The key element of every bet, is the odds that were taken when the money was laid down.
They are constantly changing with the market from the minute the bookies first release them, and they can be significantly different from the point they are laid to the time when the event they pertain to actually begins.
There are long odds and there are short odds, high value odds and low value odds, but there are also lots of different ways of displaying the odds, and extra information you can glean from them if you know how to look for it.
Being British and stubborn, we have of course created arguably the most complicated way to handle sports betting odds and we are refusing to let them go, but our European cousins have created a simpler way of doing things that is becoming more and more popular over here, while the Americans also have their own system because of course they do.
The odds tell you what a bookmaker thinks will and won’t happen, they can also tell you what the bookies’ margin is if you care to work it out, and the articles on this page will help to explain all of this.
First though, a handy comparison table showing the same odds displayed in different ways, as well as the implied probability of those odds.
Betting Odds Comparison Table
Fractional Odds | Decimal Odds | American Odds | Implied Probability |
---|---|---|---|
1/5 | 1.20 | -500 | 83.3% |
2/9 | 1.22 | -450 | 81.8% |
1/4 | 1.25 | -400 | 80% |
2/7 | 1.29 | -350 | 77.8% |
1/3 | 1.33 | -300 | 75% |
4/11 | 1.36 | -275 | 73.3% |
4/9 | 1.44 | -225 | 69.2% |
1/2 | 1.50 | -200 | 66.7% |
Evens | 2.00 | 100 | 50% |
5/4 | 2.25 | 125 | 44.4% |
9/1 | 10 | 900 | 10% |
10/1 | 11 | 1000 | 9.1% |
20/1 | 21 | 2000 | 4.8% |
50/1 | 51 | 5000 | 2% |
100/1 | 101 | 10000 | 1% |
1000/1 | 1001 | 100000 | 0.1% |