If you’re just starting to become familiar with the world of <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">Matched Betting</a>, you might have heard about ‘lay betting’ without fully understanding how it works.

You might understand that it means to bet against something, rather than to bet for it, but why is it different to any other kind of bet? Why do you have to place a lay bet on an <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-a-betting-exchange">exchange</a> rather than a regular betting site? And why is it so crucial to Matched Betting in the first place?

In this article, we’ll answer all those questions - and every other question you could think of - so by the time you finish reading, you’ll know all there is to know about lay betting, whether you’re a matched bettor or not.

A lay bet is a bet that something will not happen, in contrast to a back bet, which is a bet that something will happen. You could think of it as the opposite of a regular back bet.

For example, in an upcoming match between Manchester United and Chelsea, your friend might say, ‘I bet you £10 that Chelsea win.’ If you take their bet, you have effectively placed a lay bet. Any outcome other than a win for Chelsea - i.e. a win for Manchester United or a draw - would result in your winning your lay bet. Laying a bet therefore allows you to cover all outcomes other than a win (in contrast to placing a back bet on a team’s opponents, which wouldn’t allow for a draw).

Lay betting in Matched Betting works the same way, just on a bigger scale. You’re acting as a bookie yourself when you place a lay bet, in that you are selling a bet to other punters. If their bet doesn’t win, you keep the stake as profit; if it does, you have to pay out their winnings (but don’t worry - if you’re Matched Betting, your winnings from your back bet will balance this out).

Lay bets cannot be placed on regular betting sites. To lay a bet, you have to go to an exchange. These work very differently to bookies, and allow the public to bet against each other, making their money by taking a commission on winning bets.

An exchange matches bets between customers who want to buy a back bet, and those who want to sell a lay bet. The odds offered are therefore based on the odds other customers are willing to accept - but they’re usually pretty close to the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/how-are-betting-odds-determined">odds offered by a bookie</a>, so long as an event is popular enough to attract a good amount of interest from bettors.

There are five major betting exchanges in the UK, all of which are available on our <a href="https://outplayed.com/products/oddsmatcher">Oddsmatcher</a>:

How Is A Lay Bet Different From A Back Bet?

Many newcomers to Matched Betting assume that a lay bet works exactly the same way as a back bet, only against an outcome instead of for it. However, that isn’t at all the case. Because you’re effectively acting as the bookie, you’re responsible for paying out winnings to ‘your’ customer if their bet wins.

The amount you have to pay is known as your <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-liability-in-matched-betting">‘liability’</a>. You don’t lose your original stake if your lay bet loses, but you do lose the amount you are liable for, which can be quite high, depending on the odds. Let’s have a look at an example to illustrate this.

For an upcoming match between Fulham and Crystal Palace, you decide to place a lay bet of £10 against a draw. The lay odds available are 3.5.

Your liability for this bet is £25, meaning that you will lose £25 (but not your original stake) if the outcome of the match is a draw. You therefore need to ensure you have at least £25 available in your account balance in the exchange when you place your lay bet.

The only exception to this is if you place lay bets against multiple outcomes at one exchange. For example, if you placed the above lay bet against a draw, and then also placed a lay bet against Crystal Palace winning. As it isn’t possible for both these outcomes to occur, you can’t possibly lose both bets - so the exchange will take this into account when calculating your liability.

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/matched-betting-liquidity">Liquidity</a> is the amount of money that can be placed on a lay bet at any particular odds, and it’s usually shown below the odds on the exchange website, as you can see below.

So long as the liquidity shown is higher than the lay stake you want to place, your lay bet will be immediately matched as soon as you place it. As you can see, there are several sets of odds available for each selection - back odds in blue, lay odds in red.

The best odds are shown in darker blue and red, but you also have the option of choosing slightly less advantageous odds if there isn’t enough liquidity for the amount you want to stake. So for example, you might want to lay £10 on a draw - but as there’s only £4 liquidity at odds of 3.6, you could choose to lay at 3.65 instead.

If there isn’t enough liquidity at your preferred odds and you attempt to place your bet regardless, you’ll have an <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-are-unmatched-bets">unmatched or partially matched bet</a>. If this is the case, you can choose to wait to see if more liquidity at your preferred odds becomes available - or alternatively, you can cancel the unmatched portion of your bet and try again (using the <a href="https://outplayed.com/fix-a-matched-bet-calculator">Fixabet calculator</a> if need be) at the currently available odds.

We’ve already touched on the concept of commission, but it’s worth reiterating that you’ll usually be charged a percentage of your profits at an exchange, whether on back or lay bets, and it’s important to take this into account when Matched Betting.

Fortunately, our <a href="https://outplayed.com/calculator">Matched Betting calculator</a> allows you to enter your commission rate at the exchange, meaning that this will be automatically included in the profit figures you see when working out a matched bet using our tools. You can also enter your commission rates for each exchange in your account settings, so that these will always default to the correct rates.

Finally, don’t forget that Outplayed members enjoy 0% commission when using Matchbook, Smarkets and BetConnect, making for even more profitable Matched Betting.

How Can You Take Advantage Of Lay Betting?

The most obvious way to take advantage of lay betting is through Matched Betting. This is a technique that harnesses bookie offers, allowing you to place a qualifying back bet and lay it for a loss of only a few pence, and then use your free bet reward to make a guaranteed profit - so long as you do it right.

There are lots of different types of bookie offers out there, including <a href="https://outplayed.com/price-boosts">price boosts</a>, <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/horse-racing-refunds">racing refunds</a>, <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/extra-place-offers">extra place offers</a> and <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/2up-master">2UP offers</a>, and most of these can be used to profit through Matched Betting. To find out more, check out our <a href="https://outplayed.com/what-is-matched-betting">complete Matched Betting guide for beginners</a>, or alternatively <a href="https://outplayed.com/user/register#1">sign up for our free trial</a> to get going right away.

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/matched-betting-underlaying-overlaying" target="_blank" title="">Underlaying And Overlaying</a>

As standard, our Matched Betting calculator will work out the right amount to lay to produce equal profit regardless of the outcome of an event.

However, in some circumstances you might want to lay a custom amount, to make a higher profit for one outcome or the other.

For example, if you’re placing a free bet, and will receive a further free bet if it wins (for example if completing the Betfair Exchange Free Bet Streak offer), you might consider overlaying, to boost your profit if the exchange bet wins, as you know you’ll have the chance to make additional profit from a further free bet if your bookie bet wins. You can use our advanced calculator to work out your profits in either case with the custom lay tool, as shown in the example below.

You might alternatively wish to underlay your bet in some situations - for example, if you receive a bonus if your qualifying bet loses (you can use the <a href="https://outplayed.com/calculators/bonus-lockin-calculator">bonus lock-in calculator</a> to work out the optimal amount to lay here).

It can also be useful to underlay a bet if you’re completing a sports offer that requires wagering a certain amount of money before you can withdraw a bonus.

If the bet wins at the bookie end, and you have to continue wagering, by underlaying you’ll have avoided reducing your bonus with that bet.

If it wins at the exchange end, you’ll have lost a little more - but the wagering is now complete, so you get to keep the entire remainder of the bonus.

Lay bets are instrumental in allowing us to make our profits from Matched Betting, so it’s important to understand how they work. Using a betting exchange, you’re able to bet against an outcome of an event, allowing you to lock in guaranteed profits from free bets - so long as you follow our instructions correctly.

When placing a lay bet, make sure there’s enough liquidity available for the stake you want to place, and that you’ve got a high enough balance in your exchange account to cover your liability - and don’t forget to take into account commission!

Even if you’re brand new to Matched Betting, it won’t be long before you’re lay betting like a pro.

Stephanie Sorrell

What Is Lay Betting?

Gone are the days where football fans could only bet on whether a team is going to win, lose or draw.&nbsp; The <a href="https://outplayed.com/football-betting-guide">football betting</a> markets have never had so much variety to choose from.

One such variety is Goal Line betting or Over/Under betting as it’s also known.

This <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/types-of-bets">type of bet</a> involves predicting the number of goals that are scored during the match, irrelevant of which team wins the game.

If you think there are likely to be a few goals in a match but aren’t sure who might win, a Goal Line bet might be just the thing for you.

During this article you'll learn what a Goal Line bet is, how it works, the different types of Goal Line bets and the pros and cons of Goal Line bets.

Goal Line bets allow punters to bet on the number of goals that will be scored in a football match.

However, you aren’t restricted to betting on the exact number of goals. Bookies set a Goal Line at 2.5 goals as standard and you have to decide if the total number of goals will be more or less than 2.5.

Obviously, scoring half a goal is impossible but the bookies use these goal lines so you can only win or lose.

So, if you thought there would be three or more goals scored between the two teams, you would bet on over 2.5.&nbsp; Alternatively, if you think it will be two or less goals, you would bet on under 2.5 goals.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Let’s break it down as an example where the bookie has a Goal Line market of 2.5 goals:

Why Is The Goal Line Betting Line Set At 2.5?

The number crunchers at the bookies have determined that not only is this the most popular goal betting option, but it’s approximately the average based on historical data.

Number crunching doesn’t need to be limited to the bookies though, customers can do their own data analysis to assess the probability of over or under 2.5 goals in a given match. If you really wanted to get down and dirty with the stats, you could consider the following when placing a Goal Line bet:

Knowing this level of information can only enhance your chances of making the right predictions on your Goal Line bet.

Fact: In the 2024/25 Premier League season, there were 1,115 goals scored.&nbsp; This amounts to 2.93 goals per game.&nbsp; Of the 380 games played that season, 215 had more than +2.5 goals scored in them.&nbsp; That’s an impressive 57% of the games played, had over 2.5 goals scored in them.

Looking at these figures, you would rightly think that always betting on over 2.5 goals is the way forward. Again, this is where a bit of research helps because individual team’s stats might suggest otherwise.

Whilst 71% of Brighton &amp; Hove Albion's league games (38 matches) in the 2024/25 season had three or more goals scored, Everton only managed to score three or more goals in 31% of their games.

You now know how the basic type of Goal Line bet works but your options aren’t just limited to one market.&nbsp; There are other types of Goal Line bets that you can add to your betting strategy so let’s have a look at what all of the Goal Line markets are:

This is the industry standard bet which we have already explained where a bettor predicts if there will be either under or over 2.5 goals scored in a football match.&nbsp; Some bookies will refer to this as the Goal Line market whilst others call it the Over/Under Goals Market and it’s usually in the goals section of a match.&nbsp;

Let’s look at real example of this market for a UEFA Champions League match between Arsenal and PSG.&nbsp; Navigate to the game and then click on the Goals tab as highlighted.&nbsp; The Goals Over/Under is the first market you can see and shows the industry standard Over/Under 2.5 goals market.

This is identical to the +/- 2.5 goals market in terms of how the bet works but it provides bettors with more <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/first-goalscorer-bets">goal scoring</a> options.&nbsp; Again, you don’t need to predict who will win a match, just how many goals you think there might be.

The Goal Line markets outside of the 2.5 goals market can range from 0.5 up to 8.5.&nbsp; However, it is rare to see odds being offered on Goal Lines over 6.5 and even if they do, the odds will be extremely low.&nbsp; This is mainly down to the fact that the majority of football matches don’t have that many goals scored so most of the time it would be a sure bet and the bookies don’t enjoy giving money away.

There are times when using the Alternative Goal Line markets might appeal to bettors.&nbsp; For example, if a Premier League team is playing a team from League One in the FA Cup and the Premier team put out a strong side, it might be worth looking at the odds from the higher Goal Line market such as over 5.5.&nbsp; Alternatively, if there was a local derby between two evenly matched teams, you could look at what odds are on offer for under 1.5 goals.

It really is a case of studying the markets to make an informed choice as to which Goal Lines you think will be more likely to succeed.

Using the same match, here’s how the Alternative Goal Lines market looks.&nbsp; Using the same navigation as before, head to the Goals section and the Alternative Goal Lines available are displayed underneath the standard Over/Under 2.5 market. As you can see, Bet365 are offering a market for up to 7.5 goals but the odds for the upper end of goals scored for the under market are very low. This is due to the fact that a high score is unlikely.&nbsp; Always look at the odds as they usually paint a picture of what to expect, but not always.

Please note that some bookies will provide an Alternative Goal Line market separate from the 2.5 goals market but others will put all the markets together in one place.

To emphasise this point, let’s have a look at the same match between Arsenal and PSG but with Paddy Power this time.

Unlike Bet365, Paddy Power has all the Goal Line betting markets in one place, including the over/under 2.5 goals market. One thing you might have noticed is that Paddy Power have padlocks on some of the above markets.&nbsp; Unlike Bet365 who offer very low odds on under markets of 5.5 and above, Paddy Power doesn't want to risk allowing people to bet on these markets as it’s extremely likely that there won’t be six goals scored.

This is where the Goal Line bets get a little more complex compared to the standard over/under market.&nbsp; Please don’t confuse this type of bet with <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-asian-handicap">Asian Handicap betting</a> as this is a different market.&nbsp; Sometimes you will see Asian Goal Line bet markets and Asian Alternative Goal Line bet markets, similar to the standard Goal Line bet markets.

You are still betting on how many goals will be scored using the over/under technique.&nbsp; However, instead of the bet winning or losing, Asian Goal Line betting usually provides a third outcome of refunding your stake.

Not only will you see similar options to the normal Goal Line bet offering, but you will see other variations that offer full goal options such as over and under 2 goals.&nbsp; In this instance, an Asian Goal Line bet of over 2 goals would work like this:

To place this type of bet you head over to the Arsenal v PSG match on the bookies website, but this time you need to click on the Asian Lines section instead of the Goals tab. Here you will see the Asian Alternative Goal Line options and the bet of over 2.5 goals. Once selected, just place your bet as normal.

It doesn’t stop there as there’s another twist to the Asian Goal Line betting market. At some of the bigger bookies and on the more popular leagues and competitions, you will often see two sets of figures separated by a comma such as 2.0, 2.5 or 2.5, 3.0.

This is where Asian Goal Line betting takes another step up and you are now splitting your bet up into two parts.

Using the same example as before, let’s have a look at what the bet will look like when we choose 2.5, 3.0 in the Asian Goal Line market:

By choosing this bet, you are splitting the bet up so that half of the stake is being put on over 2.5 goals and the other half on over 3 goals. But what are the possible outcomes from this bet?

PLEASE NOTE – The stake amount you enter is the total stake so if you were to place a stake of £10, £5 will be wagered on the over 2.5 goals part and £5 on the over 3.0 goals part.

Advantages &amp; Disadvantages Of Goal Line Betting

Goal Line betting can be a great addition to your betting strategy and has the potential to be profitable.&nbsp; Here are some things you should consider when placing Goal Line bets:

Pretty much all types of bets come with potential mistakes to avoid.&nbsp; Let’s have a look at things to be wary of when placing Goal Line bets:

Goal Line bets are a flexible and fun way for football lovers who fancy a bet without having to predict the correct score or the match winner.&nbsp; The standard Goal Line betting markets are a great way for <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/sports-betting-guide">novice sports bettors</a> to learn about this type of bet before considering more advanced Goal Line bets.

For those with a good knowledge of the game, this can be a great option to leverage your expertise to your advantage.&nbsp;

Remember: Do your research, avoid the common mistakes and don’t run before you can walk. Goal Line bets can be fun if approached in the right way.

Paul Trevor

What Is Goal Line Betting?

A Trixie bet is a bet containing multiples. You are placing a bet on three different selections but placing a combination of four bets in one.

Trixie bets are mainly used in horse racing but can be used in many other sports too.

Unlike an <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-an-acca-bet">accumulator bet</a>, you don’t need all selections to win to get a return on a Trixie bet.

Even If one of your selections doesn’t win, you are still guaranteed a return.&nbsp; A Trixie bet is often referred to as a cover bet.

In this article you’ll be given information about how a Trixie bet works, how to place one and how winnings are calculated.&nbsp;

There’s no history of the Trixie bet documented anywhere but it’s believed that it came to the fore around the mid 20th century as punters looked for ways to increase their chances of winning.

It’s still going strong to this day thanks to its offering of balancing risk and reward.

As already briefly mentioned, the Trixie is a betting multiple comprising of four bets in total:

A combination <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/types-of-bets">type of bet</a> like this can increase your potential profits and you can still win even if one of the bets doesn’t.&nbsp; These give punters an extra chance to win, unlike accumulators, which return nothing if one part of the bet loses.

A Trixie bet works similar to an accumulator but provides bettors with a layer of protection or a cover bet as it’s also known.

Let’s say you go to Goodwood races for the day and fancy a flutter.&nbsp; You pick a horse from each of the first three races but as they aren’t certs (there’s no such thing), you decide to try a Trixie bet. You choose the following:

By choosing a Trixie, you then make four bet combinations like this:

Each bet within your Trixie works independently from each other so you don’t need all three to win to get a return.

Let’s look at how to place the Trixie bet with Paddy Power. You’ve decided to bet on First Instinct in the 3pm race at odds of 5.0 (4/1), Pasha in the 3.30pm at odds of 4.0 (3/1) and Robusto in the 4pm at odds of 5.0 (4/1).

The first thing to do is add them to your bet slip, so go to the 3pm and add First Instinct to your bet slip, then leave the bet slip as it is and move on to the 3.30pm and 4pm races and do the same.&nbsp;

This will give you the bet slip below:

As you can see, at the bottom of the bet slip there is a section for multiples and in particular, a Trixie.&nbsp; Simply enter your stake here and click on place bets.

Pretty much all bookies operate similarly in that once you have entered your selections, there will be an option somewhere within the bet slip to look at the multiple bets available.

In order to get any returns from a Trixie bet, at least two of your selections must win to create a winning double.&nbsp; If only one wins, you lose all of your stake.

So, let’s have a look at what might happen with your selections from Nottingham, First Instinct at odds of 5.0, Pasha at odds of 4.0 and Robusto at odds of 5.0.

Double 1: First Instinct &amp; Pasha

Double 2: First Instinct &amp; Robusto

Double 3: Pasha &amp; Robusto

You now have the formula needed to calculate potential returns from Trixie bets.&nbsp; To save time, use the Outplayed <a href="https://outplayed.com/calculators/trixie-bet-calculator">Trixie Bet Calculator</a>. This will let you calculate potential winnings on each double and the treble.

Many bettors use multiples including Trixie bets as part of their betting strategy but what do you need to consider when deciding if it’s the right bet for you?

Variance &amp; Diversity

Never forget that a Trixie bet requires four times the stake you enter. Whilst that may mean larger stakes than say a treble, it also has the potential to offer very good returns provided your budget allows.

Pros &amp; Cons Of Trixie Bets

Trixie bets are a popular type of bet in sport and in particular, in horse racing.&nbsp; Let’s have a look at the main advantages and disadvantages of using them.

Mistakes To Avoid When Doing A Trixie Bet

Using Trixie bets as part of a strategy can be a good thing but there are some things to watch out for so you don’t hamper your success:

What Are The Best Markets For Trixie Bets?

Without doubt, Trixie bets are used mostly on horse racing markets. This is mainly because of the vast amounts of races and opportunities there are to get good value.&nbsp; However, most bookmakers offer Trixies in other sports markets too.&nbsp; Greyhound races, tennis and football are amongst the other sports you can use them on.

The method of placing the Trixie is very similar with all sports and bookies. Here is an example of football Trixie on Bet365. You need to select your three choices as normal, then click on the ‘More Multiples’ option and you will see the Trixie option.&nbsp;

You’ll now understand how a Trixie bet is one of many multiple type bets bettors can use and comprises four bets in total, broken down to three doubles and a treble.&nbsp; It can be used as part of a betting strategy to help bettors reduce risks whilst still looking for that big win. The fact that it covers multiple outcomes adds some security to the bets.&nbsp; It’s also worth considering when you might have high confidence in a few selections and the odds are slightly larger.&nbsp;

What Is A Trixie Bet?

With the rise in online bookmakers, <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/sports-betting-guide">betting is now more accessible than ever</a>, with bettors having the pick of hundreds of different bets across a range of sports.

It’s easy to become a little overwhelmed with this level of choice and the confusing nature of some betting markets.&nbsp;

One of the trickier to understand bet types is the handicap bet. But as you’ll see in this article, which focuses on Asian Handicap betting, it’s also one of the most useful <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/types-of-bets">types of bet</a>.&nbsp;

Perhaps most importantly, Asian Handicaps are a great way to bet on mismatched teams, providing more appealing odds than those offered by the 1x2 match odds market.

They’re also ideal if you want to bet on your chosen team to win by a certain number of goals, corners or points.

This article covers everything you need to know about what Asian Handicap bets are, why they’re so useful, and how to tell them apart from the closely related <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-european-handicap">European Handicaps</a>, as well as how to find them at a wide range of bookmakers.

A handicap bet gives one team a virtual advantage or disadvantage.

Sport can throw together some fascinating fixtures, from top-of-the table tussles between two evenly matched teams to David and Goliath battles between a longshot and a hot favourite.

When there’s a strong favourite, as there is in the below fixture between Premier League frontrunners Manchester City and newly promoted Ipswich Town, the odds on the favourite to win can be very low, whilst the outsider has very high odds.&nbsp;

With odds of 1.083 for Manchester City, a winning £100 bet would give a profit of just £8.30. Risking £100 to win such a relatively small amount might not be particularly appealing for some. On the other hand, a winning £10 bet on Ipswich would give a profit of £200 - amazing potential, but not very likely to happen.

This is where handicap bets come to the rescue, conveniently levelling the playing field by giving the weaker team a head start and offering potentially more attractive odds.&nbsp;

Take this match result market for a game between Arsenal and Brighton, for example:

Arsenal are clear favourites, with low odds as a result, so winning bets placed on them only give a fairly modest profit relative to your stake. Brighton, the outsiders, have much higher odds, with a potential profit of 7 times your stake. Of course, the downside is that this bet only has an outside chance of winning.&nbsp;

For those wanting something closer to a 50/50 bet, as a compromise between profit on a winning bet and how likely it is to win, betting on a Goals Handicap is ideal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Below is Bet365’s main Asian Handicap market for the game, which aims to bring the odds as close as possible to evens (2.0 in decimal odds), with each of the bets having around a 50% chance of winning:&nbsp;&nbsp;

You can see that the stronger team, Arsenal, are given a negative -1.5 handicap, so they effectively start the match 1.5 goals behind. This makes the bet less likely to win, and the odds are increased as a result. Meanwhile, the weaker team, Brighton, are given a positive +1.5 handicap, giving them a virtual 1.5 goal head start. This makes the bet much more likely to win, so the odds are decreased.&nbsp;

Handicap betting is available across several sports, including football, rugby, American football and basketball, and the handicap can apply to different measures, including goals, points, and corners. We’ll focus on the football Goals Handicap in the rest of the article.&nbsp;

The details of how exactly how handicaps work, and what this means for your bets, will be covered shortly. First, let’s look at the different types of handicap bet.

European Handicaps are 3-way markets and include the draw.&nbsp;

<a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-european-handicap">European Handicaps</a> are also known as 3-Way Handicaps. They’re three-way markets, meaning you have three choices to bet on. Bookmakers show European Handicaps in a variety of ways, but they can be identified by the draw / tie option that is always included.&nbsp;

&nbsp;A bet on the draw after adding or subtracting the same number of goals from one of the teams.

Here’s how Dafabet show European Handicap bets:&nbsp;

Asian Handicaps are 2-way markets and don’t include the draw.&nbsp;

Thought to have originated in Indonesia, and popular in Asia (hence the name), Asian Handicaps are now readily available at many bookmakers worldwide. They’re also known as 2-Way Handicaps.

The easiest way to spot Asian Handicaps is that they’re 2-way markets, meaning there are only two options to bet on. There’s no draw / tie bet in Asian handicap betting.

The two possible bets in an Asian Handicap market are:

Here’s how Betfair Sportsbook shows Asian Handicap markets:

There are two types of Asian Handicap - those with a single handicap and those with two handicaps.

These can be broken down into Whole Handicap and Half Handicap bets:

Asian Handicaps with two handicaps are called Split Handicaps, since they divide your stake equally between two adjacent handicaps. A -1.5 / -2.0 Asian Handicap puts half your stake on the -1.5 Asian Handicap and the other half on the -2.0 Asian Handicap. The handicaps are sometimes separated by a comma instead of a slash.

Split Handicaps also called Quarter Handicaps, because some bookmakers show them with a single number handicap. This handicap number is the mid-point between the two handicaps you’re actually betting on and always ends in .25 or .75. The above bet on the -1.5 and -2.0 Asian Handicap markets would be shown as -1.75.&nbsp;

We’ll look in more detail at these different types of Asian Handicap bet shortly.

Differences Between European and Asian Handicaps

Here’s a quick look at the differences between these two handicaps.

Half Handicap bets end in .5, for example -2.5 or +3.5. Below is a Half Handicap market offered by Coral:

As can be seen above, not all bookmakers show the plus sign before the + handicap.&nbsp;

There’s always a clear winner in Half Handicap markets, since it’s not possible to score half a goal. The two handicaps in the above screenshot are actually just the same as other common bets you can also find on bookmaker sites:

Bookmakers should, in theory, have the same odds for equivalent markets like these, but it’s worth checking to see if one of the two options gives better odds. Betting Exchange odds are often different between two identical, but differently named, markets.&nbsp;

In the screenshots below, you can see that the back and lay odds on Manchester United -0.5 1st Half Handicap are both much worse than those in the equivalent Manchester United Half-time Result market, largely due to the handicap market being less well formed:&nbsp;

Example: Arsenal v Brighton -1.5 Asian Handicap

For the Arsenal -1.5 bet, Arsenal need to win by 2 or more goals for the bet to win. With the Brighton +1.5 bet, the bet will win if Brighton do better than losing by 2 goals (i.e. they need to either win, draw, or lose by 1 goal).&nbsp;&nbsp;

1. Arsenal win the game 3-1

After the -1.5 handicap is applied and 1.5 goals are deducted from Arsenal, the adjusted score is 1.5-1. Arsenal still have more goals, so the bet wins.

2. Arsenal win the game 1-0

After the -1.5 handicap is applied, Arsenal end up with -0.5 goals and Brighton still have 0 goals. Since -0.5 is lower than 0, Arsenal have fewer goals, so the bet loses.

1. Arsenal win the game 3-2

After the +1.5 handicap is applied and 1.5 goals are added for Brighton, the score becomes 3-3.5. Brighton now have more goals than Arsenal, so the bet wins.

2. Arsenal win the game 5-3

After the +1.5 handicap is applied, the score becomes 5-4.5. Brighton still have fewer goals, so the bet loses.&nbsp;

Here’s a summary of some different Half Asian Handicap bets, and which results would give you a winning bet:

Whole Asian Handicap bets include handicaps that are always whole numbers, for example -3.0 or +1.0. Unlike Half Handicaps, it’s possible for the teams to be tied after applying the handicap. If this happens, it will be settled as a void or push and you’ll have your stake returned.

The Level Handicap market (0.0) is equivalent to betting on the team to win in the Draw No Bet market. If the game ends 2-2, for example, the level handicap adds no goals to either team, so the handicap result is a tie and your stake is returned.&nbsp;

Example: Liverpool v Nottingham Forest -2 Asian Handicap

For the Liverpool -2 bet, Liverpool need to win by 3 or more goals for the bet to win. With the Nottingham Forest +2 bet, the bet will win if Nottingham Forest do better than losing by 2 goals (i.e. they need to either win, draw, or lose by 1 goal). If Liverpool win by exactly 2 goals, both of these bets will be settled as a void or push and you’ll have your stake refunded.

1. Liverpool win the game 4-1

After the -2 handicap is applied and 2 goals are deducted from Liverpool, the adjusted score is 2-1. Liverpool still have more goals, so the bet wins.

2. Liverpool win the game 2-0

After the -2 handicap is applied, the score becomes 0-0. Since this is a handicap tie, the bet is void and your stake is refunded.&nbsp;

3. Liverpool win the game 3-2

After the -2 handicap is applied, the score becomes 1-2. Liverpool now have fewer goals, so the bet loses.&nbsp;

1. Liverpool win the game 4-3

After the handicap is applied and 2 goals are added for Nottingham Forest, the score becomes 4-5. Nottingham Forest now have more goals than Liverpool, so the bet wins.

2. Liverpool win the game 5-3

What Is Asian Handicap Betting? The Ultimate Guide

Ever wonder if some casino games are just built to lose more money than others? Well, yes.. they actually are!

What determines how severe this is, and how much of a "house edge" the casino takes, is the Return To Player (often called RTP for short).

RTP in gambling is a measure of how much you can expect to get back, on average, over millions of spins on that game.

Now, of course, you won't actually be playing millions of spins on a game, but this is how the RTP is calculated by a computer when casino games are regulated.

A slot with an RTP of 97% would mean that, on average over millions of spins, for every £100 you spent on that slot, you would expect to get back £97. In other words, the <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-casinos" title="">casino</a> would expect to make £3 profit on average for every £100 you spent. This margin of 3%, is the casino’s house edge.

In a nutshell, you don't want to play a game where the casino has a large edge over you, when you could instead be playing a good game with a higher RTP.

This is particularly crucial when you're doing an offer from a casino. It can be the difference between getting terrific value out of a promotion, or getting no <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/what-is-expected-value" title="">value</a> at all.

The higher the RTP of the casino games that you use, the higher the returns you'll achieve on average.

Remember that this isn't a guarantee for every single spin and every single offer; after all, casino games' payouts can vary a lot on a spin by spin basis. But, in the long run, it makes all the difference.

Let's say you're completing <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/matched-betting-casino-offers-explained-in-a-nutshell">casino offers</a> with Outplayed and you keep having a choice between a 94% RTP slot or a 97% slot for your qualifying wagering.

If you were to wager £10,000 a year (about £27 per day), then the average difference in returns here would be £300. That's £300 extra profit in your pocket just by playing a more favourable game!

I'm sure you can now see how crucial it is to play the highest RTP games available.

It's all well and good that you now know what RTP is all about, but how do you really know if a game's RTP is good in the grand scheme of things?

This is where the terms of the casino offer come into play - if you have a list of 5 eligible games that are available for the promo, there's no point picking a different game, even if it does have a high RTP. You wouldn't want to play a game that doesn't even qualify to earn your free rewards!

In general, table games (e.g. Blackjack or Roulette) have a higher RTP than slot games. So if you can play them for an offer, then you should jump at the chance. They've got a very low house edge and are low variance games (which means your profits/losses won't be swinging around all that much).

Slot RTPs can massively vary from slot to slot;&nbsp;they can range anywhere from 80% to 99%. You're usually aiming for a game above 96% RTP to use for casino offers, but it can all depend on the value of the rewards and how large the wagering is. That's where Outplayed is a saviour since we work out all the fine details of the value and display it clearly.

Here's a table of some of the best RTP games you can play. They're very commonly used for profitable casino offers:

This is just a very small selection of games that are out there. Another thing to keep in mind is that the same slot can have different RTPs at different <a href="https://outplayed.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-casinos" title="">casinos</a>; we'll talk more about that later.

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