How to Read American Odds?
There are three ways to view odds that are used by most online bookmakers. Of these, most people will be familiar with two of them, and will choose to use this style. These are fractional odds and decimal odds. The third type is American. These odds are the lesser known and used of the three, but if you are looking to expand your betting knowledge then they are certainly worth knowing about.
What are American Odds?
As the name suggests, American odds originate from betting in the USA. When you head to Vegas, where sports betting is seen on huge screens inside casinos, you will see the odds shown in the American format.
In Europe and elsewhere around the world, these are not as commonly used, and certainly sit third behind fractional odds and decimal odds.
American odds are based on the profit you make from a bet. This is done to a stake of 100 units, and that gives you the odds on offer.
Lets take an example to show you how American odds look when compared to fractional and decimal.
To win Superbowl LV the Philadephia Eagles are priced at:
Fractional odds 18/1
Decimal odds 19.0
American odds +1800
The reason for showing like this is as follows. Fractional odds show you staking 1 unit to receive a profit back of 18 and a total of 19. Decimal odds are based on the amount you are returned off 1 unit, so therefore, the odds for 18/1 are 19.00 because that is how much you would receive back for 1 unit.
American odds show you the profit you would make (note this is profit, not total return) from a bet of 100. In this instance above, at odds of 18/1, the profit on a 100 unit bet would be 1800, so the odds are shown as +1800.
What Happens to Odds On Selections?
When a selection is odds on, American odds work in a slightly different manner. Instead of showing you the profit from a bet of 100 units, it shows you the stake you need to place to win 100 units. Here is an example of how odds on odds are shown in the three different varieties.
Fractional odds 1/4
Decimal odds 1.25
American odds -400
As you can see here, the odd are -400 because you need to stake 400 to win back a profit of 100 units. In fractional odds these show the odds turned around to represent a larger stake than return, while the price has no impact on decimal odds, these are shown in exactly the same way.
It is vitally important to look out for the – or + symbol when you are viewing American odds. On big examples like we have shown, you can easily distinguish because the odds are massively different.
However, if you are looking at odds of 11/10 and 10/11 in fractional terms, these would be shown as +110 and -110 in that order. The first gives you a win of 110 from a stake of 100 while the latter gives a win of 100 from a stake of 110. This is when you need to take extra care when viewing your odds to ensure you are getting the very best deal from your bookmaker if using American odds.
You might also be interested in:
Top 20 Betting Offers
|
18+ New customers only. Place a £5+ bet at minimum odds of 1/1 (2.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get £25 in Free Sports Bets + 50 Free Spins (valued at £0.10 each), valid for 7 days on selected bets and games. Free stake not returned with winnings. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org |
|||||
|
18+ New customers only. Opt in and bet up to £40 (min. £20) via mobile or app on any football (odds 1/1+) within 7 days of registration. Get up to £40 in free bets on selected markets, which expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply, see below. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly |
|||||
|
New customers online only. Valid with code B10G50 on registration. Bet min £/€10 at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £/€10 Win + £/€10 Place) within 7 days of registration. Receive £/€20 Tote Credit, £/€10 Sports Bet, 2 x £/€5 Sports Acca and 50 Free Spins. 7-day expiry. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool or sports bet added to the bet-slip. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org. |
|||||
|
New customers only. 7 days to place qualifying bet of £10 at 1/1 (2.0) to receive 4 x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 football, 1 x £10 horse racing & 2 x £10 Bet Builders. Free Bets cannot be used on e-sports and non UK/IE horse racing. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. 18+. T&Cs apply. |
|||||
|
T&Cs apply. 18+ New customers only. You must place a single win-only bet of £10 or more with odds of evens (2.00) or greater to qualify. Money back as £10 in free bets. Free bet is credited the day after the qualifying bet has settled. Must use code B10G10 when creating an account. |
|||||
|
New Customers Only. Sign up with bonus code: EB20. Bet £20 and get £20 in Free Bets. Paid as £5 Free Bet on Soccer, £5 Free Bet on Horse Racing, £5 Free Bet on Multiples and a £5 Free Bet on any Market. Terms apply 18+ gambleaware.org. |
|||||
|
New Players Only. Sign Up with Bonus Code: NEW30. Bet and Settle 1x£10 Bet on Matchbook Exchange at odds of 2.0 or more. Bet and Settle 1x£10 Bet on a Bet Builder or Multiple at odds of 3.0 or more, with min 3 selections. Within 72 hours of Qualifying Bets settling user will receive 1x £10 Exchange Free Bet, 1x £10 Multiples Free Bet, and 1x £10 Bet Builder Free Bet. Users making their first deposit by Skrill, Neteller or PaySafe card will not qualify for this promotion. 18+ Only. T’s and C’s Apply. Be Gamble Aware. |
|||||
|
18+. New customers only. Deposit and place first bet of £20 or more at min odds Evens (2.0). Get £20 in Free Bets credited as x1 £10 Free Bet and x2 £5 Bet Builder Free BetsT&Cs Apply. Please gamble responsibly. |
|||||
|
New Customers use code EPL10. Deposit £10 and place a bet of £10 on any Premier League Outrights 2025/26 market at minimum odds of 2.0. Free Bet credited within 24 hours and must be wagered on English Premier League markets only. Full Terms apply. Bangers N'Cash rewards are a separate promotional scheme and must be opted into during the weekly promotional period via the BetWright Rewards Section. 18+ begambleaware. |
|||||
|
*New UK customers only. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football, Horse Racing, Tennis, Cricket or Basketball multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. Earn a £30 Uber Eats Voucher on successful Acca qualification. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. 18+ GambleAware.org. Bet the Responsible Way. Full Terms apply |
|||||
|
New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility exclusions & T&Cs Apply. |
|||||
|
Place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2 and get 3 x £10 free fixed odds bets, 3 x £5 Total Goals football spread bets and 3 x £5 Winning Favourites spread bets and a £1 racing Race Index spread bet.18+ www.gambleaware.org. |
|||||
|
18+ New Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. 1st Deposit & Bet £/€10+ at min odds 1/2 on Sports within 14 days of account reg & Get 4x £10 Free Bets (selected sportsbook markets only, valid 7 days) Max 1 Free Bet per player. Restrictions + T&Cs apply. |
|||||
|
18+ | New Customers Only | Promo Code: WELCOME10 | Place a single £10 bet within 3 calendar days of registration. Bet must settle on the same day of placement | Min odds Evens (2.00) | Get 2 x £5 UK/Irish Horse Racing Free Bets + 2 x £5 Football Free Bets | Free Bets valid for 7 days | Max win £250 | T&Cs apply | GB residents only | Gamble responsibly |
|||||
|
18+. Play Safe. Online only. For new UK register customers using promo code G40. Deposit & place £10 cash single bet (min odds 1/2) on sportsbook (excl. Virtuals). Get £40 in Free Bets (4x£10), valid for sportsbook (excl. Virtuals), 7 days expiry, must use in full (£10 each). Not valid with deposits via PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, Apple Pay, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra/Postpay or WH PLUS Card. One per customer. Full T&Cs apply. www.gambleaware.org #ad |
|||||
|
New bettors; Code SPORT; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, payment method exclusions apply; New customers only. T&C apply; 18+ Please gamble responsibly. |
|||||
|
18+. BeGambleAware.org. New customers only. Min. £10 deposit, debit card only. Up to 50x wagering, game contributions vary, max. stake applies, 7 day expiry. See full terms. #AD |
|||||
|
New customers place a £10 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Get 2 x £10 free bets. 18+ begambleaware |
|||||
|
18+ New customers only. Min deposit £20. Min Wager £20 at min odds 1/1 (2.0). Max free bet £20. T&Cs apply begambleaware. |
|||||
|
New Customer only. £10 in real money. Bets placed on sports at odds of 2.00 or more to qualify. Bets must be placed 24 hours within registration. £10 free bets must be wagered on sports. Full terms apply. Gambling can be addictive, play responsibly. 18+ |
