What Does Handicap 4.5 Mean in Football?

A handicap of 4.5 in football is a betting market from the sportsbook lineup for bets on the outcome of a football confrontation, taking into account an artificial advantage or lag of the team.

A positive handicap allows betting on the underdog's victory and receiving a payout on the bet even in the case of being behind by up to 4 goals.

Players place bets on the match favorite in football with high quotes on negative handicaps.

Beginner players often do not understand what a handicap of 4.5 in football means.

A positive handicap +4.5 – is an advantage that the player gives to the team. When calculating the bet, the sportsbook evaluates the result of the event, taking into account the given advantage. The value of a positive handicap in the sportsbook listing is displayed with the sign "+" or in the form of a number – the value of the handicap:

• Handicap 1 4.5 – advantage of 4.5 goals in favour of the home team;
• Handicap 2 4.5 – bet with an advantage for the guests.

A negative handicap -4.5 – is the value of a declared lag. With the help of the market, the player determines the most likely difference in the score of football clubs.

When calculating a bet, the sportsbook subtracts the specified value of the handicap from the individual total of the selected team. If taking into account the deducted value of the handicap, a team wins in a football match, the sportsbook calculates the bet in favour of the client.

There are no strategies for systematic betting on the 4.5 handicap market:

• Sportsbooks often ignore this market in their lineup;
• Sportsbooks offer minimum quotes for plus handicap - no higher than 1.02;
• The probability of a game ending with a score difference of 5 goals between teams is less than 2%.

The market can only be used in special cases for live betting:

• Plus handicap - when the team is behind by 3-4 goals after the first 60 minutes of confrontation;
• Negative handicap - if the club is ahead of the opponent by 4 goals after 50 minutes of the game.

To understand the specifics of the market calculation, the operating principle of the handicap 4.5 in football has to be considered in the example of the "Arsenal – Leeds United" match.

The player placed a bet on the handicap +4.5 in favour of the away team for 1000 naira with a quote of 1.005. The options for coupon calculation: The match ended in favour of the home team but with a difference of 4 or fewer goals or a draw - the sportsbook will calculate the bet in favour of the client: 1000 * 1.005 = 1005 naira.

The game ended with a difference of 5 or more goals - the sportsbook will calculate the bet in their favour. The client bets on the negative handicap -4.5 on the home team with an odds of 9.90 for 1000 naira. Options for calculation: The hosts maintained a difference in the score of 5 or more goals - winning: 1000 * 9.9 = 9900 naira. According to the event results, the score difference is less than five goals - the bet is lost.

Users hardly use the "Handicap 4.5" betting market due to the overestimated handicap figure. Customers of sportsbooks often prefer handicaps with "1.5" and "2.5" indicators. Handicaps with a value of 4.5 can only be used in specific cases for live betting.