Understanding Sports Odds

Posted September 11, 2019

Identify the sort of line you are taking a look at. All online sports books offer you the chance to get your traces at an”American” or”Money line” version. If I had been you, I would use this as my standard. An”American” line utilizes either a + or – before a number to indicate chances. So a -120 and a +120 are two very different chances on a group… I will explain the differences soon. Two other less frequent variations exist: decimal odds and fractional odds.
Briefly:
–Fractional odds are commonly found in hurrying. A 10/1 payout ought to be read”$10 paid for each $1 wagered.” When the bigger number is on the left, then you will find that wager is normally an underdog in the race. Also note, however, that if for example”Who will win the Super Bowl in the NFL?” You will see all of the groups listed as”underdogs”… i.e. paying at least 2/1 (some around 300/1 or longer ).
Identify your preferred. Lines using a – until the amount (i.e. -200) indicate the preferred. A -200 should be read as:”For each $200 wagered, I win $100.” Whenever there’s a negative sign, the line should always be read with relation to 100. That doesn’t mean you have to wager that much, it’s just easiest to comprehend! When a + signal is current, just reverse the scanning, constantly keeping reference to 100:
Cases:
1) -150: For each $150 wagered, I win $100 ($50 wagered will win $25).
2) +300: For every $100 wagered, I win $300 ($50 wagered will win $150).
3) 100 (could be either +/-): For every $100 wagered, I win $100 ($50 wagered would win $50).
4) Most commonly: -110: For every $110 wagered, I win $100.
You see”4″ most often because the extra $10 you need to wager to win $100 is called the”juice” the books keep as a fee for making the lineup available to you.
The most important thing you can educate yourself on is:”Just because the books assign one side to be the preferred (even big, -200 or -300, favorites), does not mean that they will win.” We have all seen favorites get upset, and it’s crucial to avoid the temptation of finding comfort in the fact that the lines makers place one group as a favorite.