Handicap Betting in Rugby
Rugby is one of the most popular sports worldwide, played and enjoyed in nations from England and Ireland all the way to New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. It’s only natural, therefore, that online rugby betting is also very popular in the modern era.
With so many different online betting sites to choose from, it’s never been easier for rugby lovers to place bets on big teams and exciting events to make the action more fun to follow. And when it comes to betting on rugby matches, handicap bets are one of the best options to consider.
First, let’s look at a definition and example to understand what handicap betting really is. Also known as spread betting, handicap betting is basically designed to even the odds between two teams by giving the favourite a virtual disadvantage and the underdog a virtual advantage.
Usually, when you place a bet on the winner of a match, you get good odds on the underdog and short odds on the favourite, but handicap betting allows you to get decent odds no matter which team you bet on, by giving the underdog a points advantage.
It’s basically like giving one team a head start in the match. For example, in a match that pits New Zealand against Scotland, New Zealand will be the big favourites and Scotland are the underdogs. Usually, betting on Scotland would, therefore, be a big risk as they’re probably going to lose. However, a handicap +11.5 bet will give Scotland an extra 11.5 points to start the game. So, even if they lose by 11 points, you still win the bet you placed on them.
This is a really smart way of betting on rugby online, and there’s a lot of value to be found in the handicap market, especially when an underdog team still has a pretty strong defence and probably won’t lose by too many points, or if a favourite has been struggling for form recently and not scoring so many tries.
Especially during big events like the Six Nations or Rugby World Cup, where teams tend to perform at the highest level, it’s possible to find some great value handicap bets. Handicap betting on rugby can also make the games more exciting and dramatic to watch because even if your chosen team is losing, you still won’t necessarily lose the bet, and every single point count even more than normal.
