Whole and half lines
A handicap of −1.5 on the home team means they must win by two clear goals for the bet to win. +0.5 on the away team means they win the bet if they win or draw. Half lines always produce a clear winner or loser.
Whole lines behave differently. At −1.0, a one-goal win is a push: your stake is returned and nothing is lost or gained. That refund is what makes whole lines safer, and it is priced accordingly.
Quarter lines split your stake
This is the part that confuses people. A line such as −0.75 is shorthand for half your stake at −0.5 and half at −1.0. If your team wins by exactly one goal, the −0.5 half wins and the −1.0 half is refunded, so you collect about half the expected profit.
Similarly +0.25 splits between 0.0 and +0.5: a draw refunds half your stake and wins the other half. Quarter lines are not a trick; they are just two bets in one.
Reading the sign
A minus sign means that team is giving goals away because they are favoured. A plus sign means they are receiving them. On our match pages the handicap is always shown from the home team's point of view, so −1.5 means the home side must win by two, whatever the bookmaker's own display happens to say.
When to use one
Handicaps earn their place in two situations. When a strong favourite is too short to back outright, −1.5 turns 1.20 into something like 1.90 and asks a fair question. And when an underdog is competitive but unlikely to win, +1.5 or +0.5 pays a sensible price for the far more likely outcome that they simply stay close.
Common questions
What does "push" mean?
The bet finishes exactly on the handicap line, so the stake is returned in full. Nothing is won or lost.
Is Asian handicap the same as European handicap?
No. European handicap has three outcomes including a handicap draw and never refunds. Asian handicap has two outcomes and can push or split.
See it on today’s matches. Every idea in this guide is visible on the live pages: today’s odds, predictions with probabilities, and our public track record.