Football betting lovers always strive to try and apply winning betting strategies in order to maximize their profit. All strategies vary by type, budget and betting markets but there is one thing that is common for all of them – the odds. Generally speaking, you will find odds not only for football betting markets but for all sports betting including NBA, NHL, Golf, UFC/MMA and even Formula 1.

Each sports betting event will have a certain outcome – in the end, there will be a winner and a second-placed team (may vary depending on the sport). However, since all sports are a game of skill, participants have a different chance of winnings. In a simple way, the betting odds represent the chance of a certain outcome to happen. In the next few paragraphs, together we will learn what betting odds mean and how they work, how to read and how to understand football odds.

Bet365 Football Betting Odds

Bet365 is one of the best betting sites not only in the UK but all around the world. The bookie gives you the opportunity to bet on more than hundreds of thousands sports events each year while providing generous odds. At Bet365 you will find hundreds of betting markets to choose from, including Bet Builder that allows you to form your personal bet at extremely high and competitive betting odds.

Since bet365 is a leader in the gaming industry, you can not only place bets on today’s events but also long-term outright betting odds. Have a look at our dedicated odds comparison tool below, featuring outright bets from the biggest football competitions around the world. We update our odds daily and show you only the latest football betting odds. Tap on the event you are interested in and you will be redirected to a dedicated page on our website featuring Title Winner Odds, Top 4 Finish Odds, Promotion Odds, Goalscorer Odds and more.

How do Odds Work in Football and Sports Betting?

But betting odds are just as important on casino games, especially on table games like blackjack and roulette. In fact, on these games, the odds and payouts are one of the first things you need to learn. The simplest odd pairing on roulette, for example, is betting on red or black, odd or even. This bet comes with a payout of 1:1 or simply if. All you have to do is divide the odds to 100% – (100% / 1.25 = 80%). If you think that the chance of Liverpool beating Brighton equals 80% or more than placing that bet will provide value at odds 1.25 or more. In order to calculate winnings, you simply have to multiply your stake to the odds.

Decimal Style Sports Betting Odds Decimal style odds are used mostly in Europe, and are pretty easy to understand. To calculate the decimal style odds all you will need to do is simply multiply the amount you wish to wager by the decimal odds shown and you will get your payout. For example it may look something like this. Thinking of getting into live cricket betting? Click here to understand how cricket betting odds work and the different cricket betting options you have.

In order to understand football betting odds, first, we will have to explain what is a chance. Traditionally, a chance is the possibility of one outcome in a certain event. Usually, we measure the chance in percentages, with the sum of all possible outcomes resulting in 100%. The best football bettors usually have outstanding odds to chance calculation and have no trouble reading betting odds. It is important to remember that in sports betting, the odds don’t add up to 100%. Let me explain that in detail below.

For example, if we flip a coin in the air, there are only two possible outcomes. The coin will land either on heads or on tails. There will be an equal 50% chance of both outcomes to happen. In football betting, the alternative for that type of an event is the Over 2.5 Goals market. Imagine a football game is played between evenly matched opponents. Again, the event has just two outcomes – either there will be three or more goals scored or the game will end with less than three scored goals.

In a perfect world, the probability of both outcomes (Over or Under 2.5 Goals) equals 50%. However, instead of exact odds at 1/1 (2.00), bookies will give you odds of around 9/10 (1.90) because in betting odds don’t equal chance. The margin is used by the bookie to ensure that bettors will not have the opportunity of match betting and also to try and reduce eventually its losses from an unexpected outcome. If you understand how to make odds work in your favour and recalculate the real chance of a certain event to odds, you will find value in your bets and in theory will increase your long-term profit from betting.

Betting Odds Types

There are three different betting odds types accepted by bookies worldwide – Fractional Odds (also known as UK Odds, since they are mostly used in Great Britain), Decimal Odds (popular around Europe) and Moneyline Odds (used in the USA and Canada).

Decimal Odds Explained

Let’s start with the most popular type of odds, the decimal, which we also prefer on our website because of its simplicity. The Decimal odds are prefered by many because they are easy to understand and calculate possible winnings. You will find the decimal odds option as default in most bookmaker around the world, however the most reputable and well-known betting sites like Bet365 allow you to choose your prefered odds type via an option in your profile settings.

Imagine that the bookie offers us odds at 1.25 for our prefered outcome (let’s use Liverpool to win against Brighton). That odds represent 80% chance of that particular outcome to happen, also known as implied probability. The math is not that difficult. All you have to do is divide the odds to 100% – (100% / 1.25 = 80%). If you think that the chance of Liverpool beating Brighton equals 80% or more than placing that bet will provide value at odds 1.25 or more. In order to calculate winnings, you simply have to multiply your stake to the odds. For example, if we place $10 bet at odds 1.25, we will win $12.50, or in other words, our net win will be $2.50.

Fractional Odds Explained

Fractional odds are primarily used by bettors in the United Kingdom and usually set as default betting odds settings in most UK-oriented bookies. If we use the same example as above (1.25 decimal odds), fractional odds will represent 1/4. It is important to remember that fractions quote the potential profit should our bet succeed, relative to the stake, as opposed to the decimal odds.

For example, if our £10 is bet at odds of 1/4 the potential profit is calculated £2.5 ((£10/4) x 1) and the total returned is £12.50 (£2.50 plus the £10 stake). For odds 11/2 the calculation is £55 ((£10/2) x 11) and the total returned is £65 (£55 plus the £10 stake).

Moneyline Odds Explained

Moneyline odds are primarily used in the USA and therefore prefered by North America – oriented bookies. You will rarely see Moneyline odds (also known as American odds) as default in your favourite European bookies. At first glance, money line odds look difficult and tough to read, but in reality, they are not that really different from decimal and fractional odds. The only distinction between them is that American odds are represented by a positive sign (+) and a negative sign (-).

The odds for underdogs are accompanied by the positive sign, while the negative sign is for the favourite. In a simple way, Moneyline odds tell how much you have to stake in order to win 100% of your stake. Let’s use once again our initial example with Liverpool and Brighton. Since Liverpool is a favourite to win it will be represented by a negative sign. Decimal odds at 1.25, equaling to 1/4 in fractional odds, will be visible as -400 Moneyline odds. In order to win $100, we will have to stake $400. If you want to win $10, you will have to place a $40 bet. For each $1 won, you will have to stake $4. As I said, the math is very simple.

If you decide to bet on the underdog, you will have to reverse the calculation. Since the negative Moneyline odds represent how much to bet to win a 100% of our stake, the formula is a bit different (X+100)/X, with X representing the odds. In our example above, Brighton will have +550 Moneyline odds, which means for each $100 staked we will collect $550 if they actually do it. A $10 stake equals $55 profit, a $1 stake will win $5.5, and so on.

Conclusion

As you probably already realised, reading and understanding betting odds is not very complicated. The tricky part is to learn how to make the Implied Probability work in your favour. In order to be successful in football betting, you have to constantly find value bets with odds that are near to the expected possibility of each outcome.

This is not an easy task and requires a lot of hard work for research and years of experience. Our tipster aim to find value bets daily, which you can find at our page dedicated to Today’s Best Football Betting Tips. Placing bets in reputable UK Betting Sites that offer high odds is also necessary in order to maximize your profit.

• Betting odds are used to assess the likelihood of an event happening.
• Less likely events tend to have higher odds and offer a larger reward, while more likely events have a lower risk attached and therefore a lower reward.
• Your winnings depend on how much you wager on a given set of odds.
• Betting odds are seen in a range of formats – they are most commonly seen as fractions but are also sometimes presented as decimals.

A quick introduction to betting odds

Decimal and fraction odds might seem confusing, especially if you’re not familiar with online sports betting and all the betting terms and types. This handy guide is ideal for anyone new to betting, or if you’re struggling to read the odds.

It contains a range of useful tips and tricks that will help you better understand just how betting odds work, so you can choose odds and place your bets with more confidence.

Here, we will highlight:

• The key points of betting odds and what you should look out for.
• How to read betting odds and make them work in your favour.
• Tips and tricks to help you understand betting odds more easily.

What are betting odds?

Betting odds are used to present the likelihood of an outcome, as well as help you understand how much you could win from a bet. They are often written out as a fraction (e.g. 2/1) or a decimal (e.g. 3.0).

Betting odds can be applied to anything that has a set outcome and is often seen in sport, football betting, entertainment, and politics. The odds measure the probability of a certain outcome, such as the result of a sports game or reality TV show, or whether a certain party gets the majority vote in an election.

How do betting odds work?

Betting odds are used to determine probability and calculate the winnings from a bet and are often seen in their decimal or fractional form. Odds are commonly recognised as being even, long, or short.

Even odds

When something is just as likely to happen as not, it is given even odds. These are presented as 1/1 in fractional odds or 2.0 in decimal odds. In this instance, your winnings would be the same as your stake.

For example: In the case of 1/1 odds, you win £1 for every £1 you bet.

Therefore, if you bet £10 you’d win £10, and return £20 in total (your £10 stake plus your £10 winnings).

Long odds

If something is statistically less likely to happen, it is given long odds. This means you have the potential to win more than you would on even odds, but the risk of losing is higher.

For example: In the case of 10/1 long odds (or 11.0 in decimal form), you could win £10 for every £1 you bet, and therefore your winnings exceed your stake.

A winning £10 bet at 10/1 odds would result in £100 winnings plus your £10 stake, therefore returning £110 in total.

Short odds

If something has a higher probability of happening, it is given short odds. While short odds are more likely to happen, the winnings will be smaller, and therefore you’ll need to stake higher amounts for a bigger return.

For example: In the case of 1/10 short odds (1.10 in decimal form), you could win £1 for every £10 you bet.

Therefore, a winning £10 bet would result in £1 in winnings, amounting to a return of £11 (your £1 winnings plus your £10 stake).

How to read betting odds

Betting odds are most commonly presented as a fraction or a decimal in the UK. Moneyline odds, which are common in the US, are also becoming more popular.

Reading odds can be confusing if you’re not familiar with what the different sets of numbers reflect. Here, we explain how to read decimal, fraction, and moneyline odds.

Understanding decimal odds

The simple rule of thumb with decimal betting odds is the bigger the number, the larger the return will be. For example, decimal odds of 3.75 will result in larger winnings than decimal odds of 1.75.

To work out your winnings from decimal odds, simply multiply the odds by your stake. The resulting number reflects both your winnings and your stake.

For example: If you bet £10 on odds of 3.75, you would return £37.50 – this means you’ll have won £27.50 (£37.50 – your £10 stake).

Understanding fractional odds

Fractional odds are a more traditional way of displaying odds in the UK. Appearing in fraction form (e.g. 2/1), you must first work out your winnings and then add on your stake to determine your total return.

How Do Betting Odds Payout

The best way to calculate your returns from fractional odds is to follow a formula:

((stake/second number) x first number) + stake = total returns

This might look complicated, but we promise it will make sense when you plug your numbers in.

For example: If you bet £10 on a 5/2 bet, your calculation would look like:

((£10/2) x 5) + £10) = £35

For longer odds with a larger return, look out for odds where the first half of the fraction is larger than the second half.

For example Odds of 5/1 will return greater winnings than odds of 1/5. If you were to stake £10 on odds of 5/1, then your return would be £60. However, if you were to stake £10 on odds of 1/5, your return would only be £12.

Understanding moneyline odds

Moneyline odds are often used in the US when betting on American sports, but they are becoming more common in Britain. They are presented as a plus (+) or minus (-) figure.

The moneyline shows you how much you have to bet to win £100.

For example: If you are presented with odds of +200, then your return (if you stake £100) will be £300 (your £200 winnings plus your £100 stake).

If you are presented odds of -200 (because this event is more likely) you will have to stake £200 to return £300 (your £200 stake plus £100 winnings).

To calculate the potential payout from a moneyline bet, simply follow this formula

stake x (odds/100) + stake = total returns

For example: If you are presented with odds of +200 and you bet £5, your formula would look like:

£5 x (200/100) + £5 = £15 total returns

Converting decimal odds to fractions

Converting decimal betting odds to fractions takes a bit of basic maths knowledge.

First, take your decimal odds and subtract 1 from the number.

For example: If you have decimal odds of 3.75, subtract 1 and you are left with 2.75. These are odds of 2.75/1.

Odds need to be made up of whole numbers, so we need to take 2.75 and turn it into a whole number. The easiest way in this instance is to multiply 2.75 by 100 and move the decimal along two places. This gives us 275/100.

From there, we can work our way to finding the smallest equivalent fraction.

How To Read Betting Odds

In this case, we can divide our fraction by 25, leaving us with fractional odds of 11/4 – previously 3.75 when presented as a decimal.

Now that you understand betting odds and how they work, you can begin to use them to your advantage. Browse all the latest sports betting odds or sign up to Grosvenor Casinos today to get started.

How to calculate betting odds return

Using our bet calculator, you can now work out how much a potential bet could return.

The calculator gives you the option to select the bet type, the win odds, your stake, and whether the bet placed will be each way or not.

As well as finding out how much your bet will potentially return, the calculator also gives you the total profit.

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