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
|
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. |
|||||
|
New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. £10 min qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £10 Win + £10 Place). Receive £20 Tote Credit, £10 Free Sports Bet and 50 Free Spins on a selected game within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry on free bets & Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply Gambleaware.org. Full T&Cs apply. |
|||||
|
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 |
|||||
|
Offer valid for new BetTom customers. 50% of first day losses refunded as a free bet up to £25. Credited within 24 hours. 35x wagering requirement applies to free spins. Maximum takeout is £50 from free spins. 18+ Full terms apply. begambleware. |
|||||
|
Offer valid for new Betgoodwin customers aged 18 years and over. Min qualifying stake £10 at odds of 6/4+. Excludes horse & greyhound racing. Min 4 legs at odds of 2/5+ for £10 free acca. Full Terms apply. begambleaware |
|||||
|
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. |
|||||
|
1st deposit only | min deposit £10 | max bonus £10 | Min Odds 1/1 (2.0) | Max winnings £100 | 5 day bonus expiry | User agreement & Bonus T&Cs apply |
|||||
|
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. |
|||||
|
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. |
|||||
|
18+. New UK & ROI customers only . Certain deposit methods & bet types excl . Min first £10 win or E/W bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 & get 4 x £10 free bets . Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions + T&C apply |
|||||
|
*New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. Virtuals) 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accept in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org. 18+ |
|||||
|
New Customers Only. To qualify, deposit and place a minimum £10 bet on any sport. Then, place two additional qualifying bets, each worth at least 50% of your largest initial stake. Quinnbet will credit your account with a Free Bet up to £25, the following day 18+ T&Cs Apply. Gamble Responsibly. |
|||||
|
New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org. 18+ |
|||||
|
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. |
|||||
|
New UK Customers, 18+. Min. £10 deposit and bet on odds 1/1 or greater required. Extra bets and bonus spins are issued within 24 hours of the qualifying bet being settled. Extra bet valid for 14 days, stake not returned. Bonus spins are valid for 24 hours, only available on the Book of Dead game. Wagering Required on Bonus Spins: x15. Terms and Conditions apply |
|||||
|
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 |
|||||
|
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+. Full T&Cs apply. www.gambleaware.org. |
|||||
|
New sportsbook customers only. Place £10 first bet at min odds 1/2 to get £20 Free Bet. Stake not returned. Free Bet valid 7 days, min odds 1/2. Settled bets only. One welcome offer per customer (not with 50% Net Loss Refund). 18+. Full T&Cs apply. |
|||||
|
18+. New Players Only. Min. £10 deposit and bet on odds 1/1 or greater required. Extra bets and bonus spins are issued within 24 hours of the qualifying bet being settled. Extra bet valid for 14 days, stake not returned. Bonus spins are valid for 24 hours, only available on the Book of Dead game. Terms and Conditions apply. |
|||||
|
#AD | Welcome bonus for new players only | Maximum bonus is 100% up to £100 | Min. deposit is £10 | No max cash out | Wagering is 40x bonus | Maximum bet with an active bonus is £5 | Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse | Skrill & Neteller deposits excluded for welcome bonus | Cashback when offered, applies to deposits where no bonus is included | Cashback is cash with no restrictions | T&C's apply |Free bet: Min odds: 2.0 - Free bet value will be deducted from free bet winnings | 18+ | BeGambleAware.org | Gambling is addictive, please gamble responsibly! |
