What is a handicap bet?

The term is commonly used in sports betting and it is very simple to understand.

It is one of the most common markets in sports betting. It means to give some advantage or disadvantage to the team you are betting on, the handicap makes you add or remove goals from the result of a game. When betting on the favorite (on a negative handicap) that team must win by a difference greater than the number of points indicated on the handicap. On the contrary, by betting on the possible loser (on a positive handicap), the team must win or lose the game by less than the points set on the handicap.

For example:

Imagine that Liverpool, one of the largest teams in the English league, hosts the last team on the competition table. The odds for the English giant in a 1X2 bet are only 1.10, being the favorite makes its odd low losing all attractiveness to possible betters. The opponent, on the other hand, with a low probability of winning, has an odd, on a 1X2 bet, of 19.0.

In this case, the -2.0 disadvantage "removes" two goals from Liverpool, causing the odds to rise to 2.0 for Liverpool. By playing this way, the bet becomes even more exciting as it places a goal disadvantage for the selected team and at the same time increases your winnings.

The disadvantage can also be used to give the underdog an advantage. You can add a number of goals to the team that is most likely to lose and at the same time have a better chance of winning the bet. This makes the bet a whole lot more exciting, because even if the team you bet on loses the match, you can win your bet!

Let's see another example: Criciúma vs Londrina. Criciúma playing at home is the great favorite to win the match. However, you can choose to give your bet to Londrina with an advantage. By selecting the +1.5 handicap (1.26) for Londrina, you will give it a 1.5 goal advantage, this means that even if the match ends in a draw, or Londrina loses by 1 goal difference, your bet would still be a winning one.

In this type of bets, if you use a full disadvantage (positive or negative) (-2; -1; 0; +1; +2; etc.) and your bet is drawn, it will automatically receive a refund, because in this case the tie is not a winner. However, if you bet a fractional number disadvantage (positive or negative) (-1.5; -0.5; +0.5; +1.5; etc.) there will always be a winner or loser of the bet, so there will be no refund.

In summary, the reason for the handicap to exist is to make your bet more exciting, giving advantage or disadvantage by increasing or decreasing the profits of your selections. To check the result of your handicap bet, you can use the value of the selected handicap and decrease or add it to the game result. Through this, you will be able to see if the team you selected won, lost or tied the match.