English Fractional odds
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Where they are popular: United Kingdom and Ireland.
- Format: Expressed as fractions, for example 5/2 or 10/1.
- How they work: The first figure indicates how much you can win if you bet an amount equal to the second figure. For example, odds of 5/2 mean that for every 2 units bet, you will receive 5 units of profit. If you bet 2 dollars at odds of 5/2 and win, you will receive 5 dollars in winnings plus the 2 dollars of your bet, for a total of 7 dollars.
Decimal odds
- Where they are popular: Europe, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
- Format: Represented as decimal numbers, for example 1.50, 2.75 or 10.00.
- How they work: To determine the total winnings (including the return of the bet), you need to multiply the bet by the decimal odds. For example, odds of 2.75 mean that if you bet 10 dollars, the total winnings will be 10 × 2.75 = 27.5 dollars (17.5 dollars in net profit and 10 dollars returned from the bet).
American odds (Moneyline odds)
- Where they are popular: United States.
- Format: Represented by positive or negative numbers, for example +150 or -200.
- How they work:
- Negative odds: Indicate how much you need to bet to win 100 dollars. For example, odds of -200 mean that you need to bet 200 dollars to obtain 100 dollars in net profit. The total winnings will be 300 dollars (100 dollars in winnings plus the 200 dollars of the bet).
- Positive odds: Indicate how much you can win if you bet 100 dollars. For example, odds of +150 mean that a bet of 100 dollars will give you a net profit of 150 dollars. The total winnings will be 250 dollars (150 dollars in profit plus the 100 dollars of the bet).
Comparison example:
- Fractional odds of 2/1 mean that you will receive 2 dollars in net profit for every 1 dollar bet.
- Decimal odds of 3.00 mean that the total winnings will be 3 times the bet (2 dollars in net profit on 1 dollar bet).
- American odds of +200 mean that a bet of 100 dollars will give you a net profit of 200 dollars.
Comparison for a single outcome:
- Fractional odds: 2/1.
- Decimal odds: 3.00.
- American odds: +200.
All three systems show the same result: a doubling of your bet in the event of a win, but with different approaches to calculating and presenting the information.
Formula for converting odds:
Decimal odds = Fractional odds + 1,
Where the fractional odds are expressed as 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 odds
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 +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 −200:
Decimal odds = 1 + 100/200 = 1 + 0.5 = 1.5.
Conclusions
- For fractional odds, 1 is added 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.