English Fractional odds
- Where popular: The UK and Ireland.
- Format: Expressed as fractions, for example, 5/2 or 10/1.
- How they work: The first number shows how much you can win if you stake an amount equal to the second number. For example, odds of 5/2 mean that for every 2 units staked, you will earn 5 units of profit. If you bet 2 dollars at odds of 5/2 and the bet wins, you will receive 5 dollars in profit plus the returned 2 dollars stake, for a total of 7 dollars.
Decimal odds
- Where popular: Europe, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
- Format: Presented as decimal numbers, such as 1.50, 2.75, or 10.00.
- How they work: To calculate the total payout (including your stake), you multiply your bet by the decimal odds. For example, odds of 2.75 mean that if you place a 10-dollar bet, your total payout will be 10 × 2.75 = 27.5 dollars (17.5 dollars profit plus 10 dollars stake returned).
American odds (Moneyline odds)
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Where popular: The USA.
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Format: Presented with positive or negative numbers, for example, +150 or -200.
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How they work:
- Negative odds: Show how much you need to bet to win 100 dollars. For example, odds of -200 mean you need to bet 200 dollars to win 100 dollars in profit. The total payout will be 300 dollars (100 dollars profit plus 200 dollars stake).
- Positive odds: Show how much you can win if you bet 100 dollars. For example, odds of +150 mean that a 100-dollar bet will bring you 150 dollars in profit. The total payout will be 250 dollars (150 dollars profit plus 100 dollars stake).
Comparison example:
- A fractional odds of 2/1 means you will get 2 dollars in profit for every 1 dollar bet.
- A decimal odds of 3.00 means your total payout will be 3 times your stake (2 dollars profit for every 1 dollar bet).
- American odds of +200 mean a 100-dollar bet will earn you 200 dollars in profit.
Comparison for a single outcome:
- Fractional odds: 2/1.
- Decimal odds: 3.00.
- American odds: +200.
All three systems show the same thing—a doubling of your stake if you win, but with different approaches to calculation and presentation of information.
Formula for converting odds
Decimal odds = Fractional odds + 1,
Where the fractional odds are written as a fraction A/B, where:
- A is the numerator,
- B is the denominator.
Example: If the fractional odds are 5/2, the decimal odds will be:
Decimal odds = 5/2 + 1 = 2.5 + 1 = 3.5.
Converting American odds to decimal
There are two formulas, depending on whether the American odds are positive or negative.
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If the American odds are positive (+X):
Decimal odds = 1 + X/100
Example: American odds of +150:
Decimal odds = 1 + 150/100 = 1 + 1.5 = 2.5. -
If the American odds are negative (−X):
Decimal odds = 1 + 100/X
Example: American odds of −200:
Decimal odds = 1 + 100/200 = 1 + 0.5 = 1.5.
Summary
- For fractional odds, add 1 to the result of the fraction.
- For positive American odds, divide by 100 and add 1.
- For negative American odds, divide 100 by the absolute value of the odds and add 1.