A football team is given a head start if it wins the first match of a two-match competition.
For example, Bayern is up against Real Madrid in the League of Champions playoffs.
The first match ends with a Real Madrid win (2:1).
This means that Real has a head start in the next match and only has to draw or lose 0:1 to reach the next stage.
The second match ends 2:2, and Real Madrid advances.
In modern pentathlons, athletes get a head start at the fifth stage depending on the previous four. The leader of the overall standings starts the fifth stage first, and the rest of the athletes follow depending on how many points they are behind the leader. Every 4 points behind is equal to a 1-second start delay.
How are headstart bets settled?
At the end of the match, the headstart value is added to the final score of the selected team. If the headstart is negative, then the score decreases by its value, and increases if it is positive. If the selected participant won the match taking into account the headstart, then the bet wins, but loses otherwise.
Positive headstart
- You bet on Burnley to win with a headstart of +2.5.
- Burnley loses with a score of 1:3.
- We add the headstart to the score: 1 + (+2.5) = 3.5.
- Taking the headstart into account, Burnley won with a score of 3.5:3. The bet won.
Negative headstart
- You bet on SKA winning with a headstart of -1.5.
- The match ends with SKA winning 3:0.
- We add the headstart to the score: 3 + (-1.5) = 1.5.
- Taking the headstart into account, the match ended with a score of 1.5:0. SKA won, and so did your bet.
What can headstarts be?
Headstarts can be fractions or whole numbers. Fractional headstart values end in "0.5", for example, (-3.5) or (+1.5). Whole number headstarts have nothing after the decimal point, for example, +2 or -1. Fractional and whole number headstarts differ in the way they are settled.
Fractional headstarts can be settled two ways: win or loss. If the selected participant wins taking into account the headstart, then the bet will win, otherwise it loses.
You bet on a team to win with a headstart of -2.5. Here are the possible bet outcomes:
- A win with a difference of 3 or more goals: the bet wins
- A win with a difference of 1 or 2 goals: the bet loses
- Loss or draw: the bet loses
Whole number headstarts have three settlement options: win, loss or . If the selected participant won taking into account the value of the headstart, then the bet won, and if they lose taking into account the value of the headstart, the bet loses. However, if the match is a draw taking into account the value of the headstart, then the bet is settled as a push.
push
We bet on a team to win with a headstart of +2. Possible outcomes:
- A win with any score or a draw: the bet wins
- A loss with a difference of 1 goal: the bet wins
- A loss with a difference of 2 goals: the bet will be settled as a push because the match will be a draw taking into account the headstart.
- A loss with a difference of 3 or more goals: the bet loses.
What is a 0 headstart?
This is a bet that insures you against a draw. When a bet is placed with a headstart of 0, nothing is added to the score after the match. If the match ends in a draw, the bet is settled as a push.
You bet on a team to win with a headstart of 0. Possible outcomes:
- The selected team wins: the bet wins.
- The selected team loses: the bet loses.
- A draw: the bet is settled with odds of 1.00.
What is an Asian handicap?
An Asian handicap has two decimal places: (-1.75), (+2.25). Asian handicap are unique because they consist of two handicaps with the same odds, and the bet amount is divided in half between them.
To find out what an Asian handicap consists of, first add 0.25 to the value, then subtract it.
You bet EUR 10 on an Asian handicap (-1.75) with odds of 2.00. Lets see how the bet will be settled.
We can break it down -1.75 into two parts:
- 1.75 + 0.25 = 2
- 1.75 - 0.25 = 1.5
So you placed 2 EUR 5 bets with handicaps of -2 and -1.5. The odds of the bet are 2.00.
- If the selected team wins by 3 or more goals, both bets will win. You will earn EUR 10 from each bet for a total of EUR 20.
- If the team wins with a difference of two goals, then from the bet with a handicap of -1.5 you win EUR 10, and the bet with a handicap of -2 will be settled as a push and the EUR 5 bet will be returned.
- If a team wins by 1 goal, loses, or the bet ends in a draw, both bets will lose.