What is handicap?

What Does handicap Mean

In order to fully understand the meaning of the term handicap that concerns us now, it is necessary to discover, first of all, its etymological origin. In this case, we have to emphasize that it is a word that derives from English, specifically from "handicap". This, in turn, emanates from the expression “hand in cap”, which can be literally translated as “mano a la cap”.

An expression that, apparently, was used in horse races in which those who wanted to gamble put money in the cap.
Handicap is a term that, when written in Spanish, must have an accent in the first A : handicap . This is because it is an esdrújula word, accented on the third to last syllable.
The idea of a handicap can refer to an event or a factor that is unfavorable . A handicap, in this sense, is a disadvantage or a disadvantage . For example: "He is a great player, but his age is a handicap when competing in a tournament that demands a great physical display" , "The high tax burden is a handicap for this activity" , "My height can be a handicap in certain situations, but it also allows me to be faster than many of my rivals ” .

The concept of handicap is also used in equestrian and other sports to refer to the system that is based on the application of handicaps to certain competitors so that the chances of achieving victory are similar for all participants.
In polo , the handicap consists of estimating how many goals a player contributes to his team . The handicap of 10 is the highest, being the polo association of each country responsible for determining the players' handicap. The sum of the handicap of each polo player reveals the team's handicap, a piece of information that is used to define the structure of the tournaments. In some competitions, the handicap difference between the teams is equalized by awarding, before the start of the match, goals in favor of the disadvantaged team.
In equestrianism , the handicap is applied to the horse that, due to its antecedents, has the best chances to win. In this case, the equalization of the handicap is done by adding an extra weight to the horse. Something similar happens in motor sports , when the car that triumphs in a race must carry a ballast (the handicap) in the next competition.
In golf , finally, there are several types of handicap. One of the most common is the number of strokes a golfer is awarded before the start of a game .
In the field of golf, it must be known that, for example, in Spain there is a handicap control and administration service for federated athletes. The Royal Spanish Golf Federation is the one that offers the aforementioned service and precisely for that reason, among other things, it will be necessary to publish the exact game handicaps as well as the relevant results and classifications of the different sports events.

These actions as well as managing and controlling what the federation gambling activity files are are measures in favor of the transparency of the competitions.
When it comes to betting on basketball, for example, you have to know that there are what is known as handicap bets. They are based on the fact that the bookmaker, based on a specific match of that sport, carries out an event of even money by adding or subtracting points from one of the players, for example.