
This blog is your guide to understanding the intricacies of odds by providing you with a thorough knowledge of how it works. Also, we will walk you through its types and the way to read them to help you gain a competitive advantage over others.
What do Sports Betting Odds Mean?
The odds are displayed in different forms because the players understand the odds differently in different regions. Each country has its way of displaying and perceiving bets, which is why the odds have types.
How do Betting Odds Work?
Also, the odds work inversely proportional to the probability. Let’s put it this way, the higher the odds, the lower the probability of the outcome will be and the lower the odds will be, the higher the probability of the outcome.
To get a greater hook of the odds, it is also crucial to know the favourite and underdog in the odds event, as it helps the players know which team to bet on.
A favourite is the team which is the most popular and is expected to win the game. On the other hand, an underdog is the less popular team, expected to lose the game.
Sportsbooks also change odds, which is influenced by a variety of factors:
How to Understand Sports Betting Odds?


American Odds
American odds are also known as the Moneyline Odds, which is a popular form of odds in the United States. It has either minus (-) or plus (+) before the actual odds number, which denotes the meaning or understanding of the payout.
An odd with a minus sign denotes the amount of money a bettor needs to place to make a profit of $100. On the contrary, an odd with a plus sign denotes the profit a bettor makes when placing a bet of $100.
Taking an example
If a team has the odds of +200, and the bettor has wagered $100, the player will make a profit of $200 and also will get $100 back.
If the bet is -150, the bettor will be required to wager $150 to make a $100 profit.

European Odds
European Odds is also known as the Decimal Odds which is primarily used in European countries. It is also used in other places such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia. These are not difficult to understand as one can easily guess the favourite and underdog in a quick view. The total payout is calculated by multiplying the stakes with the odds number. The original bet is included in the payout for the winning wager.
Taking an Example
There are two teams A and B in a sports event, the decimal odds for Team A is 5.00 and the odds for Team B is 2.5. If a bettor has placed a wager of $100 bet on 5.00 odds, the total payout would be ($100 x 5.00) $500. However, if a bettor has placed a wager on 2.5 odds numbers, the total payout would be ($100 x 2.5) 250. These amounts will include your stake as well.

British Odds
British Odds is also known as the fractional odds and is mostly used in British countries such as the UK or Ireland. The British odds number is denoted either in a slash(/) or a hyphen(-). The British odd is represented in the fractional format which is the ratio of the bettor’s profit to the original bet placed. In this scenario, to win the bet on the left number, the bettor needs to place a bet of exactly the right number displayed.
Faction odds = Profit/Stake
Taking an Example
As per the simple formula, if the odds are 6/2, it will simply mean for every $2, you’ll win $6. If the odds are 2/6, it means for every $6, you’ll win $1. This amount is excluding your stake.
There are other betting formats as well such as the Hong Kong Odds, Indonesian Odds as well Malaysian Odds. However, the Fractional, Decimal and Moneyline odds formats are the widely used betting formats.
Different Types of Betting Odds Based on Sports Events


NFL Betting Odds
In NFL betting, the sports betting platforms determine and display the odds each year on several NFT events consisting of the regular season, preseason, and postseason.

UFC Betting Odds
Bettors place bets on the outcome of the fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC based on their prediction and understanding of the UFC odds.

Horse Betting Odds
These odds are displayed at the horse racetracks, where bettors place wagers on a horse from the horses participating in the race at the provided odds.

Live Betting Odds
Sportbook displays the odds and keeps updating it constantly on already in-progress sports or real-time sports events. It powers the thrill within the bettors leading them to place wagers on every micro outcome of the event.

Tennis Betting Odds
Wagers are placed on the outcome of the tennis match at the provided odds by the sportsbook. Where higher odds provide bigger outcomes, however, lower probability there lower odds provide lesser outcomes, however, higher probability.

Football Betting Odds
Bookmaker’s expectations of winnings are displayed in the form of odds for the football matches, which are further used by the bettors to place wagers on the likelihood of the winning outcome.

Boxing Betting Odds
Wagering is done on the probability of a boxer winning a fight, based on the odds displayed by the sportsbook by analyzing the insights such as player’s performance, public opinion as well as player’s rankings.

Soccer Betting Odds
Bettors place wagers on the outcome of the soccer game event at the odds provided by the sports betting platform.

Cricket Betting Odds
Cricket betting is the most common form of betting opted by bettors. It involves placing wagers on distinctive outcomes (odds) of the cricket matches provided by sportsbooks such as top-run, match winners, wickets taken, etc.
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Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Why are odds different on each betting site?
Each sportsbook has its way of predicting odds, a different team and algorithms working for the analysis and prediction, which leads the different sportsbooks to display distinctive odds on their respective sites.
What factors can affect the betting odds?
Several factors affect the odds, causing them to alter, such as the critical injuries, public influence, media, as well as weather conditions.
What do the odds mean in sports Betting?
Odds are the numbers displayed by the bookmakers upon assessment and prediction. The wagers place their bets using the displayed odd numbers, indicating the probability of the outcome on their website for the sports event occurring and allowing the bettors to calculate their wins.
What do (+) and (-) mean in betting?
It is more prominently used in the Moneyline bet. The underdog is denoted by the (+) sign and the favourite is denoted by the (-) sign. The (-) indicates how much you need to stake to $100 and the (+) indicates how much you can win if you bet $100.
Which odds are better: the lower one or the higher one?
The higher the odds are, the lower the probability will be, and the lower the odds are, the higher the probability will be. Therefore, for higher odds, the payout will be higher and for lower odds, the payout would be lower, however, in the higher odds, the probability of the event winning also decreases.