Decoding The Most Established Odds Formats

Decoding the most established odds are the basis of any gambling, as they relate to chance, the probability of something occurring. They take center stage in sports betting, and over the past century, various formats have emerged that inform gamblers in different ways of the probability of something happening and how much they can profit if they bet on that event transpiring. Today, distinct formats have become synonymous with specific regions of the globe. Thankfully, most modern online bookies allow users to switch over to viewing presented markets in the one they have gotten most accustomed to. Below, we explain the six most popular types found in the online sports betting sphere today, breaking down each one concisely.

Know that if you cannot comprehend how a distinct format works, there is no need to get annoyed, as free calculators exist on the Web that will quickly tell you the ratio to probability and profit potential.

Decimal

Decimal odds also get called European and are likely the most recognizable online sportsbook format out there. They are the default at most Internet bookies, prevalent in the Old Continent’s land-based kiosks and in India, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They tell you the potential return of a bet as a single decimal number. So, if you see a team listed to win at 1.50 odds and put down $50 on them, you can expect your accurate prediction to yield a return of $75.

In decimal odds, the number featured represents the total amount the bookmaker will return to you if you win for every unit staked, including your stake. Hence, it is impossible to find odds below 1.00. And a super simple way to learn your winnings is to remove the one from the odds. In terms of calculating your payout, you just need to multiply your stake with the decimal odds. We think this is the most straightforward system and the easiest format to compare prices between sportsbooks.

Fractional

Fractional odds also bear the name traditional or British. They chiefly get utilized by UK and Irish bookies for horse race wagering, and as their name suggests, their main defining element is the hyphen or slash they feature.

Their numerator, or top number, indicates the potential profit, and their bottom one, the denominator, represents the stake. That means that betting $30 on an underdog to win at odds of 3/1 will give you a $90 profit and a $120 overall return. Yet, wagering, let us say, $80 on a favorite at odds of 1/4 will get you a $20 profit or a $100 return.

So, this odds type lets you calculate how much cash you can take home on your wager compared to your stake.

American

If you are a US resident, you probably are already familiar with the American format. It is prevalent and the default in the Land of the Free, found in all its sports betting markets. We are sure that, for non-Americans, this odds type is a bit complicated, as it gets expressed as either a positive or negative number. These tell you the amount you can win on a $100 wager for positive odds. Or the stake one needs to make to win $100 for negative odds.

How does this work? If you see a plus in front of a number depicting odds, these are positive ones, showing you how much profit you can make on a $100 wager. For instance, if the odds say +150, then betting $100 will give you a $150 return. Simple. But, if the odds are negative, for example – 200, you must bet $200 to win $100. Your total in this scenario will be $300 since you will also get your stake back.

Remember that the minus depicts favorites and the plus underdogs. Also, you will hear some gamblers refer to this format as the line or moneyline.

Indonesian

Gambling is not widely allowed in Southeast Asia. Yet, Indonesian odds, Indo ones, have gotten sizeable popularity in the online sphere in recent years. They resemble the American ones because they also have positive and negative numbers. Again, positive numbers indicate underdogs and negative favorites. But, unlike the American ones, the calculation here is based on a stake of $1. And not $100. So, a team that is likely to lose carrying 4.5 odds implies a win of $4.5 for $1 staked. Conversely, a favorite at -1.5 requires a $1.5 bet to produce a win/profit of $1. That is about all you need to know about the Indo format.

Hong Kong

As most people know, Hong Kong is not exactly China. It is a Special Administrative Region of this country and was a British colony for a long time, sizably influenced by the British culture. Therefore, it should come as no shock to anyone it started to regulate gambling in 1977, with horse race betting getting substantially enjoyed here, as Hong Kong generates the most massive thoroughbred racing gambling turnover on the planet.

Hong Kong odds are primarily used for racing, expressed in a decimal format, are always positive, and have been adopted by loads of Asian-based bookies. They tell you how much you shall profit on a $1 bet. The difference between this format and the standard decimal one is that even money gets represented by 1.00 here. So, winning at 1.00 means you have doubled your stake. They do not include the stake.

Malaysian

Malay odds correspond to the relationship between the potential profit and your stake, expressed in positive or negative decimal forms. Like with the Hong Kong ones, they tell you the return on a $1 bet. Of course, the plus and minus symbols indicate the favorite and underdog and a zero refers to an even money bet, a 50/50 one.

Malay and Indo odds are similar, employing 1.00 as a baseline and featuring positive/negative numbers. But the positive in Indo translates to negative in Malay odds, and the same is true conversely.

It is pretty straightforward to convert Malay odds to decimal ones. For positive Malay odds, add one to the odds value. For example, 1.5 becomes 2.5. To convert negative Malay odds to decimal, you divide one by the odds and add one.

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