Sports betting has been popular among gamblers for over a century, and one of the most common types of bets is a handicap bet. This type of bet allows you to attract the attention of bettors, even if one of the opponents is a clear favorite, and the other is an underdog. In this article, we will take a detailed look and explain what a handicap is in simple terms using examples from football, tennis, basketball and eSports.
The concept of a handicap
Every day, dozens, if not hundreds, of matches are held, in which teams (or players) of different skill levels participate. Obviously, in such matches, bookmakers give very low odds on the favorite and high ones on the outsider (underdog). However, regular bets on the victory of any team do not look attractive to bettors. In order to get a decent win, you need to bet a large amount on the favorite, and a bet on the underdog will most likely be lost. This is exactly the situation where the concept of a handicap appears.
The handicap in betting is indicated by a number with a «+» or «-» sign. A handicap with a «+» sign increases the chances of winning when betting on an underdog (we fictitiously add a little to the underdog’s result), but the odds are reduced. A handicap with a «-» sign complicates the conditions for winning when betting on a favorite (we take away part of the favorite’s result), increasing the odds. As a result, the handicap adds outcomes to matches in which the chances of each team winning are approximately equal. This creates more attractive conditions for bettors and increases interest in betting on such matches
Let’s consider popular examples of bets in football, eSports, tennis, basketball.
Handicap bets in football
The easiest way to understand the meaning of handicap bets is on football matches. Let’s look at an example of the Arsenal – Shakhtar match in the Champions League.
As we can see, in this match, bookmakers are confident in Arsenal’s victory – the odds for victory are 1.09. And to get $90 in winnings, you need to bet $1000 on Arsenal, which is unlikely to be done by anyone. It is also unlikely that anyone will bet on Shakhtar’s victory, because this is probably a loss. However, when you connect bets with a handicap, everything becomes more interesting.
A handicap of -2.5 on Arsenal means that the team must win by at least 3 goals for the bet to win.
- For example, if the match ends with a score of 2:0, the bet loses – 2 goals for Arsenal minus a handicap of 2.5, the final score is -0.5:0
- If the score is 4:1 – the bet wins – the final score taking into account the handicap is 1.5:1 in favor of Arsenal
As we can see, a handicap of -2.5 complicates the conditions for victory for Arsenal, but increases the odds.
A handicap of +2.5 on Shakhtar means that the team can lose with a difference of no more than 2 goals for the bet to win (a win and a draw also give a win to the bet)
- For example, with a score of 2:0, we add a handicap of 2.5 for Shakhtar and get 2:2.5 – Shakhtar wins with a handicap of 2.5
- With a score of 4:1, taking into account the handicap, we get 4:3.5 – the bet has lost.
As we can see, in this case, bets with a handicap offered bettors outcomes with approximately equal chances.
Handicap in football -1.5 and +1.5
Let’s look at the example of the match Monaco – Crvena Zvezda.
In this match, the bookmaker offers bets with a handicap of -1.5 and +1.5.
Handicap -1.5 on Monaco
- Score 1:0 – the result taking into account the handicap of -0.5:0 – the bet lost
- Score 3:1 – the result is 1.5:1 – the bet won
For the bet to win, Monaco must win by at least 2 goals.
Handicap +1.5 on Crvena Zvezda
- Score 0:0 – total with handicap 0:1.5 – bet won
- Score 1:0 – total 1:1.5 – bet won
- Score 3:1 – total 3:2.5 – bet lost.
For the bet to win, Crvena Zvezda can lose by no more than 2 goals (a draw and a win in the match also count).
Hard and soft handicap
The examples of bets with a handicap, which are indicated by a fractional number, are called “hard” handicap. With such a bet you can win or lose.
You can also often find bets with a “soft” handicap at bookmakers. “Soft” handicap is denoted by an integer and allows for 3 possible outcomes:
- Win
- Loss
- Refund
Let’s take the Champions League match Aston Villa – Bologna as an example.
In this match, the bookmaker offers a bet with a “soft” handicap (-1, +1).
Handicap -1 for Aston Villa
- Score 2:0 – taking into account the handicap the result is 1:0 – the bet has won
- Score 0:0 – taking into account the handicap the result is -1:0 – the bet has lost
- Score 1:0 – taking into account the handicap the result is 0:0 – the bookmaker will return your bet.
For the bet to win, Aston Villa must win with a difference of at least 2 goals.
Handicap +1 for Bologna
- Score 0:0 – taking into account the handicap the result is 0:1 – the bet has won
- Score 2:0 – taking into account the handicap the result is 2:1 – bet lost
- Score 1:0 – taking into account the handicap, the result is 1:1 – the bookmaker will return your bet.
To win the bet, Bologna must not lose (at least draw).
Handicap in eSports: CS2
Esports competitions have attracted a lot of attention from betting fans for many years. Therefore, it makes sense to consider popular bets with a handicap in eSports matches. Let’s start with the most popular discipline – CS2 (Counter-Strike 2, former CS:GO).
CS2 matches of the popular Best of 3 (Bo3) format have more handicap betting options than football matches:
- Rounds handicap betting on the outcome of the map
- Map handicap betting on the outcome of the map
Rounds handicap betting on the outcome of the map
Let’s take the NaVi – Astralis match as an example. In this match, the bookmaker primarily offers bets with a handicap of -3.5 and +3.5 by rounds on the 1st map.
Handicap -3.5 on NaVi means that to win the bet, NaVi must win the 1st map with a difference of more than 4 rounds:
- Score 13:9 – total 9.5:9 – bet won
- Score 13:10 – total 9.5:10 – bet lost.
More handicap betting options per map will always be available in additional lines for such matches.
If the match ends 2:0 in favor of NaVi, the bet wins. Otherwise, if NaVi loses at least one map, the bet does not go through. This approach allows for more dynamic and interesting betting, especially in highly competitive tournaments.
In addition, handicaps on rounds on the map are often used in eSports. For example, if the Gambit team has a handicap of -3.5 on rounds, then it must win with a difference of 4 rounds. If the final score on the map is 16:12, then the bet loses, since the difference is only 4 rounds.
However, with a score of 16:11, taking into account the handicap, the final result will be 16:7.5, and the bet passes. This makes eSports betting more exciting and interesting, as players can evaluate teams’ chances based on several criteria at once.
Map handicap bets
The simplest and most limited option for betting with a handicap on a CS2 Bo3 match. For such matches, only 2 options are always available:
- Handicap -1.5 on the favorite (NaVi) – means that the favorite must win the match with a score of 2:0 (the result with a handicap of 0.5:0), to win the bet
- Handicap +1.5 on the underdog (Astralis) – means that the underdog must win at least 1 map. For example, a score of 2:1 will give a result of 2:2.5, and a score of 2:0 will give a result of 2:1.5 and the bet will lose.
Handicap in tennis
The formats of matches in tennis provide scope for different options for betting with a handicap. We will indicate the most common options.
Handicap bets on sets in a match
There are two options available, depending on the match format:
Handicap -1.5 and +1.5 for matches of 3 sets (up to 2 wins)
- A bet with a handicap -1.5 on Djokovic will be a winner if Djokovic defeats Nadal with a score of 2:0 by sets
- A bet with a handicap of +1.5 on Rafael Nadal will be a winner if Nadal wins at least 1 set (scores of 1:2, 0:2 will do).
Handicap -2.5 and +2.5 for 5-set matches (up to 3 wins)
If this match were played in a 5-set format, then the bookmaker could offer a handicap of -2.5 and +2.5:
- A bet with a handicap of -2.5 on Djokovic will be a winner if he wins “dry” (with a score of 3:0). If Nadal wins at least 1 set, then the bet loses. For example, with a score of 3:1, the result will be 0.5:1
- A bet with a handicap of +2.5 on Nadal will be a winning bet if he wins at least 1 set. For example, with a score of 3:1, the result with a handicap of +2.5 will be 3:3.5 in favor of Nadal
- A bet with a handicap of -1.5 on Djokovic will be a winning bet if Djokovic beats Nadal by more than 1 set (3:0 or 3:1). If the score in the match is 3:2, the bet loses, since the result taking into account the handicap is 1.5:2
- A bet with a handicap of +1.5 on Rafael Nadal will be a winner if Nadal wins 2 sets (3:2) or wins the match.
Bets with a handicap on games in a separate set
Recall that in the main scoring system, a set is won when one of the players scores 6 winning games and the gap must be at least 2 games – 6/0, 6/1, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4. If the score is 5/5, 2 more games are played to make the score 7/5. When the score is 6/6, the final game is played – a tie-break.
Accordingly, this is what the betting pool with a handicap on games in a set looks like.
For example, a bet with a -3.5 handicap on Djokovic will be a winning bet if Djokovic wins the set with a margin of 4 games or more – 6/0, 6/1, 6/2. 6/3 is already losing, since taking into account the handicap the result will be 2.5/3.
Handicap in basketball
In basketball matches, compared to previous sports and eSports, only 1 betting option with a handicap is available – on the final result.
For example, a bet with a handicap +5.5 on the New York Knicks means that in order to win, the New York Knicks must not lose by more than 5 goals. For example, a score of 105:100 taking into account the handicap will give a result of 105:105.5 (the bet wins), and a score of 106:100 (the result with a handicap of 106:105.5) gives a loss.
Conclusion
The handicap is an interesting addition to betting lines that allows you to increase interest in sporting events. Understanding how handicaps work can help bettors better navigate the betting world and make more informed bets.