An Asian handicap gives one team a head start so that the match becomes close to a coin flip. Here is how to read the lines, from 0 to quarter lines.
An Asian handicap removes the draw from the equation by giving one team a virtual head start. The favourite starts with a deficit (a minus line) and the underdog with a lead (a plus line). Your bet wins or loses on the score after the handicap is applied.
Whole and half lines
- -0.5: the team must win the match. A draw or a loss loses the bet.
- +0.5: the team must not lose. A win or a draw wins the bet.
- -1: the team must win by two goals or more to win the bet. A one-goal win is a push and your stake is returned.
- 0 (draw no bet): a win wins, a loss loses and a draw is a push.
Quarter lines
Lines such as -0.25 or +0.75 split your stake over the two nearest lines. A bet on a team at -0.25 is half a stake on 0 and half on -0.5. If the match is drawn, you get the half on 0 back and lose the half on -0.5, so you lose half your stake.
- -0.25: win = full win, draw = half loss, loss = full loss.
- +0.25: win = full win, draw = half win, loss = full loss.
- -0.75: win by two or more = full win, win by win, draw or loss = full loss.
Reading the price
Handicap prices on our tips are quoted Hong Kong style: a price of 0.90 means a 1 unit stake returns 0.90 profit plus your stake when it wins. Compare that with the line: the same team can be offered at -0.5 for a longer price or -0.25 for a shorter one. The line and the price move together, so look at both before you decide.
How we count it
On our results page every tip is settled as a single win, loss or push. A quarter line is counted as the half line next to it (-0.25 and -0.75 count as -0.5, +0.25 and +0.75 count as +0.5), so a half win or half loss is recorded as a full win or loss.
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