Betting odds explained | A guide for beginners [2024]

In order to have sports betting odds explained, we must understand what these numbers stand for. Odds are among the most common betting terms and learning how to read soccer odds is the first thing for prospective punters. The bet odds can be expressed in different formats, but they all reflect the ratio between the risk and reward. Understanding odds in sports is simple, as high odds reflect greater risks and bigger potential winnings. The low odds vs high odds analysis will convince risk-averse punters to stick to low odds, while those who hunt bigger profits will take the chance of bigger odds.

Now that you have the basic notions on how to understand betting odds, we can move a step further. It is time to look at how betting odds work and what American, fractional, decimal and Vegas odds mean. This will help you learn how to get max value when betting on sports and estimate the implied probability and EVS betting odds each time you gamble.

How fractional odds work?

If you want to have the English betting odds explained, you need to look at fractional odds. They are expressed using the “slash (/)” or a “hyphen (-)” and look like this: 5/1. In order to learn how to place a bet online using fractional odds, you should understand how profits are calculated. For this example, if you bet $10, at odds of 5/1, you will end up winning $60, out of which $50 are the profit.

How do decimal odds work?

The easiest betting odds explanation is for decimal odds, which are used the most often. These will also help you with having the Asian betting odds explained, as they are also used in this part of the world. To use a similar example, if you bet $10 at odds of 6.00, you will win $60, out of which $50 is the profit.

How American odds work? 

Having American betting odds explained is vital to understand how do Vegas odds work. That’s because this is the system used in the US, with odds for favorites implying a “-“ sign (negative odds), while betting on underdogs will have a “+” sign (positive odds). If you bet $10 at odds of +500, you will win $60 out of which the profit is $50.

How do Vegas odds work?

Once you have the American betting odds table explain, you won’t have to worry about Vegas odds. That’s because they are essentially the same, it is just that they are set by bookmakers in Vegas. The same system is used, so once you have NFL betting odds explained, you won’t have to waste more time to have the baseball betting odds explained again.

Having the bookmakers odds explained is important, but not sufficient to be successful. You need to know how to choose the best value, each time you place a wager. Bookmakers use odds shortening to adjust the value based on how the market moves. If many people bet on the same outcome the odds will drop, so you are asked to accept all odds movement when betting. One cool trick is to bet on favorites as soon as the odds are posted and on underdogs as close as possible to kickoff.

If you want to learn how to win football accumulators, you should master the low odds betting strategy. Each event on the betting slip must be a winner, so it’s important to keep the risks low. Instead of using an up and down bet, it’s preferable to rely more on draw no bet accumulators. If one selection lets you down, the stakes will be returned, so you are paid less rather than lose the entire amount. Always consider a total or partial cash out of accumulators, if the bookie offers decent values for cash outs.

Get a thorough understanding of the sports you’re betting on. Make sure you have the fight betting sports explained before placing a wager on boxing. Do the same for ice hockey, as the rules are slightly different and you must have the hockey betting odds explained. Understanding horse betting terms is vital when wagering on races, so you need to understand what does bar meaning betting and other specific terms. For football, the BTTS meaning and what does PK mean in betting are important concepts to grasp.

In order to have a decent chance at beating the odds, you first need to understand them. Bookmakers will always have an edge, but you can decrease it by having the sports betting odds explained clearly. The link between risks taken and potential payouts are crystal-clear. The higher the odds, the bigger the potential profits, but so are the chances taken. Risk-averse punters should stick to lower odds, while those who hunt bigger winnings would be wise to take their chance with greater betting odds.