GAME HANDICAP DEFINITION

What is the Game Handicap market?

The Game Handicap is a main betting market in tennis. It evens out the playing field between two players or teams by applying a handicap to the games won. Essentially, it involves giving one player (the underdog) a virtual advantage in terms of games won before the match (or set) starts, or conversely, applying a virtual disadvantage to the favored player.

Here's how it works:

If a player is given a handicap of -4.5 games, they must win by at least 5 more games than their opponent for a bet on them to pay out. For instance, if the match score ends 6-4, 6-4 in favor of the handicapped player, the total game score would be 12-8. After applying the -4.5 game handicap, the adjusted score becomes 7.5-8, meaning the bet on the handicapped player would not win since they didn't cover the Game Handicap.

Conversely, if a player has a handicap of +4.5 games, they can lose the match by up to 4 games and still win in the betting market. Using the same match example and match score, 6-4, 6-4 (12-8), a +4.5 game handicap adjusts the score to 12-12.5 in favor of the bet on the underdog, meaning the bet would win.

Game Handicap is also known as Games Spread or Spread Games. The use of Handicap in Tennis is common given there can be both Set and Game Spreads.