Take 4/1 as an example. If you stake £1 on a horse, then you stand to win £4 if the selection wins the race, which excludes your initial stake. In contrast, the decimal format factors in the initial stake. Betting odds of 4/1 would equate to 5.0 in decimal terms, 5/1 would be 6.0, and so forth. Spoken: 10 to 2 odds; Meaning: you will get $10 in profit for every $2 you wager; Actual Payout: 10 divided by 2 plus 1 = 6 times original $2 = $12 payout; How to Read Horse Racing Odds. So how exactly do you read horse racing odds. Let’s explain this from the top.

1. 10/1 Odds Meaning
2. 20 To 1 Odds Means
3. 10 11 Odds
4. 2 To 1 Odds Mean
5. What Do 10-1 Odds Mean

Fixed-odds betting is a form of wagering against odds offered by a bookmaker or an individual or on a bet exchange. It involves betting on an event in which there is no fluctuation on the payout. In Australia, the practice is usually known as 'SP betting'.

Calculating fixed odds[edit]

It is customary with fixed-odds gambling to know the odds at the time of the placement of the wager (the 'live price'), but the category also includes wagers whose price is determined only when the race or game starts (the 'starting prices'). It is ideal for bookmakers to price/mark up a book such that the net outcome will always be in their favour: the sum of the probabilities quoted for all possible outcomes will be in excess of 100%. The excess over 100% (or overround) represents profit to the bookmaker in the event of a balanced/even book. In the more usual case of an imbalanced book, the bookmaker may have to pay out more winnings than what is staked or may earn more than mathematically expected. An imbalanced book may arise since there is no way for a bookmaker to know the true probabilities for the outcome of competitions left to human effort or to predict the bets that will be attracted from others by fixed odds compiled on the basis personal view and knowledge.

With the advent of Internet and bet exchange betting, the possibility of fixed-odds arbitrage actions and Dutch books against bookmakers and exchanges has expanded significantly. Betting exchanges in particular act like a stock exchange, allowing the odds to be set in the course of trading between individual bettors, usually leading to quoted odds that are reasonably close to the 'true odds.'

'The best of it'[edit]

In making a bet where the expected value is positive, one is said to be getting 'the best of it'. For example, if one were to bet $1 at 10 to 1 odds (one could win $10) on the outcome of a coin flip, one would be getting 'the best of it' and should always make the bet (assuming a rational and risk-neutral attitude with linear utility curves and have no preferences implying loss aversion or the like). However, if someone offered odds of 10 to 1 that a card chosen at random from a regular 52 card deck would be the ace of spades, one would be getting 'the worst of it' because the chance is only 1 in 52 that the ace will be chosen.

In an entry for L'Encyclopédie (the Enlightenment-era 'French Encyclopedia'), Denis Diderot cites a similar example in which two players, Player A and Player B, wager over a game of dice that involves rolling two six-sided dice. Player A wins if the dice add up to 12, of which there is only one possible case. Player B wins if the dice fall in any other combination, of which there are 35 possibilities.^[1] It is mathematically disadvantageous to make a bet if one gets'the worst of it.' Accordingly, for the bet to be 'fair,' the amount each player could potentially lose or gain from the wager should be adjusted, depending on the odds of their success.

Laying odds[edit]

When making a bet in which one must put more at risk than one can win, one is laying the odds. Rational bettors will do so only if the actual chances of an adverse outcome are low enough that the expected outcome even after deduction of taxes and any transaction costs is favorable to the person placing the bet. For example, if one bets $1,000 that it will rain tomorrow and can win only $200 but can lose the entire $1,000, one is laying odds that will rain tomorrow. Laying odds is reflected in the colloquial expression '[I would] dollars to doughnuts' — with which the speaker is expressing a willingness to risk losing something of value in exchange for something worthless, because winning that bet is a certainty.^[2]

Lay betting[edit]

'Lay betting' is a bet that something will not happen, so 'laying $50 on a horse' is betting the horse will not win. Bookmakers sell bets based on the odds of a specific outcome, but lay betting allows the bettor (in some English-speaking countries, the 'punter') to reverse roles with the bookmaker, using odds to sell the opposite outcome to the bookmaker. In this context, 'lay' is used in the sense of 'layman', i.e., a bet sold by someone who does not sell bets professionally.

Types of odds offered[edit]

There are three widely used means of quoting odds:

Fractional odds[edit]

Favoured by bookmakers in the United Kingdom and Ireland and common in horse racing, fractional odds quote the net total that will be paid out to the winning bettor relative to the stake. The term 'fractional odds' is something of a misnomer, especially when visually reinforced by using a slash (as opposed to, e.g., a colon or the word 'to' or 'on') to separate a potential gain from the amount that a bettor must wager in order to receive it upon a win, because the 'fraction' in question represents not the odds of winning or even the reciprocal of the odds of winning but rather the fraction (for any odds longer than 'even money' or chances of winning less than 50%, an improper fraction) of the amount at stake that the upside outcome represents. This fraction may be derived by subtracting 1 from the reciprocal of the chances of winning; for any odds longer than 'even money,' this fraction will be an improper one.^[3][4] Odds of 4:1 ('four-to-one' or less commonly 'four-to-one against') would imply that the bettor stands to make a £400 profit on a £100 stake. If the odds are 1:4 (read 'one-to-four', or alternatively 'four-to-one on' or 'four-to-one in favor'), the bettor stands to make £25 on a £100 stake. In either case, against or on, should he win, the bettor always receives his original stake back, so if the odds are 4:1 the bettor receives a total of £500 (£400 plus the original £100). Odds of 1/1 are known as evens or even money.

Not all fractional odds are traditionally read using the lowest common denominator. Perhaps most unusual is that odds of 10:3 are read as 'one-hundred-to-thirty'.

Fractional odds are also known as British odds,UK odds,^[5] or, in that country, traditional odds.

Decimal odds[edit]

Favoured in Continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, decimal odds differ from fractional odds by taking into account that the bettor must first part with their stake to make a bet; the figure quoted, therefore, is the winning amount that would be paid out to the bettor.^[4][6] Therefore, the decimal odds of an outcome are equivalent to one plus the decimal value of the fractional odds; in the absence of built-in house advantage to cover overhead, profit margins, or (for an illegal enterprise) compensation for the fact that both chances of prosecution and penalties in the event of conviction tend to be higher for bookmakers than for clients, the decimal odds associated with a given outcome would be the decimal expression of the reciprocal of what the offering party assesses to be the outcome's chance of occurring.^[7] Thus, even odds 1/1 are quoted in decimal odds as 2. The 4/1 fractional odds discussed above are quoted as 5, while the 1/4 odds are quoted as 1.25. It is considered to be ideal for parlay betting because the odds to be paid out are simply the product of the odds for each outcome wagered on.

Decimal odds are also known as European odds, digital odds or continental odds and tend to be favoured by betting exchanges because they are the easiest to work with for trading, in this case the purchase and sale of upside and downside risk.^[5]

Moneyline odds[edit]

Moneyline odds are favoured by United States bookmakers and as such are sometimes called American Odds.^[4] There are two possibilities: the figure quote can be either positive or negative. Moneyline refers to odds on the straight-up outcome of a game with no consideration to a point spread.

Positive figures

If the figure quoted is positive, the odds are quoting how much money will be won on a $100 wager (done if the odds are better than even). Fractional odds of 4/1 would be quoted as +400 while fractional odds of 1/4 cannot be quoted as a positive figure.

Negative figures

If the figure quoted is negative, the moneyline odds are quoting how much money must be wagered to win $100 (this is done if the odds are worse than even). Fractional odds of 1/4 would be quoted as −400 while fractional odds of 4/1 cannot be quoted as a negative figure.

Even odds

Even odds are quoted as +100 or −100. Some but not all bookmakers display the positive symbol.

Odds conversion[edit]

To convert fractional odds to decimal, take the fractional number, convert it to decimal by doing the division, and then add 1. For example, the 4-to-1 fractional odds shown above is the same as 5 in decimal odds, while 1-to-4 would be quoted as 1.25.

The method for converting moneyline to decimal odds depends on whether the moneyline value is positive or negative. If the moneyline is positive, it is divided by 100 and add 1. Thus, +400 moneyline is the same as 5.0 in decimal odds. If the moneyline is negative, 100 is divided by the absolute moneyline amount (the minus signed is removed), and then 1 is added. For example, −400 moneyline is 100/400 + 1, or 1.25, in decimal odds.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Wager'. University of Michigan Library. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
2. ^Listening to America, Stuart Berg Flexner (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1982).
3. ^'Betting School: Understanding Fractional & Decimal Betting Odds'. Goal. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
4. ^ ^abcCortis, Dominic (2015). Expected Values and variance in bookmaker payouts: A Theoretical Approach towards setting limits on odds. Journal of Prediction Markets. 1. 9.
5. ^ ^ab'Betting Odds Format'. World Bet Exchange. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
6. ^D., Chris. 'What is Fixed odds betting and Due Column betting?'. TBR. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
7. ^'Fractional Odds'. betstarter.com/. Archived from the original on April 2, 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.

External links[edit]

10/1 Odds Meaning

If you’re going to bet on sports, you need to understand the odds before you put any cash down. There’s no way for you to know the risk involved in your particular wager or the potential payoff unless you know how betting odds work. If you’re looking for the best odds at an online sportsbook, be sure you check out Bovada.

It’s essential to understand that odds are a determination of how a specific event may play out. They are not saying that the event will end in the manner predicted. They predict the likelihood of an outcome.

Those wagering on the favored team usually do so at a disadvantage, while those wagering on the underdog are given an edge. Sportsbooks do this in an attempt to even out the bets so that there’s an equal amount of cash placed on each team.

When wagering, you’ll find that there are three basic ways that odds are listed:

Enter the odds in any format and click Convert

Odds Conversion Guide

To convert decimal odds to fractional, subtract 1.00 and then find the nearest whole integers (so 3.75 - 1.00 becomes 2.75/1, or 11/4).

To convert moneyline odds to decimal, if the moneyline is positive, divide by 100 and add 1. If it is negative, divide 100 by the moneyline amount (without the minus sign) and add 1.

To convert fractional odds to decimal, divide the first figure by the second figure add 1.00 (so 11/4 = 2.75, then add 1.00 = 3.75).

Fractional Odds

• Used mainly in the UK and in international horse racing. Becoming less popular online.
• Tell you the amount of profit relative to your stake if you win your bets.
• For example, if you bet £10 at odds of 3/1, you receive £30 profit if you win.

Decimal Odds

• Common around the world but especially in Europe. Standard on betting exchanges such as Betfair.
• Convey the total amount you will receive if you win, including the return of your stake.
• For example, if you bet £10 at odds of 3.75, you will receive £37.50 in total if you win.

Moneyline Odds

• Used by most US bookmakers.
• Based on a straight single bet (on a single outcome, without a points spread)
• If the moneyline is positive, the amount quoted is the amount you would win on a $100 bet.
• If it is negative, the amount quoted is what you would need to bet to win $100.

American

U.S. odds are reflected in the moneyline or line. They’re expressed in whole numbers with the number for the favored team showing a minus and the number for the team that is not favored having a plus in front of it.

Here is a moneyline for football:

This betting line favors the Colts. Indy is listed at 2:1. That means for every $2.00 bet the payout would be $3.00. That includes the $2.00 you wagered plus a profit of $1.00. If you take the Bears, the odds would be 1:4. On a $1.00 bet Chicago, which is the underdog, would pay a total of $5.00. That includes the $1.00 bet and the $4.00 payout.

The bettor always gets a bigger payout when they assume a greater risk. The more the risk, which would reflect the unlikely chance of something happening, the more you profit if the bet is won. Consider that a team that’s listed at -200 has a 66.66% chance of winning, while a team at +400 has a 20% chance of victory.

Fractional

Fractional odds, which are also known as English odds, are a bit easier to understand. If the same NFL game were listed using the fractional system it would look like this:

With this type of listing, the first number in the fraction, the numerator, is the amount you would wager and the second number, the denominator, is the payout amount. The payouts and risk in this example are exactly the same as that in the American example, with the Colts paying a $1.00 profit for every $2.00 bet and the Bears offering a $4.00 profit for every $1.00 wagered.

Decimal

You’ll find decimal odds used most often in Europe and for this reason they are known as European odds. These may be the most confusing to American bettors because the math is hidden.

Once again using the same example from the NFL, the decimal odds would be displayed in this manner:

In this system, the smaller the number the less risk involved and the better the chances are that a team will be victorious. To understand how much you will win, you would multiply the amount wagered by the betting line.

In this example, on a $1.00 bet on Chicago you would get back a total of $5.00 and on a $2.00 bet on the colts, you’d realize $3.00. As you can see, regardless of the format of the betting lines, the payout is the same.

Odds are Skewed

Betting odds can be given in various ways. The important thing to understand is they’re not “real.” They are skewed to ensure that the sportsbooks make a profit.

Built into the odds is the sportsbook’s commission, which is silently collected on every bet. In real life, the Colts probably have less of a chance of winning and should pay more while the Bears are even more likely to lose than the odds reflect and should also pay more.

Those are the basics to understanding odds. If you’re an American bettor, then chances are you’ll be using the U.S. version. Europe or other parts of the world, you’re going to encounter the two other types of listings.

Understanding Payouts

There are a few important aspects of sports betting payouts that you must understand in order to ensure that you’re able to take full advantage of wagering opportunities and to successfully manage your bankroll.

First we’ll take a look at some basic odds and related payouts and then we’ll consider some of the finer aspects of the payout.

You must be able to read the odds listed in order to understand how much you will make on a bet. The amount of cash that you make, your profit, is your payout. Some sports bets, such as those involving a point spread, usually pay approximate odds of 1:1. That means for every dollar wagered, you’re going to get that dollar plus another buck if you win your wager.

Here’s a look at the three ways of expressing odds that you’ll usually find listed for a favorite.

Each of these expressions of odds represents the same wager and payout. For every $2.00 bet, you win a dollar, making the total amount of cash you get back $3.00 ($2.00 bet + $1.00 payout = $3.00 return).

These are an example of the type of odds given for a team that’s not favored.

These odds tell you that for every $1.00 you bet, you’re going to get $2.00 back. The payout on this sports bet is $2.00 ($1.00 bet + $2.00 payout = $3.00 return)

Notice that you get the same amount of cash back on both bets but that you actually make double on the second wager. Never confuse “return,” which is the total amount of cash you get back when you win, with “payout,” which is actually how much you make. When it comes to sports betting you’re biggest concern is how big the payout is in relationship to how much you wagered.

The Commission

One element that many new bettors are not aware of is the commission that is paid by gamblers to bookies or sportsbooks. The commission is often referred to as vig, vigorish or juice.

This part of sports betting is important because it alters your payout, lessening it. Here’s the way it works. Vig can be readily seen in point spread betting and when you bet on the favorite using the moneyline.

Although the spread odds expressed in sports betting are 1/1, they are really approximately 1/1.10.

Here’s why:

When you place a $1.00 point spread wager, you place the dollar bet plus 10%. Thus, you would place $1.10 on a team to win $1.00. You get back your original bet, $1.10, and the one-dollar payout. But if this were a true 1/1 wager, your payout would be $1.10. What happens to the 10 cents? That’s the sportsbook’s commission.

The same can be seen with the -110 moneyline. In order to win $100 on that moneyline, you must put up $110. The way bookies make their commission on the moneyline is they charge more than they should to bet on the favorite and undercut the payout on the underdog. Thus, the vig is often hidden, but it is there.

Managing Your Bankroll

It’s important that you learn how to manage your sports betting bankroll and that means keeping track of all wagers, loses and payout. When looking at a potential payout always consider the risk involved in the bet and what percentage of your bankroll you’re willing to commit to that bet. Never risk more than 5% of your bankroll on a bet.

Understanding the payout in relationship to the amount of money risked and the total return is important to be able to manage your bankroll and sports betting business.

When Is It Too Late to Make a Bet?

When is it too late to make a bet? When the game is over. But the more complex answer has to do with how much you have to wager, what your objective is and how much you’ve lost or won.

20 To 1 Odds Means

Here are some guidelines that will help you decide when you should wager on props when the odds are becoming more favorable, diminishing odds, and when you should bet on propositions whose odds are going up or expanding:

Diminishing

There are various times when you should play props whose odds are going from being long shots to sure shots. With a diminishing odds bet, the chance of the prop being a winner is becoming more certain. Bets in this category range from 2-1 to 1-4.

Play these in the following situations:

• You’re way ahead and wagering numerous units.
• You’re behind and wagering one unit at a time.
• The game is near the end and you’re ahead. Bet one to three units.
• You’re ahead and want to preserve winnings. Bet one unit.

10 11 Odds

The above situations are all designed to make sure that you limit your loses. Along with wagering on bets that offer you low odds, make sure you bet on props about which you feel confident. The point is to give yourself the best chance of winning.

Expanding

2 To 1 Odds Mean

As odds expand and go higher so do the payouts. Although commonsense tells you that these wagers are getting progressively more difficult to win, there are times that you should utilize them.

• You are way ahead and want to try to make a big score. Use only one or two units.
• It’s near the end of the game and you’re even. Go for a big play, big payout bet using one unit to try to put yourself over the top.
• The team with expanding odds is actually on a role. (It can happen).
• Bet on the defense if there are expanding odds on its side and it needs to make a big play. Use one unit.

Betting on these scenarios isn’t as foolhardy as you might think since you are limiting how much you’re going to wager, lessening your loses. Stay away from tossing a lot of cash on a bet that has expanding betting lines. If you don’t, you may see your cash diminish quickly.

The thing to remember about live sports betting is that as the game goes on and things change, the odds will also change. As they do, you can take advantage of them in various ways. Also, be careful not to bet too much.

What Do 10-1 Odds Mean

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