2013

Asian Handicaps De-Mystified

By Sarge CA www.simplymakingmoneyonline.net

Contents
Page
Introduction 2

What are Asian Handicaps?

Asian Handicaps v European Handicaps

Why use Asian Handicaps

Bookmakers Offering Asian Handicap Odds

Asian Handicap Payout Explanation

Asian Handicaps De-mystified

The Away +2 Asian Handicap In Action

13

Actual Selections Presented In The Blog

16

Conclusion

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Introduction
In this e-book on Asian Handicaps, I will try to de-mystify what is viewed as an unconventional form of betting. Whilst this may be the case, it needs to be shown that it has its place amongst the various types of bets that are employed in these days of online gambling. Indeed, what you may see by the end, is that it the attributes of Asian Handicaps offer the punter an important weapon against the bookmakers. What Asian Handicaps are will be explained in detail. As will their advantages. Here, the increased scope they bring to the arsenal of the everyday punter will be highlighted. They offer a lot more value than the traditional way of betting. Add to this their greater flexibility and you may wonder why you have not used them before. There are various types of Asian Handicaps. Examine the single and double Asian Handicaps. Look out for these and understand them so that when you are faced with an Asian Handicap coupon, you will be ready and appreciate what to do next. Nobody argues that at first glance Asian Handicaps are not confusing. They are and can be. A nice little tool is included in this e-book to counteract this. Have a look at the tables produced that show the outcomes that accompany many of the popular sub-markets of Asian Handicaps. This is intended to help better understand Asian Handicaps. There are numerous ways that Asian Handicaps can be used. One such strategy is using Asian Handicaps to give an away team a +2 goal head start. This strategy is exclusive to http://www.simplymakingmoneyonline.net/category/betting/ where it appears in a weekly blog. These selections currently are provided FREE. In addition to opening up for scrutiny all those selections provided in the blog over a period of 4 weeks, also available to see is how these bets are placed. So lets begin this process of de-mystifying Asian Handicaps........................

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What are Asian Handicaps?

This is yet another way of betting. It is an alternative to the standard way of betting that you may be used to, e.g. the traditional way of betting on football matches - home, away or draw (sometimes denoted as 1 X 2). To explain further, one must break down the two component words in Asian Handicaps. The word Asian refers to the origin of this type of betting Asia, of course. This way of betting is the most popular form in the Far East, where it is also known as Hang Cheng. "Handicap" means that a team receives a virtual head start, effectively leading the game by differing amount or amounts before it actually kicks off. If you back a team with the handicap and they manage to win the match (with head start included), then you'll win the bet. In some cases, known as split handicap (see later), a team is given two virtual head starts. If they manage to overcome both of these, then you get a maximum return on your stake. If they overcome only one of these, your profit is either halved or half your stake is returned, depending on the odds. There are 2 types of Asian Handicaps: 1) Single handicaps. a). These appear as (0), (+0.5 / -0.5), (+1.0 / -1.0), (+1.5 / -1.50), (+2.0 / -2.0), etc. b). As you can see above, the handicap given to each team can be whole or half numbers. i). Where there is a half number (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc.), a draw is impossible. e.g. Home team (-0.5) v Away team (+0.5). This means that you will either win or lose the bet; no scenario for stakes to be refunded will occur.

ii). Where there is a whole number handicap (0, 1, 2, 3, etc.), the draw is possible. e.g. Home team (-1) v Away team (+1) - if score the full time score is 1-0 and you backed the away team +1, your stake will be refunded. 2) Split or double handicaps. a). These appear as (+0.25 / -0.25) or (+0.75 / -0.75) mainly. b) The best way to understand split handicap is to imagine you are having two separate bets with your stake being split equally between the 2 component handicaps. i). (+0.25 / -0.25) is the same as 2 bets of (+0,) and (+0.5 / -0.5): ii) Half your stake will go on at the 0 handicap and half at the 0.5 handicap. iii) It is important to note that you don't physically place the two separate bets at the two different handicaps. This is done automatically by the bookmakers betting systems whenever you bet on a 'split handicap. Page 3

Asian Handicap vs. European Handicap

Did you know there was a difference? Who even knew that there were two different types of handicaps, let alone the difference between the two? In European Handicaps, you have 3 outcomes and with a handicap included. It also usually shortened terms (EHCP +1) (EHCP -X) (EHCP-1). In Asian Handicaps, the most common bets remove the draw. Those Asian Handicaps which include the draw are the whole number handicaps (see above Single handicaps), but even with these bets, the stakes are refunded in the event of a draw when the handicap is included. Now that you are aware of this, do not mix European Handicap odds with Asian Handicap odds. To
help you, I have compiled the following list of bookmakers offering European Handicap odds:

888sport, Bet365, Bet-at-home, Betfair, Betinternet, Betsafe, Betsson, Blue Square,(now part of Betfair) Bwin, Gamebookers, Ladbrokes,Marathonbet, Nordicbet, Offsidebet, PaddyPower, Paf, Sportingbet, Stan James, Titanbet.com, William Hill.

Later, I include a list of bookmakers offering Asian Handicap odds. This is in the interest of fairness.

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Why use Asian Handicaps?

1. Value lower bookmaker margins Traditional football betting, the familiar 1 X 2 variety, typically operates at margins of more than 110%. This means that the bookmaker will make 10% profit on the bet, irrespective of the outcome. Compare this to the percentages on Asian Handicaps, which are much lower. These are usually trading at just 103% the lowest in the industry by some margin. This means the bookmaker only makes 3% - a huge reduction in the 10% they make with the traditional form of betting. Now, can you see why the bookmakers hate Asian Handicaps? When was the last time you saw a high-street bookmaker advertising Asian Handicap bets in its shop window as you walked past? The above differential in the bookmakers profit margins needs explaining further. Why is there such a difference? It is because Asian Handicaps have only two outcomes a win for either side so the in-built bookmaker profit margins are lower (the draw takes up a big percentage of the margin in traditional football betting). So whenever you place a bet on an Asian Handicap market, you are always going to get better value than in any other form of betting on football. This is one reason why Asian Handicap bets can be great value bets and is perhaps the best answer to the question why use Asian Handicaps? To summarise, Asian Handicaps offer better value than the traditional form of betting. This is because the bookmakers having to pay out more as the mathematics of Asian Handicaps dictate a lower profit margin for them. Talking of value leads onto the second reason why Asian Handicaps should be in the arsenal of any serious sports bettor.

2. Value better odds Another form of value where Asian Handicaps are worth their weight in gold, is in the odds that you can get. Quite simply, in some cases, you can pick up better odds, if you understood Asian Handicaps. This is a different emphasis on value from that explained in 1) above. I will explain this concept of value with the aid of an example: Lets take a football match between two closely matched teams, say Manchester United and Manchester City. Manchester United are at home, and so are -0.5 of a goal favourites on the Asian Handicap. The price for them to cover the start is 1.90 (10/11). This means that Manchester City, will be receiving a start of +0.5 of a goal, at a similar price. So far, so good.

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The same match is priced up on the 1 X 2 fixed-odds market at 4/5 Manchester United, 12/5 the draw and 3/1 Manchester City. Two different betting options, you might think. But not if you fancy Manchester United to win the match. Lets see why: in the first example, a bet on Manchester United conceding the 0.5 of a goal handicap would see you lose if the match resulted in either a draw or a win for Manchester City. So, in effect, you are betting on Manchester United to win precisely the same option as a straight win bet on the Manchester United in the fixed odds market. But there is one difference. Because of the lower Asian handicap margins, you can have 10/11 rather than 4/5 about the same outcome. This means that the Asian Handicap market is offering you 90.90% (10/11), whilst the traditional form of betting is offering you only 80% (4/5) for exactly the same bet. Which one would you choose? A little lateral thinking and better odds are available right in front of your nose! And believe me, the extra 10% that you get makes a huge difference to your bottom line over a season, especially if you are playing the compounding game.

3. Greater Flexibility Another reason to use Asian Handicaps centres on the greater flexibility they offer. You are able to bet on matches in various sports where your initial viewpoint would be let the match go, i.e. one-sided matches normally reserved for the big-hitters. Consider this example: 1/10 Man Utd, 6/1 Draw, 14/1 Scunthorpe Utd

For most people, this would be a no-bet situation. With Asian handicaps, however, punters could take a view on how dominant Manchester United would be in the match. The likely Asian handicap betting would be: Man Utd (-2.5 goals), Scunthorpe (+2.5 goals) The proposition for punters would be whether Manchester United could win by more than two goals or whether Scunthorpe will be able to avoid a thrashing and keep the deficit down to under three. Whether you fancy a whitewash or a close game, with both options likely to be priced at just under even money, Asian handicap betting offers the opportunity to take a view on even the most one-sided of matches.

4. Chance to protect your stake

Can Asian handicaps offer punters the opportunity to protect their stake (or part of their stake)? The answer is yes - if they have an opinion on a match and, in practice, are proved to be nearly right in their judgment. You see, with so many games in the Premiership often turned on the head by late goals, such a safety net can be a valuable asset.

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For example, consider a match that looks one-sided on paper, but in which you think the underdogs will perform well. Lets say that the league leaders are playing the bottom placed team at home. The split Asian Handicap home team (-0.5, -1.0) vs. away team (+0.5, +1.0) is available if you fancy that bottom placed team to take at least a point. In the traditional way of betting, the only fixed odds options available are either to split your stakes between a bet on the bottom placed team and the draw, or lay the home team on the exchanges. However, the same result can also be achieved by placing a bet on the Asian Handicap above but with the added bonus of an additional safety net. How does this safety net work? Lets say the match goes as you suspected and, with 85 minutes gone, its still scoreless. However, in the 90th minute, the home team break quickly and snatch an undeserved late goal. Though your judgment was largely correct, your bets on the fixed odds market would have been losers. With the Asian Handicap option, you would have received a return of your stakes for half your bet. This is because your split Asian Handicap bet would have been divided between the away team receiving half a goal start (a loser, in this instance) and receiving a goal start (a tie on the handicap in this match and so stakes refunded).

5. Increase the odds of winning The whole number Asian Handicap eliminates the draw. This elimination of a draw result increases odd of winning. Since there are less possible outcomes, this increases the chance of winning overall. This can be a powerful strategy when used in an accumulator. Additionally, as explained previously, the removal of the draw from the result of a football match alters the mathematics of the odds. Subsequently, the profit margin of the bookmaker is reduced greatly thereby enriching punters.

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Bookmakers Offering Asian Handicap Odds

Not all bookmakers offer Asian Handicap odds. Your normal bookmaker does not like refunding stakes, as happens with some classification of Asian Handicap bets. Refunding money to a punter, in a betting shop especially, is a negative sign. Additionally, those that do offer these odds give very low odds or limited handicap which can restrict your betting. Dont let the above put you off Asian Handicaps though. For the reasons explained above, they are a powerful component in the war against the bookies. Below is a list of some of the bookmakers that do provide Asian Handicap Odds: 188Bet, 32Redbet, Bet365, Betfair, Betinternet, BetOnline, BetVictor, Canbet, Dafabet, Fun88, IBC Bet, Jetbull, Ladbrokes, Mansion88, Marathonbet, Offsidebet, Pinnacle Sports, Redbet, SBOBET, The Greek, Uwin,and Youwin. Of the above, the ones I go to for an initial comparison of odds are: SBOBet; Bet365; and Pinnacle.

Asian Handicap Payout Explanation

Below is a basic table that shows what it means in terms of payout for the various outcomes of ones bet: win win half bet refund lose half lose The amount you win is your stake multiplied by the odds. This is when 2 bets were placed, as with split handicaps. Here half your stake is returned; the amount you win with the other half is your stake multiplied by the odds, No win and no loss. All of your stake is returned. This is when 2 bets were placed, as with split handicaps. Here, half your stake is returned; and you lose the other half of your stake. you lose all your stake.

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Asian Handicaps: De-Mystified

The following is what I call a quick reference guide, one that I use more frequently than I would care to admit. I have put it into 2 sections: one when youre backing the favourite, the other when youre backing the underdog. Ive taken it as far 2.5 goal Asian Handicap I think you should get the drift by then. Backing the FAVOURITE 0 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win draw lose

your result Win Stake Refunded Lose

-0.25 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result draw 0,-0.5 same as -0.25 or -1/4 lose win by 1 or more -0.5 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win draw or lose win by 1 or more

your result Lose half Lose Win

-0.5

your result Win Lose Win

-0.75 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 1 -0.5,-1 same as -0.75 or -3/4 win by 2 or more draw or lose -1 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 2 or more win by 1 draw or lose

your result Win half Win Win

-1.0

your result Win Stake Refunded Lose

-1.25 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 2 or more -1,-1.5 same as -1.25 or -5/4 win by 1 draw or lose

your result Win Lose half Lose Page 9

Asian Handicaps: De-Mystified contd

-1.5

-1.5 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 1, draw or lose win by 2 or more

your result Lose Win

-1.75 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result your result -1.5,-2 same as -1.75 or -7/4 win by 2 Win half win by 1, draw or lose Lose -2 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 3 or more win by 2 win by 1, draw or lose

-2.0

your result Win Stake Refunded Lose

-2.25 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 3 or more -2,-2.5 same as -2.25 or -9/4 win by 2 win by 1, draw or lose -2.5 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 3 or more win by 1, 2, draw or lose

your result Win Lose half Lose

-2.5

your result Win Lose

I hope you noted that the signs in front of the Asian Handicap was negative, i.e. -0.5, etc. This is because we are dealing with the favourite. The following table shows what happens when backing the underdog. Note, the signs in front of the Asian Handicaps turns into positive, i.e. +0.5, etc

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Asian Handicaps: De-Mystified contd

backing the UNDERDOG 0 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win draw lose

your result Win Stake Refunded Lose

+0.25 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result draw 0,+0.5 same as +0.25 or +1/4 lose win by 1 or more +0.5 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win draw or lose win by 1 or more

your result Win half Lose Win

+0.5

your result Win Lose Win

+0.75 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 1 +0.5,+1 same as +0.75 or +3/4 win by 2 or more draw or lose +1 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 2 or more win by 1 draw or lose

your result Lose half Lose Win

+1.0

your result Win Stake Refunded Lose

+1.25 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 2 or more +1,+1.5 same as +1.25 or +5/4 win by 1 draw or lose

your result Win Win half Lose

+1.5

+1.5 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 1, draw or lose win by 2 or more

your result Win Lose Page 11

Asian Handicaps: De-Mystified contd

+1.75 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result +1.5,+2 same as +1.75 or +7/4 win by 2 win by 1, draw or lose +2 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 3 or more win by 2 win by 1, draw or lose

your result Lose half Lose

+2.0

your result Win Stake Refunded Lose

+2.25 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 3 or more +2,+2.5 same as +2.25 or +9/4 win by 2 win by 1, draw or lose +2.5 Asian Handicap De-Mystified your team's result win by 3 or more win by 1, 2, draw or lose

your result Win Win half Lose

+2.5

your result Win Lose

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The Away +2 Asian Handicap In Action

Readers of my blog will know that I provide FREE football tips which utilise the above type of Asian Handicaps in particular. You can catch me at http://www.simplymakingmoneyonline.net/category/betting/. The idea is to back the away team with a +2 goal handicap, i.e. a 2 goal head start. This is based on the premise that the home team will not win the match as easily as the football odds say they will, or the football pundits will have you believe. I decided that the best way forward for my readers is to show a real life example. The match between Real Zaragoza v Granada on Monday 11th March 2013 appeared as one of my selections in the blog UEFA Champions League which was posted on 8th March 2013. Those who have understood Asian Handicaps will be able to see this is an example of a whole number Asian Handicap. In this example, I am using the betting exchange called Betfair. At present, I find this the simplest and easiest way of placing the bets. You can follow this or use a bookmaker in the list above. Here, the selection is highlighted. It appeared on Betfair..... Football.....Spanish Football.....Primera Division.....Fixtures 08 March,,,,,Zaragoza v Granada.....Asian Handicap. From this list, the Asian Handicap giving Granada, the away team, +2.0 is selected.

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For those of you who prefer the traditional bookmakers, I have also shown the same match below, but this time using William Hill:

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And the same match appears below using Ladbrokes bookmakers:

This match finished with the score of 0-0 at full-time. This selection Won Money! the away team with a +2 goal head start are deemed to have won the match with a full-time scoreline of 0-2. It can be this easy. Or can it? See for yourselves in the next section.

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Actual Selections Presented In The Blog

Have a look below at the complete list of all the selections that have appeared in the blogs at http://www.simplymakingmoneyonline.net/category/betting/. The period covered is from Friday 22nd February 2013 to Sunday 17th March 2013, a period of 4 weeks.

Of the 40 selections over the 4 weeks; 32 won money, 6 had stakes refunded and 2 lost. I tend to disregard the stakes refunded selections to work out my overall success rate so the success rate from these FREE football tips stands as 32 wins out of 34 selections (i.e. 32/34 = 94.12%).

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The above data has been represented visually below in the form of a pie chart:

These selections are FREE! They will be appearing in the weekly blog at http://www.simplymakingmoneyonline.net/category/betting/ until the end of the football season.

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Conclusion
In this free e-book on Asian Handicaps, we have taken an in-depth view of this alternative medium of betting. We learnt what they are, took a look at the different types and also saw a variation in the form of European Handicaps. An important section on why use Asian Handicaps followed. This is perhaps the most important section in the e-book. It is crucial to understand the benefits Asian Handicaps have over the traditional forms of betting. These range from providing value, greater flexibility and a chance to protect your stake. A list of bookmakers offering Asian Handicap odds was presented. This was in addition to the explanation of the Asian Handicap payout. This was then succeeded by a pictorial explanation of Asian Handicaps. Two tables were presented that showed the various sub-markets of Asian Handicaps: the first looked at when selecting the favourite; the other took the perspective of the underdog. This goes a long way in de-mystifying Asian Handicaps. The placing of Asian Handicap bets was then explained through a real life example. The selection used was an actual selection taken from the blogs that have appeared at http://www.simplymakingmoneyonline.net/category/betting/ over recent weeks. The final section covered the actual selections from the blogs over 4 weeks in between February and March 2013. The 40 selections saw a staggering 94% success rate! And these selections are FREE......... for the time being, at least. This, in itself, is shows that Asian Handicaps have their place. There are already many punters who are not only aware of their uses, but also execute them and not the traditional bets. Can you afford not to be one of them?

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