Football Handicap Betting Explained

Handicap betting is all about evening the odds, and in football betting, this can be an extremely handy tool to make the most of throughout all different football competitions, such as the cup competitions and international tournaments. By theoretically giving one team an advantage, bettors can find ways to make even the most mismatched games brilliant betting opportunities! 

Throughout this guide, we are going to look through what football handicap betting is, the different examples of handicap betting in football and how it compares across other sports handicap betting markets.

What Is Handicap Betting In Football?      

The handicap football betting system is very similar to other handicap betting systems, such as rugby handicap betting and cricket handicap betting, in the sense that it gives one team a theoretical headstart. Typically, this means the stronger team will start a couple of goals down, whilst the weaker team will start a few goals ahead, to balance the fact that the stronger team is expected to win and score more goals.

The handicap betting system in football basically means that even if the weaker team loses, your bet still could be successful due to the fact that they have started with a larger handicap. When favourites come up against underdogs (common in cup competitions such as the FA Cup and international tournaments such as the World Cup), the handicap betting system in football can be extremely useful to even the odds and give one side a headstart. Whilst the odds will be affected to award a headstart to one of the teams, we will look at some real examples to showcase what you might find at a bookmaker’s and see how these odds are affected:

As we can also see, these selections are known as ‘goal handicaps’, which is quite unique to the football handicap betting system. Goal handicaps are simply the same as handicaps; this is just clarifying that goals are being added or taken away from the teams. In other sports, they might be known as point handicaps or game handicaps.

After reviewing the basics of football handicap betting, we will explain how these different handicaps work and what results are needed for a successful bet.

How Do Football Handicap Bets Work? 

There are plenty of fascinating ways to place football handicap bets, yet all of them basically mean the same thing: giving one team a head start over their opponent. 

When trying to understand handicap football betting, you can think of it in two different ways: either the team starts with the handicap, or the handicap is applied at the end of the event.

• Goals are adjusted before the game begins – For this football example, let’s say you placed a bet on Newcastle and they had a handicap of -2. This means that Newcastle would theoretically start 2 goals behind their opponent, and would have to win by 3 to win the match. If they won by 2, the game would end in a draw according to the handicap bet.
• Goals are adjusted after the game finishes – Another way to think about it is that the handicap will be applied once the match has finished. Using the same example, if Newcastle have a handicap of -2, then two goals will be taken away from them at the end of the game, therefore creating the outcome of the handicap bet.

With handicap betting giving an advantage to one team in the form of goals, you might be interested to see what happens if the game ends in a draw according to the handicap. Here is a table to showcase the different outcomes available when placing football handicap bets:

In this table, we will use an example of Newcastle facing West Ham:

When looking at the option for the tie, this will usually be according to the favourite, meaning you need the favourite to win by the exact amount of goals seen on the handicap for a tie to be achieved and the bet to be successful.

For those interested in finding out more about different betting techniques, check out our matched betting blog!

Football Handicap Betting Examples 

With football handicap bets coming in all different types of formats, we will look through some of the most popular football handicap betting examples. As there are many different outcomes available in football, we will walk through how each handicap and match result can lead to a successful bet.

Unlike what we see in our rugby handicap betting guide, there are only 3-way betting markets in football handicap betting, with 2-way handicap betting being seen in Asian handicap betting for football. With three options here at Sky Bet, we can see that the -1 goal handicap puts the favourite at a disadvantage, whilst the underdog can be awarded one goal with the handicap of +1.

When placing a bet on the draw option, we can see that the handicap is the same as the Aston Villa handicap. However, the result would have to be different for the bet to be successful. Whilst this is different to the Asian handicap betting system, you can still learn more about the other form of handicap betting throughout our Asian Handicap betting guide.

By using the betting options in the example above, we will go through the different betting options and what would have to happen in the football match for the bet to be successful.

As we can see, the odds are not too bad for these options; however, if we were to swap the handicaps around, so the underdogs start a goal down, then we can see how the odds would change accordingly.

As Tottenham are not expected to win, giving them a handicap of -1 means they have odds of 20/1, but it also means they need to win by 2 goals to overcome the handicap. This handicap can be extremely useful if you think the underdogs have a better chance than the bookmaker predicts.

These handicaps are not just limited to one goal, as teams can be given headstarts with 2, 3 or even 4 goals to help accommodate for the mismatch of the teams. This is something that should be used throughout cup tournaments, when huge teams play against smaller teams. For those who are interested in value betting, making the most of different sporting competitions by using the handicap system can lead to potential returns.

How To Use The Football Handicap

Whilst most people will place different types of bets on football games, such as match results, first goalscorers and accumulator bets, the handicap betting system in football can be extremely useful when a heavy favourite plays a weaker opponent, as it allows you to even the odds. Whilst handicap football betting is not typically used in matched betting, it is still a handy betting option to take advantage of when you can.

If you are interested in learning more about traditional football betting, check out our football betting guide, which is available on the site. If you are looking for some top tips on how to make the most of the football handicap, then we have some pieces of information which can be useful to you when placing handicap bets:

1. Cup Competitions – As we have already mentioned, cup competitions are when the handicap betting system really comes into play. Whether that be the FA Cup, the League Cup, or an international tournament, there is usually a mismatch in ability as Premier League sides can come up against League 2 teams. By using the handicap betting system, you can even the odds, either backing the favourite to score plenty, or backing the underdog to maybe draw or even lose by a small number of goals.
2. Use Lesser-Known Competitions To Your Advantage – When placing handicap bets on lesser-known competitions, bettors can sometimes find some favourable odds as bookmakers might not have precise knowledge of how teams perform. If you think you can get any value out of lower value competitions, it is worth giving a check when looking at handicap betting.
3. Be Aware of Rotation – As many football fans will know, many top teams will drop their best players when coming up against lesser opposition. Whilst the favourite still should get the job done, they might not score as many goals as you would expect if they played their full-strength team, meaning it is definitely something to keep in mind.
4. Backing The Favourite – Whilst many people will use the handicap betting system to give underdogs a better chance, you can back a favourite to score plenty of goals against the outsider, which will still return decent odds. 

Football Handicap Vs Other Handicaps 

If you are interested in other sports betting, you will be familiar with handicap betting throughout other sports, and it is seen throughout almost all sports, including team sports like Rugby and Cricket, to individual sports like Golf and Tennis. With the football handicap giving a goal handicap, sports such as tennis will give a game advantage either throughout a set or a match.

If you are interested in other sports handicap betting, check out our specific guides, such as our golf handicap betting guide and our cricket handicap betting guide.

Whilst we are looking at football handicap betting, we will look at some of the positives and negatives that come with football handicap betting that you should take into account before placing your bets:

✅Handicap can lead to betting opportunities that would not be valuable through traditional betting

✅Unlike individual sports, upsets are not too common in football compared to sports like golf, meaning handicap betting can change the outcome of games.

✅Handicap betting allows for enhanced betting odds compared to other traditional betting forms

❌Mainly viable for cup competitions, many league matches are fairly evenly matched

❌More complicated compared to other betting strategies

Football Handicap FAQS 

Whilst handicap betting can be a confusing topic, we are going to look through some of the most commonly asked questions about football handicap betting.

What Is League Handicap Betting In Football? 

As we have spoken about goal handicap betting, there is also league handicap betting. This allows you to bet on a team at the start of the season, and they will be given a handicap depending on how well they are predicted to do. At the end of the season, the handicap number is added to their actual points total, therefore deciding the league handicap. Here is an example of a championship season with handicaps:

Where Can I Find Football Handicap Bets?

Using Sky Bet as an example, we will explain exactly how you would find handicap bets in football. The list on the left-hand side of the screen lists all the different sporting betting markets available. Simply find and press on ‘Football’.

Then, find the match that you want to place your handicap bet on, and continue to scroll down until you find the different handicap options. As Sky Bet has plenty of betting markets, handicap betting options are quite far down the list.

How Is Football Handicap Betting Different To Football Asian Handicap Betting?

Whilst both options revolve around giving one side an advantage, the Asian Handicap does not allow for draws, as it uses decimal places in its handicaps, such as ‘0.5, 0.75, 1.5’. As there is no chance for a draw, the odds will not be as good compared to handicap betting; however, there is less risk involved.