If you are a big sports fan who likes to have a dabble on matches involving your favourite team, then at some point you will probably have expanded upon options beyond the match outright. In doing so, you may have come across two common types of bet: Totals and Handicas.
These are common alternative football betting markets at leading bookmakers offering football betting odds today. They are popular bets but very different in both their nature and the approaches needed to use them.
Just what are Totals and Handicap bets and how do they differ? Is one more interesting than the other and why? Here we take a deep dive into the basics of Totals and Handicap betting and give you some tips on how to choose the best option for your betting strategy.
Totals Betting
Totals betting is where you bet on the Total number of points, goals, runs or any other scoring unit in a game or event. The most common type of Totals bet in football matches is the Over/Under 2.5 Goals option. Others markets like Total Cards and Total Corners are also commonly found.
If you go Over on a Totals option, then you are betting that the combined score of both teams in the match will be above that set line. There are different Totals lines available per match, but based on football stats, the Over/Under 2.5 Goals option is the middle ground and often offers odds around the even money line.
But punters can challenge that line by going Under 1.5 Goals or Over 3.5 Goals for example, depending on where the stats lead. It’s not just an arbitrary line that you are going to land on. As a bettor, you want to assess various factors such as team form, history, injuries, weather conditions etc.
The big advantage of Total betting live Over/Under 2.5 Goals is that the outcome of the match is taken off the table. The bet does not depend on which team wins or loses. You only need to predict whether the game will be high-scoring or low-scoring. This can make Totals betting more exciting and less stressful than other types of wagers.
Handicap Betting
Handicap betting is where you bet on the outcome of a game or event after applying a certain advantage or disadvantage to one of the teams. This is only a virtual shifting of advantage of course, but this is called the Handicap. For football betting, it is expressed as goals.
The virtual advantage is something like a favourite to win a Premier League football match, set at a -1.5 Handicap at kick-off. That stronger team, who would be expected to win comfortably, would have to win the physical match by at least a two-goal margin for that particular Handicap bet to be won.
The other way around, a +1.5 goal advantage could be on the match underdog. In that scenario, they would have to not lose by more than one goal for the bet to win. What this type of bet gives punters is huge versatility and options to play when match outright odds are unfavourable.
If it’s Man City at home against a relegation candidate for example, then the Citizens would be a strong odds-on quote where punters wouldn’t be interested in backing them. The long underdog odds would have little value because of how unlikely City’s weaker opponents would be to win the fixture.
So Handicap betting provides an alternative way into the match betting. Setting the conditions of a Handicap bet, virtually levelling the playing field between the teams, gives punters far more favourable odds.
Which Type of Betting is More Interesting?
Totals and Handicaps are two very different bets and it will all come down to your personal preference and style as a bettor. Some people may prefer Totals betting because it is more straightforward than Handicaps. The match result doesn’t matter, just the number of goals going in.
But while Handicaps are a little more complicated, by the same token, experienced punters may relish the challenge of correctly calling a Handicap line. It’s a great betting skill to acquire and the Handicaps do arguably offer a greater challenge than Totals betting does, targeting stronger odds.
Totals vs Handicaps Conclusion
Totals and Handicaps are two common types of sports betting that offer different ways of predicting the outcome of a game or event. Both types have their pros and cons and appeal to different kinds of bettors.
Ultimately, the choice between them depends on what makes you enjoy the thrill of sports betting most, and where the stats point you. Both types can easily be integrated into your regular betting.
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