1. How To Calculate American Odds
  2. American Odds Explained
  3. How To Read American Odds
  4. Understanding American Betting Odds
  5. Understanding Odds In Horse Racing
Understanding

Understanding betting odds requires knowledge of not just one type of odds format, but all three of the common formats, as many sites will offer them in their. What Do Odds of +200 Mean? Whether you’re looking to learn how to bet or you want to start a bookie, one of the first things you need to learn is how to re Understanding American Betting Odds. Here is some information by our tipsters about sports betting.

The format for betting odds can vary depending on which part of the world you live in. The two most common options used are Decimal and American odds. But what is the difference, how do you calculate returns for each format and convert from one to the other? Read on to find out.

Before we delve into examples on how to calculate bet returns that have been presented in different odds formats, it is important to note that, irrespective of which odds format you use, the potential profit is the same, the presentation just differs.

American odds

Odds expression indicating return relative to 100 unit base figure. With money odds, whenever there is a minus (-) you lay that amount to win a hundred dollars, where there is a plus (+) you win that amount for every hundred dollars you bet.

Calculating profits with Decimal odds

Decimal odds are predominantly used in continental Europe, Australia and Canada. The format is a simple numerical representation of the potential return of a bet, which includes the stake amount.

The potential return on a bet quoted in Decimal odds is extremely easy to calculate by simply multiplying the amount you wish to bet by the Decimal odds offered – just remember that the return includes your stake. Here is an example of Decimal odds in a 1X2 soccer market from Pinnacle:

Calculating the potential return for a $100 Bet on Chelsea at 2.270:

Odds x Stake = 2.270 X 100 = 227

As this includes your original $100 stake amount, the potential profit is $127.

Calculating the potential return for a $100 bet on Liverpool at 3.390:

Odds x Stake = 3.390 x 100 = 339

Calculating profits with American odds

American odds are unsurprisingly the default format used in America. They start either with a positive or a negative sign, e.g. -110, or +120. A negative number indicates the amount you must stake to make $100 profit (or the equivalent in your chosen currency) and a positive number indicates how much you might profit if you bet $100 (again, this would be the equivalent in your chosen currency).

How To Calculate American Odds

Using the example above, if you bet $124 on the Washington Redskins -2.5 handicap with American odds of -124 and they cover the spread, you will make $100 profit (plus your original $124 stake). If you bet $100 on the Dallas Cowboys +2.5 handicap with odds of +112 and they cover the spread, it will return $112 profit (plus the original $100 stake).

As with any odds format, the potential return and profit from a bet is relevant to the stake amount. Using a $100 bet example is the easiest way to calculate profits with American odds, but below is a simple formula to work out potential returns for any stake.

Negative American odds calculation:

(100/Odds) x stake

Positive American odds calculation:

Odds x (stake/100)

If we use the odds from the above example, you could bet $13.75 on the White Sox at -129 and your potential profit is $10.66:

Using the same example for positive odds, you could bet $15 on the Royals at +119 and your potential profit is $17.85:

Odds x (Stake/100) = 119 x (15/100) = 17.85

Odds conversion table

American odds

Decimal odds

American odds

Decimal odds

-101

1.990

+100

2.000

-105

1.952

+105

2.050

-110

1.909

+110

2.100

-120

1.833

+120

2.200

-130

1.769

+130

2.300

-140

1.714

+140

2.400

-150

1.667

+150

2.500

This table can be used to convert one type of odds format into another. If you have a specific bet or odds you wish to convert, use Pinnacle's Odds Converter.

Whether you use the Decimal or American format, you’ll get the best betting odds with Pinnacle, the ultimate bookmaker with the highest limits and lowest margins.

Decimal odds video explainer

Found this article useful? Why not check out our video that details Decimal and American odds.

American odds video explainer

If you want to watch more educational betting videos, subscribe to the Pinnacle YouTube channel!

American odds are read differently for favourites and underdogs:

Favourite (odds that start with -): odds are the amount you need to stake to win 100
Underdog (odds that start with +): odds are the amount you would win if you bet 100

Example:

Odds = +180
Stake = 100
Total Payout = 180

American Odds Explained

As the name implies, American odds are most commonly used in the USA and Canada. They are much less common in Europe, falling in favour to Decimal or Fractional odds. Let’s take a look at a matchup between Nadal and Djokovic; assume an oddsmaker set the odds like this:

Nadal -152
Djokovic +120

The first thing to note is the “+” and the “-” before the number for each market.

If a market has a “+”, that means it is the underdog. That is, it is the market perceived to have a lower chance of winning the matchup.

If a market has a “-”, then it is the favourite, perceived to have the higher chance of winning the matchup.

In this example, Djokovic is the underdog, and Nadal is the favourite – pretty straightforward, right?

The numbers after those symbols are used as an indicator of how likely the teams are perceived to be to win or lose.

For favorites, the number is the amount you would need to risk in order to win 100. In the case of Nadal, you would need to risk 152 to make a profit of 100. If Nadal wins, your 152 is returned to you, plus your 100 profit. But if Nadal loses, then you lose the 152 you risked. Easy enough.

How To Read American Odds

For underdogs, the number is the amount you would win if you risked 100. If you risked 100 on Djokovic then you would win 120 if he won the matchup, and of course you would get your initial 100 returned on top of that. Even easier!

Understanding American Betting Odds

The unit size of 100 is used just for simplicity. In no way does that mean you have to be risking that amount. For Djokovic, you could risk 50 to win 60, risk 25 to win 30, risk 10 to win 12, and so on.

Understanding Odds In Horse Racing

To convert any odds formats check out Pinnacle’s odds converter.

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