If you’re in the market for a decent online bookmaker that offers a wide range of handicap and Asian handicap bets, then Paddy Power might just be the one for you.
As one of the most recognisable names in the world of online betting thanks to their memorable advertising campaigns, it is no surprise that Paddy Power can boast a spread of handicap betting options which is up there with the best of them. The Irish bookmaker do however have a limited selection of Asian handicaps, which does let down their otherwise impressive handicap betting service.
Sports coverage
In terms of the sports which include handicap options, Paddy Power punches with the rest of the heavyweight online bookmakers. In fact, they actually surpass some competitors when it comes to the sheer variety of handicap betting options within each sport.
Let’s start with a look at the popular handicap friendly sports: football, tennis, rugby league and rugby union. Within each of these sports you will find handicap betting options as expected, and then some. For example, in tennis matches not only can you bet on numerous alternative game handicaps – which take the total tally of games won by a player in the match – but also per set game handicaps – that’s the amount of games won by a player in a single set. In football, rugby league and rugby union you have a wide range of options to bet different types of handicap within the time-frame of the whole match or just a single half. Here are all the different types of handicaps and Asian handicaps you can expect to see on Paddy Power:
- Football – 3-way 90 mins handicap, alternative 3-way 90 mins handicaps, 3-way first half handicap, Corner handicap, Asian handicaps, half-time Asian handicaps and second half Asian handicaps.
- Tennis – game handicap, alternative game handicaps, set handicap, per set game handicaps and in set 3-way game handicap
- Rugby union – 3-way 80 mins handicap, alternative 3-way handicaps, 2-way 80 mins handicap, 3-way half time handicap, 2-way half time handicap, first half handicap and alternative half time handicaps.
- Rugby league – 3-way 80 mins handicap, 3-way first half handicap, 3-way second half handicap, 2-way 80 mins handicap, 2-way second half handicap and alternative 2-way handicaps.
If all that doesn’t satisfy your handicap betting appetite, then you will be sure to find something a little different in the less popular sports listed on Paddy Power. Consider American sports such as American football, baseball, basketball, and ice hockey; you can expect to find handicap options for all of these sports, sometimes under the name of “Lines”. It’s a different name, but you will see the same positive and negative numbers which indicate the handicap advantage or disadvantage.
Market depth
Paddy Power impress greatly in the depth of their handicap markets for the more popular sports. You can expect to find many alternative handicap betting options for the likes of football, tennis, rugby union and rugby league, meaning that you will be able to bet on more dramatic handicap scenarios, which in turn come with longer or shorter odds.
One aspect of Paddy Power’s handicap betting options which lets the bookmaker down is the lack of truly extensive Asian handicap options on football. Unlike other bookmakers who offer huge lists of Asian handicaps for football fixtures right through the lower and foreign leagues, Paddy Power tend to reserve their Asian handicaps for certain high-profile matches. Even then, they tend not to offer a full spread of Asian handicap options but rather a selected few, often keeping the odds as close to evens as possible. It should also be noted that Paddy Power often introduce their Asian handicap odds closer to match day, meaning that you might have to keep checking to see when the odds are available.
Positives
It must be said that the coverage of handicap bets offered by Paddy Power is easily up there at the top of the pile. Where other bookmakers often settle for offering simple 3-way match result handicaps and nothing more, Paddy Power really go the extra mile to cover every possible handicap option in the majority of popular sports.
Who would have thought that you could put a handicap on the amount of Corners in a football match? Well Paddy Power did, and punters could well be making a winning from such a stroke of odd genius.
Negatives
Again, the big let down for Paddy Power is their negligence of the Asian handicap markets in football. Whilst they do offer some Asian handicaps – which is more than can be said for other big bookmakers – their coverage is spread quite thin and it is often slow to be updated.
Verdict
Paddy Power offer a more than decent service when it comes to handicap betting, with an extensive coverage of sports and some weird and wacky markets to keep your online betting experience as enjoyable as possible. However, the lack of a truly comprehensive Asian handicap service could cause them to fall behind their competitors who have catered well for this ever growing betting market.