The meaning of the word “handicap” is not known to many. Despite the fact that this term is found in various fields, athletes, fans and sports enthusiasts understand best what they are talking about. What is a handicap? This article will answer this question.
What does the term “handicap” mean?
There are many definitions and meanings of this word. Usually, this sporting term is understood to mean providing some advantage to weaker teams in order to equalize their opportunities with clear leaders. In other words, a handicap is a kind of bonuses or extra points that are added to inexperienced teams by the tournament organizers to give them a chance to win.
Where does the term handicap apply?
What is a handicap, the bookmakers know for sure. This type of betting is becoming increasingly popular among sports players or bettors. Most often, the term is used in those types of sports competitions that take place in several stages, and the victory that counts is the team that scored the maximum number of points. That is, the handicap appears when a situation of continuous competition is artificially created, where at the last stage each participant of the game is supplemented with an additional bonus, which consists of the results of teams in previous rounds. With this advantage, you can easily determine the winner even at the last stage of the competition, without resorting to recounting points and time differences in the initial stages of the game.
This bonus is found in various sports - biathlon, cross-country skiing, pentathlon, equestrian sport, golf and even chess. The football handicap has a special place in the bookmakers.
What is a handicap in skiing? This term is used where victory is determined by a temporary factor. Further, the time of the leader of the race is deducted from the time of each participant in the competition, and in the next round, athletes are released onto the track after the leader after a given time period.
As for golf, the bonus is a numerical indicator of the athlete’s classification, in the pentathlon the time interval is used, and in equestrian sports, a weight and distance handicap are allocated that equalizes the chances of horses of different ages by reducing the distance or adding extra weight.
What is a soccer handicap?
In addition to the sports competitions listed, this definition is often used in football. If you try to explain the essence in simple language, then the meaning of the handicap is as follows: weaker team record an extra ball. Their number may be different, it all depends on the team. The use of handicaps by bookmakers makes football betting more popular and interesting.
Types of Football Handicap
Speaking of handicap, advantages and bonuses in football, there are two main types:
- European handicap (also called triple or 3Way);
- Asian handicap.
Bets of the first type of advantage offer a head start on all outcomes of the match - the victory of the first or second teams and a draw, unlike the second, in which a game with an equal score is not included in the list. The main feature of the triple handicap is that you cannot return the bet either fully or partially, he either wins or loses. Unlike the European one, where there are three game strategies, the Asian handicap is chosen by players who are less inclined to take risks, since the absence of such an outcome as a tie gives a greater chance of winning - 50/50.
In conclusion, I would like to note that the handicap may be different. It all depends on the conditions set by the tournament organizers and the player’s membership in a particular group.