Asian Handicap Sportsbetting

I’m starting to see the following statement on some of the online sportsbook offers, and it has me intrigued.

Quote:

Profit Boost is available on all markets, excluding Asian Handicaps and [Asian] Goal Line markets.

Obviously it raises the question “oh? why is that?“ so I’ve begun to look into it. The terminology comes from the demand from Asian markets to have ‘football’ [soccer] bets resolved binarily without ties making a lost bet. Now, this is readily available in sportsbetting already without going to the Asian Handicap type [which I will just refer to as Asian from here on]. However, with Asian lines you can find bets that offer part of your money back, and I have to think this is what gives pause to the sportsbooks when making up their offers. It has spread to other markets than soccer, hockey for sure

Quote: https://playthepercentage.com/blog/asian-betting-explained

Surprisingly… you will find that the Asian Goal Line often offers better odds than the standard goal bet lines. It seems to be an anomaly that’s worth exploiting to get a better price

I have to think it won't be +EV though

I think in order to really grasp it, I’m going to have to make some hockey bets and analyze what happens, the ‘hands-on’ money-involved way that always works. I’d usually blog about this, but instead this time I’m starting this thread, hoping for some input from others. There will be further posts

Do you mean it’s a

‘Tie no bet’ line?

I’ve used them (nefariously?) when I ‘needed’ to make a ‘big’ bet to get a free bet. But wanted as little variance as possible. So take a big favorite in soccer. So maybe I get -2000, and the other side was +900. Even if the bet resolves as a tie, I still got the free bet.

As a stand alone bet, they seem to take MORE juice than regular bets.

Thank you, I'll keep that in mind!

Quote: SOOPOO

Do you mean it’s a

‘Tie no bet’ line?

I’ve used them (nefariously?) when I ‘needed’ to make a ‘big’ bet to get a free bet. But wanted as little variance as possible. So take a big favorite in soccer. So maybe I get -2000, and the other side was +900. Even if the bet resolves as a tie, I still got the free bet.

As a stand alone bet, they seem to take MORE juice than regular bets.
link to original post

no, it's not exactly the same as 'tie, no bet'

as an example, today's bruins vs Leafs NHL at a site, I'll show winnings per unit [not incl orig bet]
you just see two things listed together on what you bet on. I'll use a comma

I'm showing what I literally see when I bet a dollar

normal tie no bet ........................ bruins +150, leafs -200 ............. paying 1.50 and 50 cents , resp, per unit
asian handicap............. bruins +0.5, 1.825, leafs -0.5, 1.975 ............... pay 82c and 97c, resp

so what happens if there is a tie, Asian? evidently Bruins bet pays and Leafs bet loses... "no bet" does not happen in Asian.

>>>

or you can bet "Asian goal line" which *I think* is a way of betting on the total points of the game

you bet over or under 5.75, which is impossible of course, so there can be no tie

listed............ over, 1.950 .... under, 1.850 ..... now get this:
bet a unit on the over and you see on your slip "over 5.5, 6.0 1.950" and it pays 95 cents
bet a unit on the under and see "under 5.5,6.0 1.850" and it pays 85c

so what does it mean to show 5.5,6.0 for either way you bet? I don't know

if you bet the traditional, not asian, over or under it could tie as the bets are for over or under 6 and it's -105 for the over and -115 for the under, paying 95 cents and 86 cents, with the possibility of 6 exactly happening

still working on this

the above could be wrong

I can't understand what is written in wikipedia, that shows part of the bet refunded. what?

Quote:

Example:

Match: Everton v. Newcastle Line: Everton -1.75

Let's say you bet $100 on Everton -1.75 at odds 2.29. If they win by exactly two goals, then the outcome will be:

$50 is refunded (H -2.0)
$50 wins at 2.29 (H -1.5)

For a total return of $164.50, or a $64.50 profit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_handicap

Quote: odiousgambit

I’m starting to see the following statement on some of the online sportsbook offers, and it has me intrigued.

Quote:

Profit Boost is available on all markets, excluding Asian Handicaps and [Asian] Goal Line markets.

Obviously it raises the question “oh? why is that?“ so I’ve begun to look into it.

First, well done for figuring out that something that gets prohibited is potentially ap. That's a great way to find plays. If book a forbids a play book b might still offer it and you could make money.

Asians are often excluded from promotions simply because the house edge is razor-thin. Almost any promo, even a very marginal one, will give you the best of it.

Quote: odiousgambit

the above could be wrong

I can't understand what is written in wikipedia, that shows part of the bet refunded. what?

Quote:

Example:

Match: Everton v. Newcastle Line: Everton -1.75

Let's say you bet $100 on Everton -1.75 at odds 2.29. If they win by exactly two goals, then the outcome will be:

$50 is refunded (H -2.0)
$50 wins at 2.29 (H -1.5)

For a total return of $164.50, or a $64.50 profit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_handicap
link to original post

With a -1.75 handicap line (which is split between -1.5 and -2):

Half your stake ($50) is placed on Everton -1.5
Half your stake ($50) is placed on Everton -2

If Everton wins by exactly 2 goals:

The -1.5 portion wins: $50 × 2.29 = $114.50
The -2 portion pushes (refunded): $50 returned

Total return: $114.50 + $50 = $164.50
Your profit would be $164.50 - $100 = $64.50

Quote: Archvaldor1

Half your stake ($50) is placed on Everton -1.5
Half your stake ($50) is placed on Everton -2
link to original post

thank you

that nailed it down what I didn't get

stay tuned

having some trouble continuing as I can't copy and paste the betslips or anything else

the notations you get on the betslip etc are hard to understand

but stay tuned

Quote: odiousgambit

having some trouble continuing as I can't copy and paste the betslips or anything else

the notations you get on the betslip etc are hard to understand

but stay tuned
link to original post

Try taking a screenshot… If that doesn’t work, take a picture of the screen with another device. Then, crop or black out any sensitive information.

there are things that I don't quite 'get' so when i start to report on them I have to ask "did I write that down wrong?"

so yes I am now taking a screenshot so I can double check. May or may not show them here

To really give enough information has been harder than I thought, including pregame odds etc, so earlier efforts I’m not showing. Here is a recent game where I’ve finally supplied close to enough information.

team A -130, team B +110 [non-asian pregame odds]
o/u 6, -130,+110 [non-asian pregame]

final score team A 4, team B 5 *in overtime*
however,
note well: end of regulation score 4:4 draw

fyi in non-asian betting
‘tie no bet’ -150, +110
tied in regulation so either bet pushed in this non-asian type

Asian Handicap ………… [didn’t do asian goal line]
Team A ........... 0.0, -0.5 1.975 [pregame odds]
betslip: I bet on Team A [adjusted to as if $1 bet]
betslip shows Team A ........... 0.0, -0.5 1.975
‘returns’ 1.96 [pregame notation]

settled bet:
½ lost, ½ void
“return” 50c

end of regulation score was 4:4 draw so that is how half is void [the 0.0] and how half is a loss [the -0.5]
clearly this is not “tie no bet” but “tie half back". Would +0.5 have won half? Not sure!
next post will have more information and an Asian goal line bet

I think I have this down now, as usual once you figure something out, it's hard to remember why it wasn't clear. On the other hand, you can’t say this is simple to compare! And it is possible something below is in error

TLDR? look for in italics and in bold

The bet to compare Asian Handicap to is the non-Asian 'tie no bet' . For example, for Canadiens at Capitals tonight, not expected to be close, the 'tie no bet' is pregame odds +210, -300 resp.

Asian Handicap pregame is +1.0 ........ 1.900
and -1 .......... 1.9000 , Canadiens and Caps. resp.

If there is a tie in regulation, it's no bet in the 'tie no bet' non asian, while the asian handicap bet either wins or loses based on the +1 or -1 .The bet is not split up*... and 'returns' 1.90 per unit , or 90c winnings. [The pregame odds non-asian are +180, -220 but would resolve on who won in overtime if tied in reg] . If either side wins in regulation by just one pt, Asian H. results in a push!

For the tie-no-bet only a tie is no bet. Caps winning in tie-no-bet gives 33c winnings, Canadiens give 2.10.
If you are looking to win big with Montreal, you don’t want to bet Asian H. If you want to win better on the Caps, and think they’ll win big, bet Asian H.

[Meantime non-asian pregame on the puck line is on 1.5 pts, so betting Asian is quite different there too and I won’t compare that.]

Asian goal line is ............ 6.0 .......... the over 1.950 and the under 1.850

in this instance there is no splitting up of the bet*
Non-asian it’s also 6 , with O6.0 -120, U6.0 +100
exactly 6 will push asian or tie-no-bet in regulation either one

the under pays 95c winnings per unit over 6, 85c under 6, asian
in non-asian winnings per unit are 1.00 and 83c, resp.
The under pays better Asian, the over pays quite a bit better non-Asian
I’d say bet Asian goal line in this likely not-close game if you like the under only

Remember: this is not expected to be a close game

Next: I'll compare a close game

* this seems to be when not expecting the game to be close

Last edited by: odiousgambit on Jan 10, 2025

the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!”   She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder

Quote: odiousgambit

I think I have this down now, as usual once you figure something out, it's hard to remember why it wasn't clear.

getting back to this now, got busy with other stuff

Basically the difference with non-Asian betting is that you can have a bet split up, so that half the bet pushes and half wins or loses. In hockey, only if the game is expected to be close [at least from what I have found], whereas recently in soccer I found this is likely to be offered on any game, though it requires peeling back all the layers, so to speak. You can bet on quite a variety of outcomes in this way, even bet that a team will win by multiple goals and put half the bet on half a point less or more than that. In hockey, I’ve only seen the ability to split the bet up in the case of a close game

For example, in tomorrows Chelsea vs Wolverhampton soccer game, you could bet favored Chelsea wins by 3.5 points [of course thinking a 4 pt win], or instead put half the bet on win by 3 pts, half by 3.5. The betslip would show:

-3.0, -3.5 ………… 5.75

which would mean winning by 4 points would get you the full return of 5.75 units per unit, winnings 4.75, while if winning by 3 then half the bet would be voided, half returned, and half the bet loses. Winning by two loses all.

Or you could have a Wolverhampton betslip showing:

+3.0, +3.5 ………….. 1.140

in this case a 2 pt Chelsea game win has the bettor returning 1.14, 0.14 winnings, and a 3 pt Chelsea win has the bettor voiding and returning half, while winning half and a glorious 7 cents per dollar bet.

But to be clear, similar choices all the way down to plus or minus 0.5, or split bet showing 0.0, +0.5… or 0.0, -0.5

The standard bet they show is plus or minus 1.5 returning 2.040 and 1.860, the minus 1.5 a Chelsea bet returning 2.040.

What about the non-asian tie no bet comparison? That’s Chelsea -700, WolverH. +450 … while the comparable asian bet I guess would be

0.0, +0.5……… 3.550 WolverH

0.0, -0.5 ………. 1.275 Chelsea

A tie means no bet non-asian, while for the WolverH bettor the tie means half a nice return and Chelsea can get half back, other half loss. I now think this is just comparing apples and oranges to some degree, and I think still the Asian idea is “half back”, “half win or half loss”, on ties instead of “no bet”. And on wins, not ties, a way for the underdog to win with less risk on tie results.

I see no bet where it’s 0.0, +0.5 for Chelsea, but there’s:

+0.5 …….. 1.130 Chelsea

available, where Chelsea wins on a tie [but no void for half the bet]. This is an alternative I’ll let you crunch out.

Well, we got in the weeds here. To really come to a conclusion about which way is lower HE? The math is beyond my pay grade, but I’m thinking it’s lower HE Asian for the same reason any bet that has a lot of ‘tie’ outcomes is arguably lower in HE than ‘it would seem’. For example the Wizard likes to say the HE for No Pass in Craps is 1.364% which for the Pass bet it’s higher, 1.414%. He admits others look at it differently, meanwhile Pai Gow and games like that get the nod for the ties. I think it may be a matter of HE per time played, which is a optional way to look at things.

BTW if you look at this the line may have moved and was moving and changing some when I did this

PS if I return to this the original question of why they don't want Asian handicap betting with certain offers can be examined. Now back to gridiron football, Odiousgambit Out!!

Usually the main line will have a lower house edge than the alternate. But not always. If the main line .25 or .75 instead of .0 or .5 just depends on the game, it's usually just whatever odds will be closest to -110 or 1.9.

More pushes brings the house edge closer to zero (100% push rate has a house edge of 0%). So if there is a positive house edge, the .25 or .75 will have a lower house edge than the .5, but higher than .0. And if there is a negative house edge, that flips. But that's just not worth spending any time on. If u2.5 -110 is a good bet, then it's very likely u2.25 +120 or u2.75 -140 are as well.

Quote: TomG

Usually the main line will have a lower house edge than the alternate. But not always. If the main line .25 or .75 instead of .0 or .5 just depends on the game, it's usually just whatever odds will be closest to -110 or 1.9.

More pushes brings the house edge closer to zero (100% push rate has a house edge of 0%)

Nice! good way of illustrating that

Quote:

So if there is a positive house edge, the .25 or .75 will have a lower house edge than the .5, but higher than .0. And if there is a negative house edge, that flips. But that's just not worth spending any time on. If u2.5 -110 is a good bet, then it's very likely u2.25 +120 or u2.75 -140 are as well.
link to original post

also, you can just bet the tie-no-bet way

I think we can assume these Asian bets are not going to be +EV on their own, and, again, from what I have seen are not allowed in offers that are +EV [like second chance bonus bets]

I was thinking that since special offers usually involve initial parlay bets, that maybe the sites just don't want the complication of partially voided bets in parlays, and players complaining. But I've also seen the prohibition on straight bets for boosted odds offers

Asian gives a player a variety of ways to bet -EV , with pushes, If you're going to bet -EV anyway