How to read and convert betting odds

Decimal odds (also called European odds) are the most straightforward format. The number represents the total amount returned per unit staked, including your stake.

How to read them:

• Odds of 2.00 = you get €2 back for every €1 bet (break even at 50% win rate)
• Odds of 1.50 = you get €1.50 back for every €1 bet (favourite)
• Odds of 3.00 = you get €3 back for every €1 bet (underdog)

Calculating profit:

Profit = Stake × (Odds - 1)
Total return = Stake × Odds

Example: €50 bet at 2.40 odds → Profit = €50 × 1.40 = €70. Total return = €120.

Decimal odds are the standard in Europe, Australia, and most of Asia. They're the easiest format for calculating payouts and comparing odds across bookmakers.

American odds (also called moneyline odds) use positive and negative numbers centered around $100.

Positive odds (+150): Show how much you win on a $100 bet. +150 means you win $150 profit on a $100 bet.

Negative odds (-150): Show how much you need to bet to win $100 profit. -150 means you need to bet $150 to win $100.

• +200 = underdog. Win $200 on $100 bet (decimal 3.00)
• -200 = favourite. Bet $200 to win $100 (decimal 1.50)
• +100 / -100 = even money (decimal 2.00)

Converting to decimal:

Positive: Decimal = (American / 100) + 1
Negative: Decimal = (100 / |American|) + 1

American odds are standard in the United States. They're less intuitive for calculations but widely used on US sportsbooks.

Fractional odds (also called UK odds or traditional odds) show profit relative to stake as a fraction.

• 3/1 (read "three to one") = €3 profit for every €1 staked. Total return = €4.
• 1/2 (read "one to two") = €1 profit for every €2 staked. Total return = €3 on a €2 bet.
• 1/1 (read "evens") = €1 profit for every €1 staked. Same as decimal 2.00.

Converting to decimal:

Decimal = (Numerator / Denominator) + 1
Example: 5/2 → (5 / 2) + 1 = 3.50

Fractional odds are traditional in the UK and Ireland. They're commonly used at horse racing tracks and by traditional UK bookmakers.

Implied probability is the win probability suggested by a set of odds. It tells you the break-even win rate — how often the bet needs to win for you to break even at those odds.

Implied Probability = 1 / Decimal Odds × 100%

Examples:

• Odds 2.00 → 50.0% implied probability
• Odds 1.50 → 66.7% implied probability
• Odds 3.00 → 33.3% implied probability
• Odds 1.10 → 90.9% implied probability

Note that implied probabilities from bookmaker odds include the margin, so they'll sum to more than 100% for a full market. To get true probabilities, you need to remove the bookmaker margin.

Several other odds formats are common in Asian markets:

• Hong Kong odds — Like decimal minus 1. Shows profit per unit staked. HK 1.50 = Decimal 2.50.
• Malay odds — Positive for underdogs (profit per unit staked, like HK). Negative for favourites (stake needed to win 1 unit). Range: -1 to +1.
• Indonesian odds — Similar to American but based on 1 unit instead of 100. Positive: profit on 1 unit stake. Negative: stake needed to win 1 unit.

Convert between all formats instantly with the odds converter.