?»?Betting Odds Explained ??“ A Beginner??™s Guide to Gambling.
Betting odds tell you how likely an event is to happen They also tell you how much money you will win However, at first, they may seem confusing and complex Our comprehensive guide takes you step-by-step to explain them.
If you??™re new to betting, one of the first things you should do is learn how betting odds work. It??™s critically important because it allows you to understand how likely an event is to happen, and what your potential winnings will be. At first, it may appear confusing, however, read our guide and let us explain it to you.
In gambling, odds represent the ratio between the amounts staked by parties to a wager or bet. Thus, odds of 3 to 1 mean the first party (the bookmaker) stakes three times the amount staked by the second party (the bettor).
What is Probability?
The most basic level, betting provides you with the ability to predict the outcome of a certain event, and if your prediction is correct, you will win money. For any given event, there are a certain number of outcomes. Take rolling a dice for instance. If someone rolls a dice, there are six possible outcomes. Therefore, if you bet that the person rolls a ???one??™, there is a 16.67% chance that will happen. What betting odds merely do is present how likely the event is to happen. Bookies most frequently in the UK do this as a fraction, i.e. 4/7, whilst the vast majority also offer the ability to view them as decimals. Again, let us talk you through them. All will become clear.
Using Betting Odds to Calculate Probability.
Whenever you see two numbers separated by a trailing slash, i.e. 10/1, this is known as fractional odds. From this, you can calculate how likely a given event is to happen with a calculation. For ease of explanation, let??™s replace the numbers with letters i.e. 4/1 becomes A/B. Here is the calculation: Probability (%) = B / (A+B).
Hooray! We??™re making progress. Given a fraction, we can now tell how likely (the probability) what we??™re going to bet on will happen. Now let??™s figure out how much money can be won using betting odds.
Using Betting Odds to Calculate Winnings.
Betting odds allow you to calculate how much money you will win if you make a bet. Let??™s use the same examples as before, with the same replacement of numbers for letters, i.e. 4/1 becomes A/B. Quite simply, for every value of B that you bet, you will win A, plus the return of your stake.
9/1 for every ??1 you bet, you will win ??9. 4/1 for every ??1 you bet, you will win ??4. 1/1 for every ??1 you bet, you will win ??1. 1/4 for every ??4 you bet, you will win ??1.
What About Decimals?
Decimals are far more common on exchanges, such as Betfair, but all leading betting sites do give you the option to view betting odds in this format. They are an alternative to seeing betting odds in the fraction format, and in our opinion, are easier to work out. Here is the calculation: winnings = (odds * stake) ??“ stake. Let??™s illustrate it with some examples.
9.0 can be calculated as (9.0 * ??10 stake) ??“ ??10 stake = ??80 winnings. 4.0 can be calculated as (4.0 * ??10 stake) ??“ ??10 stake = ??30 winnings. 2.5 can be calculated as (2.5 * ??10 stake) ??“ ??10 stake = ??15 winnings. 1.25 can be calculated as (1.25 * ??10 stake) ??“ ??10 stake = ??2.50 winnings.
You can use our bet calculator to help you calculate winnings. USE BET CALCULATOR.
Decimal Odds Versus Fractional Odds.
In truth, one isn??™t better than the other but there is certainly a trend emerging towards decimal odds. Historically fractional odds were used in the UK, especially on racetracks and on the high street. There are two key differences. Generally, decimal odds are easier to understand. Based on this, there has a movement to attract more people to horse racing by making it more accessible to the average punter. Ten years ago, if you were going to Cheltenham, all the odds would be displayed as fractional odds. Now, they??™re largely all in decimals. Don??™t hesitate to check out our exclusive Premier League Betting Offers !
The second difference between the formats is that fractional odds only represent winnings, and do not include the returned stake compared to decimals which do include the stake. The transition from fractional odds to decimals largely kicked off with the growing popularity of the betting exchanges such Betfair. For odds to change slightly, it??™s really difficult to marginally increase or decrease the probability without creating large fractions which are hard to compute for the punter.
Use Our Tool to Convert Betting Odds Into Your Favourite Format.
Our odds converter tool will allow you see odds in whatever format you like . Not only that, but it??™ll tell you how likely the selection is to win!
In Summary.
Next steps.
That??™s it! Hopefully, that clears up betting odds. You should now have the knowledge to read betting odds, understand how likely it is to happen, and how much you stand to win.
Found this article useful? We have loads more similar ones in our learning section . Here are some popular ones; Find out if using tipsters can improve your chances of winning Each way betting explained Learn what laying a bet means Understand how handicap betting works Our homepage lists all available betting sites for new customers .
Betting Odds Calculator.
The betting odds calculator allows you to input your stake & odds in American, Decimal, or Fractional formats to quickly calculate the payout for your bets.
Top Offers.
American Odds are the default odds at American sportsbooks. These odds are based on winning $100 for a given bet.
Betting a Favorite: The odds for favorites will have a minus (-) sign , and represent the money you need to risk to win $100 .
So if you're betting on the Packers at -140 against the Vikings, that means Green Bay is a slight favorite. You need to risk $140 to win $100 on the Packers. If they win, you profit $100 and get your original $140 back.
The rest of the world uses Decimal Odds , in part because it??™s easier to convert them to implied probabilities than American Odds. Decimal odds represent the amount a bettor wins for every $1 wagered . And the number represents the total return , not just the profit like American and fractional odds.
The Packers would be 1.714 in decimal odds as a -140 favorite in American odds. For every $1 risked, you??™re profiting 71.4 cents, plus your $1 back.
Fractional Odds are used primarily in the UK and Ireland. Few bettors use fractional odds for betting sports (other than horse racing), because the conversions to understand return are difficult.
To calculate winnings on fractional odds, multiply your bet by the top number (numerator), then divide the result by the bottom (denominator). So a $10 bet at 5/2 odds is (10 * 5) / 2, which equals $25. A $10 bet at 2/5 odds is (10 * 2) / 5, which is $4.
Did you notice those percentages add up to more than 100%? That??™s because of the vig, which is a sportsbook??™s cut for facilitating your bet. To calculate implied probability, use the following formulas:
For negative numbers (favorites), drop the minus sign, then do:
For positive numbers (underdogs) :
The bet amount is how much you??™re risking on a given bet. As a responsible bettor, it is important to understand proper bankroll management.
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Sports Betting Odds.
Sports Betting Odds Explained.
Many people don??™t know how to read or calculate sports betting odds, so below we have done our best on explaining how betting odds work. The most common type of sports betting odds used in North America are the American style odds which we explain below.
American Style Sports Betting Odds.
Most online sportsbooks will list their odds in what is called ???American Odds???. There are a couple different versions of sports betting odds, but these American Odds are the most common odds used. Reading and understanding sports betting odds can bet a little confusing to beginners, so we have provided an example below using two NFL football teams:
American Odds.
The number shown in the bracket represents the odds. The American Odds have two components to them, the first being the positive or negative sign, and the second being the number that follows the sign.
The next step is figuring out exactly how much the bet pays out, which is where the numbers in the odds come into play.
A listed odd with a ??“ sign in front of it, such as the -140 in our example above, shows us how much money you would need to wager in order to win $100. So using the -140, this would show us that you would need to bet $140 in order to win $100 in profits. You can easily substitute the $100 bet for a $10 bet by moving the decimal place over one spot, showing us that you would need to wager $14 in order to win $10 in profits.
Examples:
Examples:
Below is an example of NFL betting odds taken from an online betting site.
The great thing about betting online is that the online sportsbooks will do the calculations for you before you place your bet. You can click on the outcome or team you would like to bet on, and then input the amount you wish to wager and it will show you your potential pay out before you confirm your bet.
Ready To Start Betting? MyBookie and BetNow are my two favorite sportsbooks and make betting very easy. You will also get a Free Money Bonus at each sportsbook if you follow either link above.
Decimal Style Sports Betting Odds.
Decimal style odds are used mostly in Europe, and are pretty easy to understand. To calculate the decimal style odds all you will need to do is simply multiply the amount you wish to wager by the decimal odds shown and you will get your payout. For example it may look something like this:
Decimal Odds.
Matchup Odds USA 2.40 Brazil 1.55.
If you wanted to place a $10 wager on the USA at 2.40 you would simply need to multiply your $10 wager by the 2.40 odds (10 x 2.40) to find out that the payout is $24. It is important to realize that with decimal style odds it includes the amount you wagered, so to find out profits you would need to subtract your wager ($24 ??“ $10) to find out your potential payout is $14 in profits.
If you wanted to place a $10 wager on Brazil you would again just multiply $10 x 1.55 to find out that you would win $15.50 total or $5.50 in profits.
Decimal style betting odds are very simple to understand, but you won??™t see them displayed in many North American sportsbooks. With that said, most online betting sites will allow you to chose the style of betting odds you want displayed, with American odds set as the default.
How Do Odds Work in Betting?
If you are planning to start betting, be it casino gambling, sports betting, or any other type, it's important to understand the odds. It would be preposterous and absurd to think about placing bets without having a good grip on the main types of betting odds and the ability to read and interpret the various associated formats.
The three main types of betting odds are fractional (British) odds, decimal (European) odds, and American (moneyline) odds. These are simply different ways of presenting the same thing and hold no difference in terms of payouts. This means that a chance (percentage probability) of an event occurring can be converted and presented in any of the aforementioned types of odds.
How Fractional Odds Work.
Fractional odds (aka British odds, UK odds, or traditional odds) are popular among British and Irish bookies. These are typically written with a ???slash (/)??? or a ???hyphen (-),??? e.g. 6/1 or 6-1 and announced as ???six-to-one.??? Fractional odds are used by some of the world??™s largest bookmakers, making them the most preferred odds across the globe.
Therefore, the total (potential) return on a stake can be stated as:
For instance, one of the major sports betting websites listed the following fractional odds for futures betting on the team to win the 2017-18 NBA Championship. Below is a selection of the three teams that had the lowest odds of winning.
Golden State Warriors: 10/11 Houston Rockets: 9/4 Cleveland Cavaliers: 7/1.
It can quickly be determined that the Golden State Warriors are the favorites while the odds on Houston and Cleveland winning are longer. That is, one wins only $10 against every $11 wagered on Golden State to be the champions. Meanwhile, one wins $9 against each $4 (i.e. 3.25 times) put at stake for Houston to win, which is a bit less probable. For Cleveland, one wins $7 against each $1 bet.
In the above example, if you bet $100 on Golden State to win, you could make a $90.91 profit [$100 x (10/11)], and could get back your initial stake of $100, resulting in a total payout of $190.91. However, if you wager $100 on Houston to win, you could receive a profit of $225 [$100 x (9/4)], in addition to the $100 initial stake leading to a total payout of $325. The potential profit for a Cleveland win would be even higher, as you could make a profit of $700 [$100 x (7/1)]. With the initial stake of $100 being returned, it would make for a total payout of $800.
How Decimal Odds Work.
Decimal odds (aka European odds, digital odds, or continental odds) are popular in continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. These are a bit easier to understand and work with. The favorites and underdogs can be spotted instantaneously by looking at the numbers.
The decimal odds number represents the amount one wins for every $1 wagered. For decimal odds, the number represents the total payout, rather than the profit. In other words, your stake is already included in the decimal number (no need to add back your stake), which makes its total payout calculation easier.
The total (potential) return on a stake can be calculated as:
For instance, one of the renowned betting websites priced the candidates to win the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. Here, we list the decimal odds for the candidates and the biggest long shot among the candidates listed by the bookmaker.
Donald Trump: 4.00 Joe Biden: 1.3.
These numbers merely represent the amount one could win against each $1 put at stake. Therefore, if one bets $100 on Donald Trump to be re-elected as president, this person could make a total payout of $400 ($100 x 4.00). This amount includes the initial stake of $100, giving a net profit of $300.
Similarly, a bettor could make a total payout of $130 ($100 x 1.3) if they successfully bet $100 on Joe Biden. Deducting $100 from this return gives the bettor the net profit earned.
Reviewing the prices that the bookmaker has set for each candidate, it can be determined that according to the bookmaker, the probability of Biden (favorite) winning the election is higher than that for Trump. The higher the total payout (i.e. the higher the decimal odd), the less probable (and riskier) it is for the listed candidate to win.
How American (Moneyline) Odds Work.
Let??™s understand this with the help of an example:
One of the popular betting websites priced the NCAA "Sweet 16" men's basketball game between Duke and Syracuse on March 23, 2018, with the following moneyline odds.
In this matchup, there is a big difference between the two odds, indicating a much higher probability of Duke winning the game and advancing to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
Key Takeaways.
The three main types of betting odds are fractional (British) odds, decimal (European) odds, and American (moneyline) odds. These are simply different ways of presenting the same thing, and hold no difference in terms of payouts. Fractional odds are the ratio of the amount (profit) won to the stake; Decimal odds represent the amount one wins for every $1 wagered; and American odds, depending on the negative or positive sign, either indicate the amount one needs to wager to win $100 or the amount one would win for every $100 staked.
The Bottom Line.
If you are planning to enter the betting or the gambling world, it is important to be able to understand and interpret all types of odds well. Once you have mastered the three popular types of odds (fractional, decimal, and American), you can move towards a more detailed read on this topic and find out how the house always wins. Please refer to Understanding the Math Behind Betting Odds & Gambling for the conversion between the different formats of odds, the conversion of odds into implied probabilities, and the differences between the true chances of an outcome as well as the odds on display.
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