Asian Handicap – What Is It and How Does It Work?

Asian Handicap (also known as “spread or line betting”) is a type of wager placed on sports markets. There are many features that make this form of betting special, but perhaps the most known one is the fact that Asian handicap markets do not have a “draw” outcome. This form of wagering is said to have come from Indonesia (this is why it’s called “Asian”) somewhere around the beginning of the year 2000. Asian handicap bets are renowned for their simplicity, yet complex nature; this is why they are preferred by both new and seasoned punters and continue to be offered by sportsbooks to this day.

Explaining the Handicap Part

Bookies often introduce Asian handicap markets to events that are known to have a very significant difference in odds. In an attempt to “virtually” equalize the chances between the two competing teams, sportsbooks would give a “condition” advantage to one of them, which usually comes in the form of additional points/ goals (depending on the sport). Here is a short example.

Team A has decimal odds of 1.5 and team B – 6.5. The market presented by the bookie will give a one-and-a-half goal advantage to team B. Even if team A wins the sporting event at a 1-0 result, the Asian handicap result would be 1-1.5. Punters that bet on team A to win would still receive their winnings; however, those that bet on team B would gain much more, from winning their handicap bet. In order to avoid any “draw” results, the points or goals given as an advantage will have an “uneven number”. In football markets, that advantage can be even can be ½, or even a ¼ of a goal.

Sportsbooks Known to Offer Asian Handicap Markets

Among the most famous sportsbooks to offer handicap wagering, are bet365, 888sports, Unibet, Bet Victor, and quite a few others. Bear in mind that the shelf-life of these market opportunities is very shorts, and even the most renowned bookies online won’t keep a market up for too long. Experienced punters are always on the lookout for handicap betting opportunities.

Different Types of Asian Handicap Betting

Although handicap wagering is in a league of its own, it isn’t uncommon to see it combined or merged with other forms of betting. For example, in some cases, a handicap wager can be a part of an accumulator bet. On other occasions, this type of wagers is made available for both pre-match and live play betting; for example, wagering on an Asian handicap in-play at bet365 is something that happens quite frequently.

Although this bet type and all its variants are quite popular among punters, handicap bets are considered to be a rarity, let alone any other combinations from them. You have to know that sportsbooks generally don’t like offering Asian handicap markets, as they might be at a huge loss if they haven’t calculated the advantage properly, resulting in a situation where punters that have bet on both outcomes scored a win. Perhaps, this is why, specifically, Asian handicaps in-play bets are only available “once in a blue moon”.

Read More

What Are Free Bets and How Do They Work

The most popular type of bonus in every online sportsbook is considered to be the “free bet”. Essentially, it is a form of sportsbook credit granted by the bookie under special circumstances, that allows the punters to wager on a sports market. With free bets, however, there a number of limitations that must be taken into consideration if the punter expects to fully benefit from this type of bonus. We have explored in detail how free bets work, where to find them, and everything else you would like to know.

Places Where You Can Find Them – What to Look For

If you’re wondering where to get free bets, you won’t have to go far. Almost every online sportsbook will happily provide both its newly registered members and existing clients with a variety of bonuses that commonly include free bets. Some of the most renowned bookies to do so are Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, Betfred, William Hill, and Betway. These bookies are known to provide free bets when you sign up, so it shouldn’t be too hard to score some extra money if you like to wager on a sports market without significant risk.

General Free Bet Terms and Requirements

Although terms and conditions vary between different bookies, receiving free bets when you sign up will come with a number of basic rules. For example, the credit sum provided by the bonus itself will need to be wagered all in one stake. Another rule states that promotional funds will need to be used on a sports market with a specific odds margin (for example, no less than 1.5 or no more than 2.5). Additional requirements may apply, such as market type restrictions, bonus expiration dates, wagering requirements, and others. Punters are always encouraged to learn everything they can about the specific terms and conditions released for any promotion.

Rare Sportsbook Bonus Examples

While this type of promotion is common to online bookies, there are special cases where those bonuses have modified features, which make them more desirable. For example, some people are wondering what betting apps give free bets; others look for exclusive codes, and so on. Due to the fact that the most common version of this promotion requires a punter to fund their account, some of the rarest (and most searched) are “free bets without deposit”. Bear in mind that even if you stumble across one, they will most commonly have a value of between $2 and $5, which is understandable since it’s a “no deposit bonus”. In even rarer cases, a bookie might allow their withdrawal without the completion of any additional requirements.

Read More

How Over Under Betting Works – Where to Find the Best Odds?

Bookies would often offer a market that would be a prediction of a fixed statistics number for a particular sporting event, where punters can wager on “over/under” (OU) odds. This is considered to be one of the most famous forms of sports betting, due to the limitless opportunities it offers – over/under markets can be made on a game’s score, the number of penalties given, player assists, the overall amount of injuries, number of passes, and so on. Essentially, punters would bet on whether the end result would be lower or higher than the predicted number; however, that number will be the combined value of the efforts of both teams.

Sports Where Over/Under Markets Are Most Prevalent

Basketball, football, hockey, and American football are considered to be the most covered ones by over-under markets. Although any occurrence during a sporting event that can be quantified into a score value can be made into an OU market, it is usually the popularity of the sport itself that dictates the number of OU opportunities presented by a bookie.

Even Results in an Over Under Sports Market

Although OU markets exist because almost every sporting competition generates points in several aspects. In order to avoid confusion and somewhat equalize the odds of a market, bookies often choose a score value that is based on the average value generated by previous competitions. Even if the score and odds are considered as “good”, there are cases where the combined result of the competitors would match the OU value set by the bookie. This is most commonly referred to as a “push” (similar to Blackjack), and if the case is such, the bookie will refund any wagers to their punters (since neither of the over/under conditions are met, the bettor neither wins nor loses).

Sometimes when bookies offer over under football betting, they use the same principle as in “handicap betting” as to avoid an even result. They condition the OU rule to apply for a “fraction of a goal” – for example, an over/under of 1.5 goals. This, however, wasn’t considered to be a standard practice for sports that provide double-digit (sometimes triple) results such as basketball and American football, but in recent years a decimal value has been added there as well in order to prevent “push events”.

Bookmakers That Offer This Kind of Bet

Over/under markets are some of the most popular ones in the online sportsbook world; in fact, there is hardly any online bookie out there that would avoid offering any sorts of over/under odds. Sportsbooks such as William Hill, Paddy Power, Bet Victor, Betfred, and 888sport are among the most visited websites for punters who prefer to bet solely on OU odds.

Read More

What Are No Deposit Bonus Codes and Where to Find Them

A bonus code is usually a special word or a phrase released by sportsbooks. Usually, bookie platforms contain a special section where punters would enter those codes and get rewards. Although sportsbooks can offer a variety of bonuses, one thing they all have in common is that they are activated by a promo code. It is widely accepted that promo codes are usually made available after making a deposit; however, we are going to look at the “what, how, and where” of no deposit bonus codes.

Sources That Can Provide You with No Deposit Codes

We should mention that no deposit bonus codes for existing players aren’t that easy to come by – they are usually reserved for newly registered players. In most cases, once a punter opens their new account, they can ask customer support if the sportsbook offers any “good will” codes. On the other hand, the most famous online bookies are known to manage a slew of social media accounts – which they use to spread bonus ads every time they release a new no deposit promo code. Twitter is considered to be one of the most used social media platforms, where punters can “grab” a free no deposit bonus code as soon as it is released by the specific sportsbook.

Benefits of No Deposit Bonus Codes

The first and most important advantage of using a no deposit promo code is that it provides punters with an opportunity to place a wager with real money without having to risk their own cash. Another important benefit is that since the amount of money provided by the promo codes isn’t that big, the terms and conditions surrounding the sportsbook bonuses will be much easier to complete than those of online casino bonuses, for example.

Cash-Out Limits Are Rarely Present – Common Terms and Conditions

When it comes to no deposit bonus codes with no max cashout limits, bookies don’t restrict the amount a punter can withdraw after winning. On the other hand, using promotional bet funds is done in a controlled environment, which can’t produce more than a specific amount of money. Some of those limits include the punter’s obligation to place the entire bonus amount on a bet; wager only on markets with a specific odds margin; stake the bonus as a straight bet only (no combination or each-way betting). Although the terms and conditions of such bonuses can be a bit limiting, they aren’t counted as real drawbacks.

Read More