Handball Betting Guide

Handball betting can be very profitable although it is one of the least popular sports betting disciplines out there. Sound knowledge of the game and a solid betting strategy are just two things that can help contribute to your level of success. Finding success in the long term is not an easy process but it certainly is achievable if you apply yourself correctly. Throughout this guide, we will outline exactly what Handball betting entails as well as look into tips and strategies which should be useful to shape your betting game.

Handball Betting Explained

Handball betting should be pretty simple to understand, especially if you are already somewhat familiar with the betting markets. A handball game is played between two teams with 6 players aside and the game consists of two 15 minute halves with a very small halftime break. The games are typically high scoring which can lead to action-packed games which can help explain the sports growing popularity.

How To Read Handball Betting Odds

Reading handball betting odds will be very simple if you are familiar at all with how betting markets work in Europe.

Because handball is predominantly played in Europe you are most likely to see handball bets only be offered on European betting sites. Therefore you should make yourself familiar with decimal odds that are represented as decimal numbers. Decimal odds are arguably the easiest to understand. All you need to do to work out your potential payout is to multiply your stake by the odds you have selected.

For example, if you staked $10 at odds of 5.0, You would see a return of $50. This would result in a profit of $40.

Markets: Types of Handball Bets

Within handball betting, there are several markets on which you can place a bet. Traditionally bookmakers only allowed you to bet on the outcome of an event but in the last decade, the betting industry has evolved so much that you can bet on more specific outcomes than occur in games of handball. Some of these markets are ideal for using developed betting strategies.

League Winner

There are quite a few popular handball leagues, mostly throughout Europe and it is possible to bet on the eventual winner of such leagues. This bet will be with a long-term view as seasons take roughly about 9 months to complete although this varies depending on the league. In some events like the Olympics, the tournament will be over in a matter of weeks.

Example - Team A to win the league. Odds: 2.0, Stake: $10, Return: $20, Profit: $10

Match Winner

Betting on the match-winner in handball is one of the easiest bets to understand. There are two teams involved within a handball match and only one of them can win. A draw is also possible in handball but occurs very rarely due to the high-scoring nature of the game.

Example - Team A to win the match. Odds: 1.7, Stake: $10, Return: $17, Profit: $7

Handicaps

A handicap bet in handball means that one team will either have to win or not lose the game by a predetermined amount. This will be indicted by a + or - sign. If a team has a + sign after their name they can lose by the number that follows this symbol. On the same note if a team has an - after their name, they will have to win the game by more than the number that follows this symbol.

Example - Team A to win (+6). Final score, Team A 23 Vs Team B 20. Because team A did not lose by 6 points or more this would result in a winning bet.

Winning Margin

In Handball it is possible to bet on how much a team will win by. This will almost always be in the form of an over/under bet. If the number is over or under the amount you have selected you would win your bet.

Example - Team A to win by 10+ points. Final score, Team A,27 Vs team B, 19. In this event, the team you have bet on has failed to win by 10 goals or more. This unfortunately would result in a losing bet.

Total Goals

In handball, you can place a bet on how many goals you expect to see in the match. Because of the high-scoring nature of the game, the options available will often be within a certain frame, for example, 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, and so on.

Example - Total amount of goals in the match. 41-50, Final score: Team A, 23 Vs Team B, 22. In this event, the total amount of goals scored in the game come to a total of 45. Therefore this would result in a winning bet.

Proposition Bets

Proposition bets refer to a type of bet which is considered to be a more precise bet within the game of handball. There are technically no limits to what a bookmaker might offer here but obvious examples include, the number amount of goals a player will score and selecting the highest goalscorer in the game.

Example - Player A to be the highest goalscorer in the game. Odds: 2.5, Stake: $10, Return: $25, Profit: $15

Handball Competitions To Bet On

Handball has, in recent years, , with sports lovers drawn to it because of the dexterity it requires to score goals and the high-scoring nature of the games. The parts of the world where the sport remains the most popular are Hungary, France, Germany, and the Nordic countries.

The sport's popularity grew during the world cup held in 2019 and now has several bettors placing their bets on the fast-paced sport. The recent world cup in 2021 gained mass popularity, with millions of sports fans watching it on television. The winners of that tournament were Denmark with Sweden coming in second.

Below is a list of some of the most popular handball competitions in the world.

EHF Champions League

The is a world-renowned club handball competition in Europe. All the leading teams from Europe's top countries take part in it. The competition is organized and managed by the EHF on a yearly basis. EHF also organizes tournaments for women that follow a similar structure.

The EHF Champions League is usually split into five main stages. Based on the ranking of their criteria list and national federation list, teams can join the competition in either the group phase or qualification phase.

IHF World Handball Championships

The is responsible for organizing the World Men's Handball Championships along with the World Women's Handball Championship.

In the twenty-seven World Men's Handball Championships held, eleven countries have gone on to win the title. France has prevailed the most by far, securing six titles.

In regards to the World Women's Handball Championships, most titles have been secured by Russia, with the most title going to the Netherlands.

Olympic Handball

Handball is one of the sports that take place . Indeed, 12 women's, as well as men's teams, vie against each other in order to win the coveted gold medal.

The handball tournaments at the Olympics were initially meant to take place in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan (the host country for the Olympics 2020 and 2021) but were postponed as a result of the pandemic. They are to be held this year, starting 24 July.

During the game, the teams commence in a group phase, the top 8 countries then move onto the tournament's knockout phase. Denmark famously secured a strong win in 2019, beating Norway with a 31-22 win.

ASOBAL League (Spain)

ASOBAL League, or , is a Spanish professional handball league established in 1958. The league is played following EHF rules () and is composed of sixteen teams. Every team out of every division is required to compete against the other teams belonging to its group twice, i.e., the first time at home, and the second time at the competitor's own stadium. The league comes to a close once every team has taken part in thirty matches.

The most popular teams that compete in this league are FC Barcelona, Bidasoa, Granollers, and Ademar León.

Starligue (France)

is France's leading professional handball league. It was established in 1952 and consists of fourteen teams. The team that wins the Coupe de la Ligue and/or the Couple de France becomes eligible for taking part in the European League.

Out of all the clubs, Montpellier is the most prevalent, having secured a total of fourteen titles. The club won a long streak of titles between the years 2015 and 2020.

Handball-Bundesliga (Germany)

The is Germany's leading professional handball league. The federation was founded in the year 1965 and consists of eighteen teams in total. The teams that secure first as well as second place become eligible to take part in the distinguished EHF Champions League in the season that follows. The teams that come third through sixth become eligible to additionally take part in the EHF European League.

THW Kiel has won the most championships out of all the clubs that have participated, having secured 21 titles in total.

Handball Betting Strategy

If you wish to achieve success at betting on Handball we suggest that it is crucial that you employ an efficient handball betting strategy. This will include first the fundamentals of working out how much of your bankroll you will spend on bets but it will also include the specifics of betting on the sport. Down below are just some of the things you will need to think about before placing any bets.

Just like with investing, gambling and sports betting are plagued with fake gurus selling courses or automated tools over-promising and under-delivering. Never believe "surefire methods of winning". There is no miracle, you have to study and you will have long losing streaks. This is unavoidable so do not gamble with money you cannot afford to lose.

Focus on totals betting to get started

If you have a good knowledge of handball it should be pretty standard to work out which games are likely to involve a high number of goals. The best way of working this out from a statistical point of view would be to look for the average totals for the games the respective sides play. This should only act as an indicator though as the style of the teams can often create a perfect mix and create a high-scoring game while many times the opposite is true and this eventually results in a more low-scoring game.

Become better at spread betting and winning margins

Handball matches are high-scoring games. This is the sole reason why winning margin bets and spread betting remains very popular bets in handball betting. When betting on how much or how little a team might win by we suggest that you only pick underdogs or heavy favourites for such selections. This is because you can find situations where you believe the bookmaker is overemphasising the difference in quality between the two sides.

In regards to spread betting it can be very risky so before you place any bet please take into consideration how much you can potentially use. For particular bets there is a limit but this can be a lot more than you are staking. When you are correct though the potential to return lots of profit can be huge.

Only use accumulators once you're expert

Using accumulator bets is very tricky in handball as every selection will need to go right for you to see your return. The bad thing about accumulators is that your picks can prove to be well-selected options but if one team or outcome lets you down you will end up with no money.

There are times though when an accumulator bet might seem like the best option, but discovering when these occasions arise take some experience so it's best you leave accumulators for a while.

Try in-play betting to find value bets

in-play betting offers huge variance in odds so good way to find value bets. On the flip side of this, a few minutes or one moment even in a game can change the entire odds. Therefore it's best you proceed with caution and place bets where you are fully aware of the risks. Using a betting exchange site it's possible to place orders so you can instantly have a bet placed at the odds you favor. This strategy can be very profitable if implemented correctly.

Friendly matches have more goals

Friendly matches tend to have more goals and we can only presume the obvious reason for this is that the matches are less important therefore the teams can play with more freedom. During important league and cup matches players are more likely to stick to their tactics and work within the framework of their instructions, however with friendlies many players are free to express themselves and often, achieving match fitness is the true aim apposed to actually winning the game. In general, considering the status of the game for both of the teams playing the match is a very good idea.

Half-time match betting can be profitable

Betting on half-time bets in handball is arguably easier to predict. The playing styles of both teams often will determine how they begin the game. Things tend to even out over the entirety of the game as teams who play with a high energy style will eventually lose some of their edges and this could come to harm them later in the match. Therefore if you intend to bet on the underdog for a match you might be better off placing a half-time bet instead of a full-time bet as your thinking only needs to be partially right in order for you to win your bet.

Don't back the draw

handball matches rarely end in a draw so avoid these like the plague even with appetizing odds, it's an EV- bet in the long run. The reasoning for this is quite simple. handball games are very high scoring so to end up in a situation where the game ends up all square is incredibly rare and no bookmaker will offer you high enough odds for the bet to be considered worth it in the long run.

Betting On Handball: FAQ

Answers to the most popular questions about betting on handball.

Overall, betting on handball is definitely fulfilling if you love the discipline. Yet, turning this into a profitable venture will largely be determined by factors that only you can control. Firstly a sound knowledge of the game is a must as although we implore our readers to take advantage of stats an understanding of the nuances of the game cannot be overlooked. You will also need to have a solid sports betting strategy that you can trust will come good for you in the long run and have the will power not to stray from it just because of a few bad results. We wish you well if you decide to place any bets on handball.