Paddy Power offers alternative handicaps on NFL which plays with the line a little more, so you can effectively choose your odds.
Get Paddy’s NFL tips today
Handicap Betting: Basketball
Basketball is the other place where point spread betting / handicap betting comes to the fore. The sheer number of games played in an NBA season means it’s usually fairly obvious which team will win a match before tip-off.
There’s therefore not much value in backing the Knicks, for example, to beat the Nets at 1.14. The NBA odds are just too one-sided.
Betting on NBA handicaps is possible at Paddy Power
Instead, you could add a -11.5 handicap to the Knicks score and lock in odds of 1.90. Perhaps that’s a more palatable price.
Learn how to bet on basketball at Paddy Power!
Handicap Betting: Rugby
Punters have only recently realised the value in rugby handicap betting. There are usually between six and 12 scoring moments in rugby union, which means final scores can vary wildly.
It’s a sport that is very unpredictable. Yes, a team might be favourites to win but the ability for underdogs to chip away at leads via three-point penalty kicks means placing a rugby handicap is a little more volatile than betting on NFL or basketball.
If you’re chasing high rewards then rugby betting could be the sport for you.
Try handicap betting on rugby at Paddy Power today
You can also bet on the draw in rugby and handicap that too. In our example, a draw has a -5 handicap in a match between Oyonnax and Brive. That effectively means you’re betting on the favourite to win by exactly five points, in order to hit the draw.
So, if Oyonnax win 20-15 and your handicap docks them five points, the bet is settled as a draw and you win.
Betting on handicaps in horse racing
Horse Racing Handicap Explained
We’ve talked a lot about handicap bets in sport but there is one meaning of “handicap” that we should explain, in relation to horse racing.
Horse racing handicaps have nothing to do with the actual betting but the practice of handicapping horses is where other sports get the term from.
In handicap horse races, horses are given weights to place in their saddles according to their Official Rating. Those with a higher rating are given more weight, which naturally slows them down.
The idea is to make uneven races more competitive. Rather than one horse being priced at 1.10 to win a race, the weight they carry – their “handicap” – means their starting price is actually 3.00.
Horse racing employs handicappers who assess the Official Rating of each horse heading into a race and confirms the weight. This can cause controversy. In 2022 two-time Grand National winner Tiger Roll was withdrawn from the race after its trainer branded “absurd” the decision to give the horse the maximum weight handicap.
Not all horse races have handicaps and there are allowances for certain horses and jockeys. The whole idea is to make races, and therefore the odds, more competitive.
Asian Handicap Betting
Asian handicap betting gets its name from a popular type of betting that exists in, would you believe it, Asia? It is a type of football betting market that is designed to level the playing fields as all handicap bets do, but crucially it makes draws null and void which reduces the match to two possible outcomes, win or lose, by offering the number of goals a team starts with as 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and so on and so forth.
So if Manchester City plays Southampton, City would be at -3.5 and the Saints at +3.5, meaning that if Pep Guardiola’s men finished as the winners with a 5-1 scoreline, anyone who bet on City -3.5 Asian Handicap would win. It has to be said, these days, its death, taxes and Manchester City winning by 3.5 goals on Asian Handicap which makes up the three certainties in life.
What is the difference between Handicap and Spread betting?
Essentially handicap and spread betting is exactly the same thing with the only difference being in name. Depending on what side of the pond you stand will probably determine what phraseology you use.
At the end of the day, it is still one team that starts the sporting fixture with a virtual head start with the sole purpose being to level the playing field and create an even contest for the inferior side.
Now that you’ve mastered handicap betting, let us know how many goals you think Man City will beat Southampton by!
THE PADDY POWER GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Football betting handicap explained
- Asian handicap betting explained
- Football handicap betting guide
- Difference between grading, handicap and selling horse races