American vs Decimal vs. Fractional Odds: A Practical Guide

In this case, your profit is $20 and your original $10 is part of the total payout. Supreme Court gave states permission to legalize sports betting if they wished to do so. As of 2025, with other states either working on legislation or not considering it. American odds are by far the easiest representation for comparing favorites vs underdogs for any sporting event.

That stays the same, no matter which format you’re looking at. Decimal odds are commonly found in Europe, Australia, Canada, and many online sportsbooks. They’re also the most straightforward in terms of calculating returns. AceOdds provides the most comprehensive and reliable suite of bet calculators, with over 50,000 bets calculated daily. Trusted by independent bookmakers and punters to work out returns, you can be sure that the calculations are accurate. Dutching Calculator – Odds changed since you placed your last bet?

Understanding Different Odds Formats

If it’s a ‘+’ in front, you must bet $100 to win that much. The ‘-‘ denotes a favorite, while the ‘+’ denotes an underdog. It’s a favorite for beginners and anyone who hates extra math. Decimal odds are honestly the easiest for most folks to grasp.

That means looking at the price they got compared to where the odds ended up before game time. If you’re consistently beating the closing line, you’re probably doing something right. Lots of betting sites have built-in calculators these days. Or just find a free one online if you want a quick answer without bouncing between sites. The first number is your profit, the second is your stake.

The math for American odds depends on whether the odds are positive or negative. For decimal odds, just divide 1 by the decimal number and multiply by 100. It also minimizes confusion when you explore international sportsbook platforms. Many of these websites allow you to toggle between formats, giving you confidence in the numbers staring back at you. Fractional odds, also known as British odds, are written in fractions such as 5/1 or 10/3. These are traditional and still widely used across the UK and in horse racing events globally.

• The higher your stake, the better your potential cash prize.
• Odds not only tell you how much you can win but also reflect the implied probability of an outcome.
• Betting odds show you what the sportsbook believes the probability of an outcome will be.
• Sometimes, mixing sports can actually give you better value, since different books have strengths in different markets.
• More than 96% of our members are winning sports bettors and 79% credit Unabated for their success.
• Just remember that decimal odds include the original wager, while fractional and American odds do not.

⚡ BEST LIVE BETTING ODDS

Betting odds are important, whether you choose fractional, decimal, or American, as it gives you an edge while evaluating your wagers. They are important for comparing odds across sportsbooks and getting the best value for your bets. Players often compare these odds across bookies in order to increase their chances of finding value bets and grow their bankroll.

Of those 3, only #3 which I think is the least important if you’re doing statistical bets and whatnot, is easier / better with decimal. To preface, I’ve been a “pro” (I make most of my income) from e-sports betting for like 4 years. It’s interesting how long this takes to converge — even after thousands of bets, we have no sense of what our average winnings might be. As a quick demonstration and a teaser for the next post, let’s simulate the things like EV and vig and implied probability that we’ve been discussing. In this game, a $10 bet on a Real Madrid win would return $22.25, broken up into the original $10 bet plus $12.25 in profit. A $10 bet on a draw would return $31.50 while a Chelsea win on a $10 bet would give you $33.50.

If a lot of people start betting one side, the odds will move. Watching these changes can give you a clue about what the public is thinking. Bookmakers build in this margin to make money no matter who wins.

This article will focus on how you can use the odds converter, understand different odds formats, and why converting betting odds is important. Oddsmakers at sportsbooks around the globe decide on what price to set odds at based on their estimated probability of any given outcome. This implied probability is converted into various different odds formats, and can be caculated back again easily too.

Quickly input your stake and odds in American, Decimal, or Fractional formats to calculate the payout for your bets. To put it simply, the greater the odds against a team, the larger the payout will be for anyone who bets on that team and wins. The first thing to understand is the difference between payout and parimatch betting profit. When you put a bet you give your stake to the sportsbook. If you win the sportsbook will give you your stake back and pay you your profit. You can’t count getting your stake back as profit because it was yours to begin with.

You won’t know if you’re getting a good deal or just throwing money away. American, British, and European odds are three different ways of expressing the same thing and can be converted from one to another. By understanding all three and how they work, you’ll increase your own odds of placing well-informed (if not always successful) bets. Decimal odds (aka “European odds,” “digital odds,” or “continental odds”) are popular in continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The favorites and underdogs can be spotted instantaneously by looking at the numbers.

In fractional form, odds of one out of five would be represented as the fraction “5/1”, read “five to one”. Odds and can be more intuitive than American or decimal odds since they tell you how much one stands to gain for a given amount bet. Some sports betting sites offer -105 spreads on specific days instead of standard -110 pricing.