European Handicap Predictions
What is European Handicap (EH)
In the betting world very often there could be a significant difference in the performance of two teams that are facing each other. Because of many different reasons (many players injured, current financial situation or just better quality of the players) one team can be a huge favorite and therefore odds for this team will be really low. Punters usually don’t like to bet on such events, because of the big investment they have to make in order to have some decent profit and respectively the huge risk that comes with the big investment.
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European Handicap Prediction Tips
European Handicap (1X2 Handicap) Introduction: The 1X2 or European Handicap bet is settled on the basis that one of the teams is given a goal start, giving it an advantage or disadvantage (depending if the goal is added or subtracted). Selections: The 1X2 Handicap bet has 3 selections, the same as for Win/Draw/Win. If you get European Handicap of +2 for the underdog, this means that the they will start with the advantage of 2 goals. If you take European Handicap -2 for the favorite they will start the match with the disadvantage of 2 goals. So the odds with European Handicap would look something like this: Arsenal (-2) @2.60. Draw (+2) @4.00. Qarabag (+2) @1.99.
Therefore bookmakers came up with a way to attract punters to play on these games and it is called a handicap. The European Handicap (EH) basically gives to one team (or player in single sports) advantage before the event has even started. Thus the match starts more even and the odds respectively are more competitive for the two teams (players).
European Handicap in details
At first, European Handicap might seem confusing and hard to understand, but once you see the logic behind it, it is very simple to use and therefore one of the most popular ways for punters to bet.
So let’s take a more detailed look into European Handicap.
Let’s take for example a match between Arsenal and Qarabag from the Europa League. Arsenal is the clear favorite in this match and the odds respectively are not attractive for any bettor. Therefore the bookmakers offer European Handicap to give an advantage to the underdog (+1,+2, etc.) and disadvantage to the “stronger” team (-1,-2, etc.). If you get European Handicap of +2 for the underdog, this means that the they will start with the advantage of 2 goals. If you take European Handicap -2 for the favorite they will start the match with the disadvantage of 2 goals.
So the odds with European Handicap would look something like this:
Arsenal (-2) @2.60
Draw (+2) @4.00
Qarabag (+2) @1.99
When is your bet winning?
If we take the same example the outcomes from the match will be as follow:
If you bet on Arsenal -2 your bet will be winning in case Arsenal won by 3 goals or more
If you bet on Draw +2 your bet will be winning if Qarabag loose by exactly 2 goals
If you bet on Qarabag +2 your bet will be winning in case they win the match, gets in a draw or loses by 1 goal
Difference between European Handicap and Asian Handicap
There are a couple of significant differences between European Handicap and Asian Handicap (AH). In EH you have a draw option which is not the case with AH. This is the reason it is also called 3-way betting – you can choose between three possible bets.
Another significant difference is that EH is always with integer numbers such as -1, -2, -3, etc. This can be directly matched with the number of goals in a match and makes it easier to understand, especially for newbies in the betting world. In AH you will see advantage or disadvantage of 0.25, 0.50, 1.25, 1.50, etc. You can find detailed explanation of Asian Handicap here.
Which sports can be bet on with European Handicap
Surely football is the most popular sport to play with EH, but not the only one. European Handicap is a great way for bookies to even the strength of two teams/ players in many sports. The essential rules in every sport are the same. For example, in basketball, a team is given an advantage or disadvantage with the number of points. You can find European Handicap in tennis as well, where one of the players has advantage or disadvantage in games and sometimes even in sets. Other sports you will see European Handicap for are volleyball, handball, ice-hockey and sometimes even baseball and American football.
European handicap
European handicap much like the Asian handicap is used primarily by punters to gain an advantage over the bookies. Although the Asian handicap is more popular with punters, the European Handicap has been in existence longer. It simply aims to hand outsiders a chance to win if they don't lose by a significant amount of goals. The main difference between them is that the Asian Handicap eliminates the draw option. With the European Handicap, the draw option remains that is why it is referred to as the 3-way betting.
Basically, the European Handicap is used for the give an advantage to underdogs of a football match. This is when a certain number goal(s) is given to the underdogs of a match event before it starts. After the final whistle, the total results are tallied including the goals given to the underdogs to get the results.
Example
Let's say there is a league match between Fc Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid during the season. Fc Barcelona playing at home is favourite to win because it's in the first position in the league. Atletico is not far behind them in third only separated by five points. The odds offered for both teams to win are Fc Barcelona (2.20) vs Atletico de Madrid (3.50) respectively. Let's say the away side is given a two-goal advantage to compensate for the fact that they are more likely to lose the match. The odds of Atletico de Madrid drops because of the goals advantage but it is worth it in the long run.
You can also back the favourites by giving them goal advantages if the option is available with any bookmaker. The European Handicap can be used for both the favourites and underdogs of a football match event. It just offers better odds value when you side with underdogs. The same can be said of the fact that if underdogs are offered goal advantages and the favourites is still expected to win, the odds that will be made available for the favourite increases.
European handicap bets usually appear like this:
Fc Barcelona (-1)
Draw (-1)
Atletico de Madrid (+1)
Fc Barcelona (-1): If you back this option, you win when the team in question wins by two goals or more.
Draw (-1): In this case, you win if the match favourite wins by exactly one goal.
Atletico de Madrid (+1): The last option favours the outsider of the match. Your bet will be considered a winning one if your backed team either wins the match, gets a draw, but must not lose the match.
European Handicap strategy
European Handicap Predictions 2019
Using the European Handicap is, in fact, trying to increase offered odds for certain bets on favourites. However, all matches with a significant odds difference are not the same. You should focus on specific types of matches, such as:
- When there’s a huge quality difference between the favourite and the underdog, meaning the favourite will score a lot of goals.
- The favourite team has a strong offensive record alongside the underdog’s difficulty of keeping a clean sheet.
- When a team considered the favourite is coming from a shocking result. Maybe losing to an underdog in the previous match. This makes them really motivated to get back to winning ways.
- In case of backing the underdog, look out for games where the favourite faces significant injury/suspension problems.
- It might also be that the club has real trouble with the coach and his relation with the players.
You can read about other interesting articles to build your sporting and betting knowledge on our blog. You can also get both free and paid prediction tips from the best tipsters here.