The translation between odds formats is not obvious for most punters.
Europeans use a decimal format. Eg. 2.00 2.50 3.00
This shows the total amount that the bet will return for each Euro staked and includes the original stake.
UK punters still use fractions. EG. 1/4, Evens, 2/1
Fractional odds show the projected profit invovled in a bet for every unit staked.
US Bettors use a system that I don’t know the name of. Eg. -110, +100 +500
The US system looks strange at first but with a bit of effort becomes second nature.
The first improtant thing to note is that the initial sign (+ or -) is very important as it implies whether the bet is a favourite (-) or a long shot (+).
If the sign is a – then the number following indicates the amount of money needed to be bet to win $100. So -110 means bet $110 to make $100.
If the sign is a + then the number following indicates the potential profit made from each $100 bet. So +500 means $500 profit on a $100 bet.
Some comparison odds to make it simple (in all three systems) :
A big favourite ========== 1.25 or 1/4 or -400
A slight favourite ======== 1.91 or 10/11 or -110
A double you money bet === 2.00 or 1/1 (also called evens) or +100
An outsider ============ 3.00 or 2/1 or +200
A big outsider ========== 10.00 or 9/1 or +900
I think that the examples show how the systems compare – but my experience on our forum is that novice to medium experienced punters usually only know their local system and are totally confused by the other two.
Quoting bets in all three systems is a good idea for a global audience, which is why you see bookmakers frequently have an odds “toggle’ on their sites.
:hattip: