Asian Handicaps Explained

Asian Handicaps in soccer can be confusing to people who are new to betting or those who are used to the somewhat outdated 1x2 (home draw away) betting. I have put in into context below in a very easy to understand way...

Why asian Handicaps ?
Bookmakers want to create a 50%-50% situation and have equal amount of money on both sides which ensures them a margin. Soccer has 3 possible outcomes as there are also draws which need to be included into the even price somehow. Asian handicaps allow them to do this which makes it possible to create an automated system where to odds adjust directly based on the money that comes in on one side.

How asian Handicaps work
Asian handicaps work similar to handicaps in NBA or NFL with the only difference that somtimes there is a "half win" or a "half loss" where part of the stake is returned.
It might be confusing at first but when you put your focus on it for a couple minutes it will become clear and easy to understand. The over / under lines work in a similar way.

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Pros and Cons
Pro + Lower margins and average odds are much higher compared to traditional books.
Pro + Higher limits and no personal limits.
Pro + Winners are welcome as they help to set the lines correct.

Con - The odds tend to be set very sharp close to the real odds which makes it not easy to beat and often a game marginal edges which creates a lot of variance.

The latest asian handicaps on the soccer market can be checked at http://asianodds.com/