Handicap is a term used in sports to refer to a handicap. It is relevant for leveling the odds between teams. The concept is used by bookmakers to make profitable bets on a team.
Handicap is a term found in many areas, but it is more commonly heard from athletes and fans. This concept refers to the provision of advantages to weaker teams. This is done in order to equalize their opportunities with the leaders.
Often handicaps are used by bookmakers when the favorite is known in advance. In this case, it is beneficial to place bets directly for the players, since with normal bets there are three possible outcomes, and when playing for a handicap there are only two.
Using the handicap
The concept is applicable to those types of sports that are carried out in several stages, and the victory is awarded to the team with the maximum number of points. Using this approach, it is possible to determine the winner at the last stage, without recalculating points.
You can hear about this type of bonus in sports:
biathlon;
- ski race;
- Horseback Riding;
- chess;
- football;
- volleyball and others.
Examples of handicap in different sports
An example would be the pentathlon handicap. At the last stage, the participants start in turn with an interval determined by the difference in the previous results. The leader starts, followed by the runner-up. Every 4 point difference provides a one second advantage.
Golf handicap is a numerical indicator of an athlete's qualifications. The use of a special bonus system makes it possible for players with varying degrees of training to compete. In sailing, this approach makes it possible to correct the results of the regatta taking into account the indicators of the yacht itself.
When playing football, the weakest team may be assigned extra balls. Their number may vary depending on the team. The use of handicap in different sports makes bets more interesting and popular.
In baseball, this kind of handicap is called a "run-line". Unlike other sports, the indicator is always 1, 5. This means that the bet on the team wins if the team is defeated by one wound or wins. At the same time, the players have the opportunity to increase or decrease the run line using an alternative handicap. Stadium size and weather conditions have an impact on such rates.
There is also a specificity in basketball. This game belongs to the types with the highest scoring. The number of points scored during one match can be more than 200. Because of this, they are of low value, which leads to the lack of indicators inherent in other sports. In determining the handicap, the consequences of injury, match schedule and statistics are taken into account.
European handicap
For European notation, whole numbers are used. With this approach, there can be no refunds. Because of this, there are only two possible outcomes - win or loss. For example, if you place a bet on a team with a “-1” handicap, the win will be counted if the team wins by two or more goals.
With the European view, there are three possible outcomes:
- 1 - the variant wins when the first team wins with the goal difference more than the given handicap.
- X - this option assumes a victory with a goal difference equal to the set values.
- 2- winning view in case of victory of the second team in the match, if this team is equal or loses with the goal difference less than the given handicap.
Asian handicap
Asian is divided into simple and double. In the first case, we are talking about a bet in which there is a handicap equal to 0, 5, 1, 5, 2, 5, etc. The peculiarity is that the advantage of the favorite is expressed not only by a whole number, but also by a value equal to half of the goal or a point.
Double Asian handicap is 1, 25, 0, 25, etc. similar options are divided into two bets. In this case, the amount of the latter is divided in half. The simplest is the DNB handicap, which provides for the return of the bet if the match ends in a draw.
Although the Asian handicap is more difficult, it has several advantages. These include:
- higher limits, allowing you to play for large amounts;
- high probability of winning, sometimes it reaches 50%;
- the opportunity to return in case of defeat about half of the money invested.
Players who have managed to understand in detail the specifics of the Asian handicap achieve very high results at the rates.
A separate type is bets with zero handicap or handicap value equal to zero. In this case, it is assumed that the option with a simple draw is ruled out. If the teams share points, the bookmaker will return the bets. There are some varieties that duplicate other types of bets.
Handicap in adaptive sports
The term is also used for games of disabled athletes. There are two types of classifications: medical and sports-functional. The first allows you to distribute athletes according to their belonging to certain nosological groups and the availability of remaining opportunities. In this case, the basis for participation in the competition is determined according to medical criteria without taking into account the type of sport.
Sports-functional allows to distribute the participants of competitions into classes, taking into account the specifics of adaptive sports, focusing on the results of medical classification. For example, two athletes with the same medical condition may have different sport-functional classes.
There is one more classification - handicap. It is used to determine the percentage advantage of athletes in one functional class over competitors in another class. This approach is used to increase the competitiveness of competitions by reducing the classes in which medals are awarded. It is believed that handicap classification over time can replace sports-functional:
- in cross-country skiing;
- cycling;
- athletics;
- swimming.
In conclusion, we note that bookmakers offer a wide variety of handicaps. You can bet on winning games, sets, the number of errors and other statistics. To learn how to play successfully, knowledge of the types of handicap is not enough. The best option is to watch or take several courses that detail handicaps.
