European Handicap Betting Explained - Guide and Info
Table of contents
- European Handicap Meaning and Uses
- Tips and Tricks for the European handicap Betting System
- European Handicap Example
- European Handicap Advantages
- European Handicap Disadvantages
European handicap betting stands as one of the most popular ways to bet at an online sportsbook. Check out the guide below to find out how it works and see some examples!
European Handicap Meaning and Uses
European handicap betting is a three-wager system with only three outcomes: win, lose, or draw. It is the oldest form of handicap betting available.
How European Handicap Betting Works
European handicap betting favours the weaker team, making it more difficult for the stronger team to equal the advantage. The handicap bet increases the risk of the game but also improves the odds value, which could increase the take-home significantly if the chance comes out correctly.
A European handicap bet means the game starts 1-0 in favour of the team with the lower potential to win. To better explain how it works, we’ll give an illustration with two teams - team A and team B.
Bets for these two teams would look like this:
- Team A to win: odds 4.5
- Draw: odds 3.2
- Team B to win: odds 1.5
In this case, the European handicap means that:
- If you bet on team A to win, you will be rewarded if team A wins with two or more goal differences. Remember, the game is already set at a handicap against team A, the team with the higher potential to win. However, you lose the bet if the goal difference between the two teams is one.
- If you bet on a draw, you will be rewarded if team one scores a goal and the game ends with a goal difference of one. For instance, if the game ended in a 3-2, the winning bet would be a draw because the handicap of one subtracts one goal from team A, making it a draw in this bet.
- The last option means that if you bet on team B to win, the game has to end with team B winning by any goal margin or if the game ends in a draw. For example, if the game ends in a 2-2, you will be rewarded with a profit due to the handicapped nature of the bet.
Tips and Tricks for the European handicap Betting System
The third twist (Draw) introduced by the European handicaps significantly raises the stakes.
A few things to take note of before you stake your money in European handicaps are:
- First, make sure you understand the game. Have a decent knowledge of the team’s recent form, top players, and head-to-head history against the opposing team.
- Secondly, you may want to bet on the market with the least probability of failure. Chances are the odds might not be as attractive, but the possibility of you winning is relatively higher.
- Lastly, it could help to stick to integer-only markets.
Below are other noteworthy details on European handicap betting:
- The European handicap does not have a refund option compared to other handicap systems, which would automatically result in a complete loss of the bet. This implies that the risk is higher than with other handicap systems.
- European handicap bets require extremely accurate predictions of the outcome of a game.
- The European handicap betting system is not difficult, although it would require a bit of understanding for people coming from other betting systems to get comfortable with it. Once they do, it will significantly improve the chances of bettors winning and open more opportunities for them to make more profits from their bets.
There are a variety of sports that allow for European handicap betting. However, the ones that best support it use scores or points to measure success. Football betting tops the chart of markets where you can use the European handicap since it is a low-scoring sport, and even one goal is enough to determine the winner of the match.
A more detailed list includes the following:
- Football
- Basketball
- Hockey
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Rugby
European Handicap Example
To clarify and firmly grasp the concept of European handicaps, we can use a real-life example of the most-watched football league in the world - the Premier League. Suppose there is a game between Manchester City and Norwich City. Given their match history, it is quite obvious that the game is most likely to favour Manchester City. A typical example of a European handicap bet would be:
- Manchester City (-1) = 1.5 odds
- Draw (-1) = 3.5 odds
- Norwich City (+1) = 4.0 odds
If you plan to stake your bet for this match with 100, the option you choose from the above market determines whether you win or lose the bet.
Below are the possible outcomes of the game:
- If you choose Manchester City to win, and they win by two or more goals, you win the bet and get 150.
- If you bet on the game to end in a draw (-1), this implies you will win the bet if Manchester City won by one goal margin; meaning if the game ends with a score of 2-1, 3-2, 4-3, etc. even though Manchester City won, you will win the bet and get 350.
- On the other hand, if you went for the Norwich City (+1) option, you would win the bet if Norwich City wins the game or it ends in a draw (2-2, 1-1, etc.) and get 400.
The main point to note for the European handicap bet is that if the team with higher winning potential wins the game by one goal difference, it is considered a draw. You would only win the wager if you had chosen the draw to be the winning outcome.
European Handicap 0 1
This handicap means that the team with the most negligible probability of winning has a one-goal advantage before the start of the match. For instance, if Barcelona and Valencia were to face off in a match, European handicap 0 1 implies that Valencia has a one-goal advantage before the game starts.
In this case, Valencia wins the game if it ends in a draw or they deliver a clean defeat against Barcelona. Hence, if you stake your money for Barcelona to win this game, they’ll have to end the match with a two-goal margin victory for you to reap the rewards of your wager.
European Handicap 0 2
In the same way, the 0 2 handicap gives the less dominant team a two-goal advantage over the stronger team. This means the team with the greater probability of winning has to lead with a three-goal margin for any bet placed on them to be considered a winning bet.
If the dominant team wins the game with a score of 3-1, any bet placed in favour of the team would have resulted in a loss because the handicap point gets automatically subtracted from the team’s score.
In other words, the team with the higher potential would have a total of 3 - 2 goals = 1. This leaves both teams on a 1-1 draw and would result in a loss. Therefore, the presumed dominant team must secure their win from 3-0, 4-1, 5-2, etc., to be considered a win in the European handicap 0 2 betting system.
European Handicap 0 3
The 0 3 handicap means the team that is least likely to win is favoured with a three-goal margin against the stronger team. This implies that the chances of the dominant team winning is low, which would make the odds in their favour higher.
In this case, you would lose all the money you wager if the game ends in a draw or the team with higher winning potential fails to defeat its opponent with a four-goal margin at the end of the match. On the other hand, a win for such a bet would result in more rewards, considering the risk attached to the bet.
European Handicap Advantages
European handicap betting has been around for a long time, and some of the advantages bettors can find from using this betting methodology include the following:
- European handicap allows you to bet on a draw.
- The European handicap bet applies to many markets on the sportsbook.
- Its concepts are easy to grasp, especially for bettors who are new to the game. In addition, it involves the use of whole odds only.
- It significantly increases the payout with the presence of increased odds without additional risks involved.
- Bettors who understand the rules of the game can analyse and select the most desirable outcome and increase their likelihood of winning.
European Handicap Disadvantages
European handicap also has its shortcomings as regards its betting system. Its common disadvantages include:
- There are no returns on bets, which is considered a loss to the bettor.
- Bettors may be tempted to raise their stakes to get higher wins. Remember that a European handicap does not guarantee a win.
- Many newcomers who haven’t understood the game's rules may expect the same calculation as a regular handicap, which mostly turns out to be a losing bet.
Conclusion
European handicap is a sports betting system that rewards bettors with more options than other systems. As much as the betting system poses a higher potential for better payout due to its increased odds, bettors must fully understand the game's concept to get the best of it. Check out our Asian handicap betting guide as well!