Asian Handicap vs European Handicap: Which One Should Beginners Choose? 

In football, Asian Handicap and European Handicap are two common ways of setting betting odds.

For beginners, these two types can be difficult to understand because both reflect the difference in strength between the two teams, but they use different methods to calculate the result.

Understanding the differences between Asian Handicap and European Handicap can help bettors see how each type works and avoid confusion when looking at odds from trusted bookmakers such as M88.

The article below explains the basic differences in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Let’s see.

What Is Asian Handicap?

Asian Handicap is a betting format that gives one team a handicap to reduce the strength gap between the two teams. The stronger team is given a certain number of goals to concede to the weaker team.

One special feature of Asian Handicap is that the result can be a win, loss, or refund, depending on the handicap and the final score. Common handicap lines include 0, -0.25, -0.5, -0.75, -1, and -1.5.

For example, if Team A has a -0.5 handicap against Team B, Team A must win the match for the bet to win. If the teams draw or Team A loses, the bet loses.

With a -1 handicap, the calculation is different. If Team A wins by exactly 1 goal, the corresponding stake can be refunded.

If Team A wins by 2 or more goals, the bet wins. If Team A does not win by the required margin, the bet loses.

Handicap lines such as 0.25 or 0.75 are also known as split Asian handicaps because the stake is divided between two nearby handicap lines. This is one of the points beginners should fully understand when checking the result.

What Is European Handicap?

European Handicap is also called a three-way handicap. Unlike Asian Handicap, this type of handicap has three possible outcomes: the home team wins, the two teams draw, or the away team wins after the handicap is applied.

For example, a match may be listed as:

• Team A gives Team B a 1-goal handicap.
• Choose Team A.
• Choose Draw.
• Choose Team B.

After the handicap is added to the final score, the adjusted result determines which of the three options is the outcome.

The important point is that the draw is a separate option in European Handicap. This differs from how many Asian Handicap lines are calculated.

How Are the Two Handicap Types Different?

The first difference is the number of choices. Asian Handicap focuses on the two sides of a match, while European Handicap has three options: home win, draw, and away win.

The second difference is how it handles a draw. With Asian Handicap, some handicap lines can result in a refund when the final score meets certain conditions.

With European Handicap, a draw is a separate outcome you can select from the start.

The third difference is the level of detail in the handicap lines. Asian Handicap offers lines such as 0.25 or 0.75, allowing more precise handicap adjustments.

European Handicap uses whole-goal handicaps, such as 1 or 2 goals.

According to football betting guides from various sources, beginners should pay close attention to the result-calculation rules so they can clearly understand the outcome of their selection. 

Which Type Should Beginners Choose?

If we focus only on ease of understanding, European Handicap may be easier for beginners in some matches because it has only three possible outcomes: the handicapped team wins, the match is a draw, or the team receiving the handicap wins after the handicap is applied.

However, this doesn’t mean European Handicap is 100% the better choice in every situation. Beginners should choose based on how well they understand the calculation rules for each handicap type.

Asian Handicap can seem more difficult at first because it uses different handicap lines and may include refunds or split handicaps. However, once you understand the basics, the calculation becomes clear.

For example, with a 0 handicap, both teams start at almost the same level. If the selected team wins, it wins. If the match ends in a draw, the stake may be refunded, depending on the specific handicap rules.

With European Handicap, however, readers must adjust the final score by the handicap first, then determine which of the three outcomes applies.

In short, Asian Handicap has more handicap lines and includes cases where the stake is refunded or split between different handicap lines.

Meanwhile, European Handicap has three possible outcomes and requires readers to calculate the score after applying the handicap.

For beginners, the most important thing is not to find the best type of handicap, but to understand exactly how the calculation works before choosing.

If they are not familiar with these types of handicaps, readers can start by learning the basic handicap lines, practicing the calculations with simple examples, and always checking the specific rules of each odds table.