What is Handicap 1/4 in Asian Handicap betting? What types of Handicap 1/4 bets are there? Let's explore the commonly encountered Handicap 1/4 bets and the experience in playing Handicap 1/4 when engaging in football betting with Wintips.
What is Handicap 1/4? (0.25 Handicap)
Handicap 0.25 is also known as a 1/4 handicap or half-ball handicap. In this handicap, the player will not end with a draw result but only with a win or a loss. Particularly in this type of handicap, there are instances where the player either wins or loses half of the wagered amount.
The written goal difference by the bookmaker is 0 – 0.5, with the average being 0.25 goals. The scenarios are as follows:
If the upper-handicap team wins the match, betting on the upper-handicap results in a full win, while betting on the lower-handicap team results in a loss.
If the lower-handicap team wins the match, betting on the lower-handicap team results in a full win, while betting on the upper-handicap team results in a loss.
If the match ends in a draw, betting on the upper-handicap team results in losing half the amount wagered, and winning half the amount if betting on the lower-handicap team.
Example of a 1/4 handicap bet:
In the example above, it's a half-ball handicap scenario. Leicester team with the upper-handicap and Crystal Palace team with the lower-handicap at 0.25. Betting on the upper-handicap wins at 0.98, while betting on the lower-handicap wins at 0.92. Instances occur as follows:
Betting on Leicester team:
If it's a draw (0-0, 1-1, 2-2, etc.), you lose half the amount wagered. For instance, if you bet 1,000,000, you'll lose 500,000.
If Leicester loses, you lose the entire amount wagered, meaning betting 1,000,000 results in a loss of 1,000,000.
If Leicester wins, you win the entire amount wagered, meaning betting 1,000,000 results in a win of 980,000.
Reverse calculations apply if betting on Crystal Palace.
Handicap 1 1/4 or 1 - 1.5
Also known as a 1 1/4 handicap, this is when the upper-handicap team gives 1 goal 1.5 goals to the lower-handicap team. The written handicap number aligns with the team being given the handicap. In this:
If the upper-handicap bet wins by 2 goals or more, the upper-handicap bettor wins while the lower-handicap bettor loses.
If the upper-handicap bet wins by only 1 goal, the upper-handicap bettor loses half the wagered amount, and the lower-handicap bettor wins half the wagered amount.
If the lower-handicap team wins or the match ends in a draw, the lower-handicap bettor wins.
Betting on the upper-handicap team with a 1-goal win results in winning half the wagered amount, while betting on the lower-handicap team results in losing half the wagered amount.
For example:
Above is an image of a handicap of 1 1/4. Las Vegas Lights FC is the underdog team and Phoenix Rising FC is the favorite team with a handicap of 1 1/4.
If a player bets on the Phoenix Rising FC and the final result is:
Phoenix Rising FC wins by a margin of 1 goal (0 – 1, 1 – 2, 2 – 3, etc.), the player loses half of the bet, placing a bet of 1000k and losing 500k.
In the event of a draw or if Las Vegas Lights FC wins, the player loses the entire amount of the bet, placing a bet of 1,000,000 and losing 1,000,000.
If Phoenix Rising FC wins by a margin of 2 goals or more (0 – 2, 0 – 3, etc.), the player wins the full amount of the bet, betting 1,000,000 and winning 1,720,000.
Similarly, if you choose the underdog Las Vegas Lights FC:
Handicap 2 – 2.5 or 2 1/4
This type of handicap is 2 1/4 – where the favorite team handicaps the underdog team by 2 and 2.5. The calculation for this type of bet is as follows:
If the favorite team wins by 3 or more goals, the player betting on the favorite team wins, and the player betting on the underdog team loses.
If the favorite team wins by 2 goals, the player betting on the favorite team loses half the bet amount, and the player betting on the underdog team wins half the bet amount.
If the favorite team wins by a 1-goal margin, the player betting on the favorite team loses, and the player betting on the underdog team wins.
If the underdog team wins, the player betting on the underdog team wins.
If the match ends in a draw, the underdog team wins.
For instance:
The image above illustrates a 2 1/4 handicap. In this case, Manchester City is the favorite team handicapping Watford by 2 and 2.5. If you bet on Manchester City and the final result is:
Manchester City wins by more than 2 goals, 3 goals or more, for example: 1:2, 2:2, 1:3, etc., then you win 0.86 (Bet 1000k and win 860k).
If Manchester City only wins by 2 goals, such as 0:2, 1:1, 2:0, you will lose half the amount (Bet 1,000,000 and lose 500,000).
If the difference between the two teams is less than 2 goals, such as 0:0, 1:0, 0:1, you will lose the entire amount (Bet 1,000,000 and lose 1,000,000).
And similarly if you choose the underdog team, Watford.
Notes when playing with a ¼ handicap:
Select the bet based on fluctuations
During the match, bookmakers often have minor fluctuations in odds. For example, the initial odds of ¼ may change to 0, leading to an increase in potential winnings compared to the initial odds of ¼. In such cases, it's best for players to bet on the underdog or on the handicap itself.
Choose bets based on team rankings
Another betting strategy used by bettors is to select underdog teams that don’t have excessively high handicaps compared to the favorite teams. For strong teams, if the odds decrease from 1 to ¾ a few hours before the match, within the last 40 minutes before the match, the potential winnings will also improve rapidly.
With these considerations, you can infer an important principle that the weaker team will often be at a disadvantage when facing a stronger team. Therefore, it's advisable to place bets on the weaker team.
Conclusion
A ¼ handicap in soccer betting is very popular and an entertaining form of betting. Understanding how to read soccer odds will help you devise accurate strategies to win the game most effectively. Hopefully, with the shared insights, you'll have a clearer understanding of the 0.25 handicap or 1/4 handicap prevalent today.