How the football Asian handicap removes the draw

A standard football match bet has three outcomes: home win, draw and away win. The Asian handicap turns that into a two-way market. One team is given a goal start, or a goal deficit, so that the bet is settled as a win, a loss or, on some lines, a refund of your stake. There is no separate draw selection to back.

The handicap is written as a number next to the team. A minus figure, such as -1, means the team must overcome that deficit. A plus figure, such as +1, means the team starts with that advantage. The favourite usually carries the minus line and the outsider the matching plus line.

The idea is to bring the two sides closer together so that both are priced near evens. That makes the market attractive when one team is a heavy favourite and its straight win price is short. If odds are new to you, read our guide to how betting odds work first.

Whole lines use whole numbers, such as 0, -1 or +2. Because a whole-number handicap can produce an exact tie once it is applied, these lines include a refund, often called a push.

• 0, or level ball – you are backing a team to win, with your stake returned if the match is drawn. This works like a draw no bet market.
• -1 – your team must win by two or more goals for the bet to win. A one-goal win returns your stake. A draw or defeat loses.
• +1 – the reverse. Your team wins the bet if it wins or draws, you get your stake back if it loses by exactly one goal, and the bet loses if the team is beaten by two or more.

Half lines, such as -0.5 or +1.5, can never produce a tie, because no match ends with half a goal. Every bet is either won or lost.

A team at -0.5 must win the match by any margin; a draw loses. In effect, that is the same as backing the team in the normal match result market, although the price may differ slightly. A team at +0.5 wins the bet with a win or a draw. At -1.5 the team must win by two or more goals, and at +1.5 the team must avoid losing by two or more.

Quarter lines, such as -0.25 or -0.75, look strange at first. The trick is that the stake is split equally between the two neighbouring lines. A £10 bet at -0.25 is really £5 at 0 and £5 at -0.5. A £10 bet at -0.75 is £5 at -0.5 and £5 at -1.

Each half is then settled on its own. That produces results you will not see on other lines: a half win, where one half wins and the other is refunded, and a half loss, where one half loses and the other is refunded. Some bookmakers show quarter lines as a pair, for example 0, -0.5, which describes exactly the same bet.

This table shows how a bet on the favourite is settled on each common line, depending on the final result. Asian handicap bets are normally settled on the result after 90 minutes plus stoppage time, with extra time and penalties not counted, but check the bookmaker's rules.

Take £10 on the favourite at -0.75 with decimal odds of 2.00, and the favourite wins 1-0. The £5 on -0.5 wins and returns £10. The £5 on -1 is a push and returns £5. Your total return is £15, a profit of £5. The other side of each line mirrors the table: +0.25 wins half and refunds half on a draw.

A European handicap also gives one team a goal start, but it keeps three outcomes. With the home side at -1 on a European handicap, you can back the home team, the away team or the handicap draw. If the home team wins by exactly one goal, the handicap draw wins and both team bets lose. There are no refunds and no split stakes.

The Asian version removes that third outcome. Whole lines refund your stake where the European handicap would settle on the draw, and half and quarter lines remove the tie altogether. That is why the Asian handicap is the more common choice when people want a straight two-way bet on a match.

Most large UK bookmakers offer Asian handicaps on major football leagues, but the depth of the market varies. Points worth checking:

• Range of lines – whether quarter lines are offered, or only whole and half lines.
• Settlement rules – which period the bet covers, and how abandoned or postponed matches are treated.
• Prices – Asian handicap markets are usually priced close to evens, so small differences between bookmakers matter over time.
• How the bet slip shows a split line – whether it displays -0.25 or 0, -0.5.

Our bookmaker reviews cover the UK-licensed operators we write about, and our guide to betting safely online explains the limits and tools that help you keep control. A handicap changes how a bet is settled, not the fact that betting costs money, so set a budget first.