Handicap is one of the basic rates. In terms of popularity, it is on a par with totals and goals. In this article, we will tell you everything about this phenomenon, so that even the “teapot” in rates will understand the issue. This is one of the most common bets in sports namely on https://ca.parimatch.com/en/mma, and the bookmaker exhibits a lot of similar events.

What is a handicap in betting (handicap, spread)

A handicap (spread) is a lag or advantage in goals or points, in pucks or games, which the bookmaker considers most likely based on the outcome of the meeting.

Handicap is usually a numerical value that should be added to the final result (goals, points, and so on) in order to understand whether the bet is won or lost. It means the superiority, expressed in numbers, of one rival over another.

Example. The victory of team 1 over team 2 with a handicap of +3 means that you need to take a real score in the match and add 3 goals / washers / points to the first team – this will be the result that will be taken into account when determining whether the bet played or not.

This article will give a complete answer to the question of what is a handicap in betting.

Betting on the difference between points and goals is common in all sports – it helps to “level” teams in terms of odds. Quite often, matches are played where one team is a clear favorite – in such cases, the odds on it will be too small, and it will not be so interesting to bet on it. In turn, betting on the outsider will involve enormous risk because the odds will be incredibly large. For such cases, the handicaps are applied.

Handicap in football betting

All bookmakers offer a huge number of odds options for football matches. Handicaps are almost always set from values ​​of plus or minus 5 in both directions, sometimes more.

Since in football everything is decided by goals, accordingly, handicaps are set for them. Minus handicaps are used for the favorite, and plus ones for the underdog. They are usually either integer or fractional. These types of bets will be discussed below. Also, a zero handicap is used for insurance. It is denoted as F1 (0), for example.

What is handicap in basketball betting

In basketball, bets are used on the difference between points in a match or a quarter. Since the total number of goals scored per game can approach 150-200, depending on the league, the handicap of points can vary significantly.

In some leagues, where the difference in the class of opponents is simply huge, the difference can go up to 50 or even more. Again, it all depends only on who should win and who should lose.

Handicap in tennis betting

This type of bet has not been spared by tennis either. Since a tennis match has no time frame, unlike the sports described earlier, two types of handicap are common here: for games and for sets.

At major competitions, games for men can take up to five sets, and for women – up to three. Such tournaments include major events such as Roland Garros or Wimbledon. If the tournament is of a lower rank, then they play until one of the tennis players wins two sets.

Therefore, when a grand player plays against a beginner, one should expect an F1 handicap (-1.5) in sets, because, most likely, he will win in two sets, and the third will not be needed. There is also a general game handicap for the entire game. It will be calculated based on the outcome of the entire match, no matter how many sets there were – two or more.