A Beginner’s Guide to Handball Betting

Handball Basics 

Handball is a very easy sport to understand and it is very similar to another sport called futsal, which is an indoor version of football. The game is played between two teams of seven players (including one goalkeeper), and the aim is simply to score more goals than the other team does. 

A handball match lasts for an hour and it is split into two 30-minute halves. Furthermore, rolling substitutions are allowed without having to inform the referee. One interesting thing about the game is that a match cannot end in a draw, if the game is tied at full time, then there are two five-minute periods of overtime played to determine the winner. If it is still tied after the overtime then a shootout takes place.  

Despite the sport’s name, players cannot use their hands freely. Players can use any part of their bodies above the knee and once a player has the ball they can either shoot, hold, or pass the ball. Players are permitted hold the ball for up to 3 seconds and can dribble for no more than 3 steps. Furthermore, no player, apart from the goalkeeper, can make contact with the floor of the goal area, which is why players jump when trying to score near the area.  

There are of course many more rules that you should be aware of, but after watching a game or two, you will quickly understand exactly what is going on.  

Betting on Handball 

Just like sports such as football and basketball, handball presents fans with a huge number of betting opportunities. There are many betting markets available, as well as in-play betting, and it is not uncommon to find 50 or more betting markets for each game. Many of these markets are self-explanatory, but here we will take you thought the most popular of them.  

Match Outcome 

Also known as 1X2 Full time, this is the most popular bet and it is a simple bet on which of the teams will win the match. You just have to pick a team and if that team wins, then so do you. You can also usually bet on which team will win the individual halves.  

Total Goals 

As the name suggests, this is a bet on the total number of goals in the match. It is nearly always presented as an Over/Under bet. This means that the bookmaker offers a “line”, which is essentially a prediction of how many goals there will be. A typical line might be 35.5 and you can then bet on there being more or less than this number of goals. If you bet Under, then you will win if there are 35 or fewer goals and if you bet Over, then you win if there are 36 or more goals. Very often, you will also find the same market available on the individual halves. Another variation on this bet is Total Team Goals, which is simply an Over/Under bet on how many goals an individual team will score.  

Spread Full Time 

Spread bets are a more interesting way of betting on who will win a game. An example market might be Team A -8.5 Team B +8.5. In this instance, Team A is the favourite to win, but if you bet on them, then you will only win the bet if they win the match by more than 8.5 goals. In other words, if their final score minus 8.5 is still greater than the opposition, then you win. The reverse is true when betting on the underdog. If Team B lose by less than 8.5 goals, then you will win the bet. Once again, you can find this bet for the individual halves of the match as well.  

Odd/Even and Team Odd/Even 

These bets can be used as a bit of fun, but they are a real gamble and rely on luck. They are simply bets on whether the number of goals scored in the match or by a specific team will be odd or even. The odds on both will be the same, but one advantage is that they are usually quite generous. You can even place these bets on the individual halves in a match.  

Winning Margin 

These bets usually have very generous odds. You are simply betting on which team will win and how many goals you think they will win by. For instance, you could bet on Team A to win the match by at least two goals. This is another type of bet that you can place on individual halves of the match.  

Double Chance Bets 

These bets allow you to cover two of the three possible full time outcomes. For instance, you could bet on Team A to win or draw, Team B to win or Draw, or Team A or B to win. It gives you some flexibility in your betting, but of course, the odds are likely to be shorter. 

Team With Highest Scoring Half and Highest Scoring Half 

These bets are completely self-explanatory. The first is on which team will have the highest scoring half and the second is on which half will be the higher scoring. 

Race to Bets 

These bets are on which team will be the first to score a certain number of goals. For example, a Race to 20 bet is on which team will be the first to score 20 goals. The markets can be quite specific, such as Race to 7 Goals 1st Half, and they can present excellent value if you think one team is likely to be particularly attacking.  

First Team to Score and Last Team to Score 

These markets are very clear. They can be a lot of fun, particularly if you think one team is likely to come out guns blazing.  

Outright Bets 

These are bets that you can place on an overall league or tournament rather than a specific match. For instance, you can bet on which team will win the World Championship or their group in the early stages of the competition.  

What to Consider When Betting on Handball 

No matter what sport you are betting on, doing your research is always the key to placing more bets that win. Of course, you can never guarantee anything, but if you know what to look for, you can certainly improve your chances. There are a number of things that you should consider when placing a bet on a handball match.  

To begin with, you need to make sure that you are up to date with all the latest team news. Check to see if any players are injured, if the coach has made any revealing comments in the press recently, and so on. You should also research the teams’ recent form and their head-to-head record. Another factor that can have an impact is schedule and travel. If one of the teams has had a busy period with a great deal of travel then they may be tired and this could affect their performance.   

You can find a huge amount of handball statistics easily online. These can be very helpful when looking for patterns. For example, you may notice that one team tends to start matches slowly but then significantly improves in the second half. These kind of statistics can be extremely helpful when it comes to in-play betting.  

Of course, one source for your research will be the press. This can be very informative, but you also have to treat it carefully. Sometimes there may be a great deal of hype surrounding a particular player or team, and it may not always be true. However, if there is hype surrounding a team and you don’t think it is justified, then it may present a good opportunity to bet on the opposition.  

Like any sports fan, you will be tempted to back your favourite teams and players. However, you should do your best to remain impartial; otherwise, you run the risk of losing all of your money. On the other hand, it is safe to trust your gut on occasion. Similarly, you may be tempted to just bet on the shorter odds all the time, as this is deemed more likely to win, or conversely, take the longer odds and hope for an upset and a big payout. None of these is exactly wrong and it essentially always comes down to money management and ensuring that you are not betting money you can’t afford to lose.  

Handball is a hugely exciting sport and betting on it can be as well. Once you have understood the different types of bets you can place and done your research, you will hopefully soon be placing many successful bets and reaping all of the rewards.