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Betting School

Spread Betting Guide – here to grant you wisdom

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Genie spread betting

Welcome to the Realm of Spread Betting! Greetings, mortal! I, the Genie, have heard your call and I’m here to grant you wisdom via this spread betting guide. Unlike traditional betting, where you simply pick a winner or a specific outcome, spread betting is an intricate art—a thrilling dance where your rewards (or losses) depend on how right (or wrong) your prediction is. No more fixed odds here—everything is fluid, much like the magic I conjure!

In this enchanted realm, your success comes not just from being right, but how right you are. Now, allow me to unveil the mysteries of spread betting!

What is Spread Betting?

Ah, let’s begin with the basics, my curious friend. Spread betting is a type of wagering where the size of your win (or loss) depends on the accuracy of your prediction against a bookmaker’s “spread” (or line). The bookmaker predicts a range of possible outcomes, and you bet whether the result will be higher or lower than that range.

In essence, you’re betting on the margin rather than a fixed outcome. You win more if the result is significantly better than the spread, but beware—losses can mount just as quickly if things go against you.

How Does Spread Betting Work?

Picture this: You’re betting on the total number of goals in a football match. The bookmaker’s spread is 2.5 – 3.0. This means they believe the total number of goals scored will fall between 2.5 and 3.0. Now, here’s where the magic happens.

Buying the Spread:

If you think there will be more goals, you “buy” the spread at the high end (3.0). For every goal over 3, your winnings multiply. But for every goal under 3, your losses grow.

Example: You buy at 3.0 for £10 per point. The match ends with 5 goals—2 more than the spread. Your reward?
2 points × £10 = £20 profit.
However, if there were only 2 goals, you would lose:
1 point × £10 = £10 loss.

Selling the Spread:

If you believe there will be fewer goals, you “sell” the spread at the lower end (2.5). If fewer goals are scored, your profit increases. But if more goals are scored than you expected, your losses pile up.

Example: You sell at 2.5 for £10 per point. The match ends with just 1 goal—1.5 points below the spread. Your prize?
1.5 points × £10 = £15 profit.
But if the match ends with 4 goals, you’d lose:
1.5 points × £10 = £15 loss.

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Spread betting guide – key terms

In this magical world, knowledge is power. Here are some key terms you’ll need to understand to thrive:

1. The Spread:

This is the bookmaker’s prediction range for an event’s outcome. Your goal is to decide if the actual result will be higher or lower than this spread.

2. Buy (Going Long):

When you think the result will be higher than the bookmaker’s upper limit, you “buy” the spread. The more the result exceeds the spread, the more you win. But beware—if the result falls short, your losses multiply just as quickly.

3. Sell (Going Short):

When you believe the result will be lower than the bookmaker’s lower limit, you “sell” the spread. Your profit grows as the result dips below the spread, but the opposite is true if the result exceeds expectations.

4. Point:

This refers to the unit by which the result differs from the spread. Your winnings (or losses) are calculated per point above or below the spread.

Examples of spread betting markets

Now that you understand the basic mechanics, let’s dive into the different types of spread betting markets that await you in this realm.

1. Football Spread Betting:

Football offers endless opportunities for spread betting. Some of the most popular markets include:

  • Total Goals: The bookmaker sets a spread for the total number of goals in a match. You buy if you think there will be more, or sell if you think there will be fewer.Example: The spread is 2.5–3.0 goals. You buy at 3.0 for £10. If the game ends with 4 goals, you win £10 per goal over the spread. If only 2 goals are scored, you lose £10 per goal under.
  • Corners: Another popular market where you predict the total number of corners in a match. The bookmaker sets the spread, and you decide if there will be more or fewer corners.
  • Bookings (Yellow and Red Cards): This market allows you to bet on the number of bookings (yellow and red cards) in a match.Example: The spread is 30–34 booking points (10 points for a yellow card, 25 for a red). You buy at 34 if you expect a heated match, or sell at 30 if you expect calm gameplay.

2. Cricket Spread Betting Guide:

Cricket, with its long games and intricate stats, is tailor-made for spread betting. Common markets include:

  • Runs in an Innings: Predict the total number of runs in a team’s innings and bet against the spread.Example: The spread for Australia’s first innings is 320–330. You sell at 320 if you think they’ll struggle to score, or buy at 330 if you expect them to rack up runs.
  • Wickets in a Session: Predict the number of wickets to fall in a specific session of play.
  • Player Runs: Bet on how many runs an individual player will score in an innings.

3. Horse Racing Spread Betting Guide:

Even the fast-paced world of horse racing has spread betting opportunities:

  • Winning Distance: Predict the margin by which the winning horse will triumph over its rivals.Example: The spread is 1.5–2.0 lengths. If you expect a close race, you might sell at 1.5. If you expect a runaway victory, you might buy at 2.0.
  • Favourites Index: This is a points-based system where the top horses in each race are awarded points based on their finish. You can bet on the total points a favourite will accumulate.

Spread Betting Risks

Before we continue….

Genie’s reminder: spread betting can be risky. Unlike fixed-odds betting, where your potential loss is capped, spread betting can lead to significant losses if the outcome strays far from the spread. It’s not for beginners.

For example, if you sell at 2.5 goals in a football match and the final score is 5-4 (9 goals total), your losses could multiply quickly. Always be aware of the risks and manage your stakes wisely.

Spread Betting Guide – how it compares to Fixed-Odds Betting:

To truly grasp the essence of spread betting, let’s compare it to traditional fixed-odds betting:

  • Fixed-Odds Betting: You place a bet on a specific outcome at predetermined odds. Your profit (or loss) is fixed once the result is known.Example: You bet £10 on Manchester United to win at 2/1 odds. If they win, you receive £20 profit. If they lose, you lose your £10 stake—simple!
  • Spread Betting: Your stake varies with the outcome’s margin of victory (or defeat). Your winnings (or losses) grow based on how much the result deviates from the spread.Example: You bet £10 per point that there will be over 3 goals in a match. If the match ends 5-0, you win £20. But if it ends 1-0, you lose £20.

The Magic of Risk Management in spread betting

In the realm of spread betting, managing risk is essential. Set a stop-loss (a pre-determined level at which you’ll close your bet to prevent further losses), and only bet what you’re willing to lose. As your Genie, I advise caution—fortune can favor the bold, but it also rewards the wise.

Final Wishes on Spread Betting

And there you have it, brave punter—a complete guide to the enchanted world of spread betting. With this knowledge in hand, you’re prepared to venture into a market where your skill and intuition play a larger role than luck alone.

Whether you’re betting on football goals, cricket runs, or the winning margin in horse racing, spread betting offers endless excitement. But remember, tread carefully—while the rewards can be plentiful, the risks can also be steep.

May your bets be sharp and your spreads fall in your favor. Until we meet again, may the Genie’s magic guide your hand in every wager!

Enhanced Odds Explained – pump the price and boost your payout

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enhanced odds explained


Welcome, fellow punter. Today, we’re going to unravel the concept of enhanced odds. If you’ve seen bookmakers offering special promotions where odds seem higher than usual, you’ve encountered enhanced odds. But what exactly are they, and how can they work to your advantage? Let’s break it down in Genie’s enhanced odds explained guide.

What Are Enhanced Odds?

At its core, enhanced odds (also known as price boosts or price pumps) are promotions that temporarily increase the payout odds for a specific bet. This gives punters the chance to win more than they would under the standard odds, usually on popular sporting events, racing, or high-interest markets.

For example, if you normally see odds of 2/1 for a team to win, a bookmaker might offer 5/1 as part of an enhanced odds promotion. The opportunity? Same bet, but a much better reward if your bet wins!

Alternatively, some of the larger bookies also have price boost features built into their apps, whereby you can qualify for a limited number of odds boosts. They do this to win your business and to retain you for longer by hooking you on boosts. Boosted odds can offer a great opportunity for punters that do their homework to compare boosted prices versus non-boosted/enhanced odds elsewhere.

How Do Enhanced Odds Work?

The mechanics are straightforward. Bookmakers will boost the potential return on certain bets, typically for a limited time or on limited markets and bet types only. You place your bet like any other, but the payout is based on the enhanced odds rather than the regular ones.

Here’s how it typically works:

  1. Find the Promotion or boost feature: Bookmakers often promote enhanced odds on the homepage or within specific sports markets, or they may highlight a price boost feature in their promotions section or even the bet slip once you add your selection.
  2. Place Your Bet: Once you’ve found a boosted odds offer, follow the instructions—some might require you to opt-in or select to boost your odds, while others automatically apply the enhanced odds once you place your bet.
  3. Win More: If your bet is successful, the enhanced odds payout will apply, which means you’ll receive a greater return than you would have from standard odds.

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Why Do Bookmakers Offer Enhanced Odds?

From the bookmaker’s perspective, enhanced odds are a way to attract you. They serve as promotional tools to entice new customers or engage and retain existing bettors by offering a better deal than usual.

  • Attracting New Customers: Enhanced odds are commonly used in sign-up offers, providing new punters with better value as an incentive to open an account. Country based restrictions apply. In some countries like Australia, sign up offers have recently been restricted. But punters can qualify for boosts after joining.
  • Boosting Interest in Events: For major sporting events like the Champions League or Grand Slam finals, bookmakers will enhance odds to drive engagement and encourage betting.
  • Encouraging Ongoing Bets: Even regular punters may be swayed to bet on enhanced odds, particularly when they’re linked to high-profile matches or significant players. Price boost features have been developed to hook into the perception of value.

Genie’s tip: Be wary of a price boost feature hooking you on the perception of value. Do your homework and check if you can get a better price elsewhere.

Types of Enhanced Odds Promotions

There are different types of enhanced odds offers. Understanding how they work can help you make the most of them.

1. New Customer Offers:

These promotions are often reserved for new sign-ups, with bookmakers offering dramatically enhanced odds for a specific outcome.

Example: A bookmaker offers enhanced odds of 8/1 for a new customer betting on a football team to win, instead of the normal 5/1 odds.

2. Daily Price Boosts:

Many bookmakers provide regular enhanced odds on selected events, available to existing customers. Often, the larger bookies have built a price boost feature that you can see in the bet slip or the promotions section of the app. These price boosts typically feature higher odds for popular markets like football, tennis, or horse racing.

Example: Odds on a player to score first in a football match are boosted from 4/1 to 6/1 for a limited period before kick-off.

3. Enhanced Accumulators:

These apply to accumulator (multi-leg) bets. Either specific accumulators are boosted, or a percentage of extra profit is added to your winning returns based on the number of selections.

Note: Remember that bookies expect to lock in a high margin on acca bets. So even if they boost a multi, they’ll be doing so with the expectation to still lock in significant profit.

4. Combination Boosts:

Bookmakers sometimes boost odds on specific outcomes happening together in the same game, such as a team winning and a particular player scoring. In recent years, this has become known as a same game multi. Only the larger bookies typically have the capability of offering same game multis, so don’t expect that type of boost if you’re punting with a smaller bookie.

Things to Consider – Enhanced Odds Explained

Enhanced odds may seem like an easy win, but they come with certain conditions. Here’s what to watch out for:

1. Wager Limits:

Enhanced odds offers typically have a maximum bet limit. While the odds may be tempting, you may only be able to stake a small amount (such as £1 or £5) at the boosted price.

2. Free Bet Returns:

In some cases, winnings from enhanced odds promotions are paid out as free bets rather than cash. This is important to check before placing your bet, as free bets can only be used on future wagers and some bookies enforce further T&C’s on the free bets.

3. Time-Sensitive Offers:

Enhanced odds promotions are often time-limited, especially for major events. Make sure you act quickly to take advantage of the offer before it expires.

Enhanced Odds Explained – how do they differ from regular odds?

In terms of value, enhanced odds are almost always worth considering if you were already planning to place a bet on that market. You’ll be staking the same amount of money, but with the potential for a higher return.

Let’s compare:

  • Regular Odds Example: You bet $10 on a team to win at 3/1 odds. If they win, you’ll collect $30 in profit.
  • Enhanced Odds Example: The bookmaker boosts the odds to 6/1. If the team wins, your profit jumps to $60 for the same $10 bet.

It’s clear that, when offered, enhanced odds provide a better return for the same outcome. However, always factor in any limitations such as maximum stakes or how winnings are credited and check if you can get a better price elsewhere.

Maximising the Value of Enhanced Odds

To make the most of these offers, keep these tips in mind:

  1. Stay Informed: Keep an eye out for promotions, particularly during big events when bookmakers are likely to offer enhanced odds.
  2. Check Terms & Conditions: Always read the fine print. Some promotions cap the amount you can stake, or pay out a portion of the winnings as free bets.
  3. Time Your Bets: Enhanced odds are often short-lived. If you’re planning to bet on a match or event, try to catch these promotions before they expire.

Enhanced odds explained – Genie’s final thoughts

Enhanced odds are a useful tool for getting more value from your bets. By offering higher potential returns without increasing the risk, they’re an easy win—provided you understand the terms and conditions that come with them.

When used strategically, enhanced odds can be a great way to maximize your returns, especially on events you already plan to bet on. Keep an eye out for the best offers, and remember—bet wisely and within your limits.

That’s your guide to enhanced odds explained from the Genie. Stay informed, bet smart to maximise the value, bet responsibly, and make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.

Bookmaker Risk Control – strategies bookies use to maximise their profit

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Like any business a bookmaker needs to control their risk. Doing this as a bookmaker can be a bit more complex than for most businesses because there are thousands to people like you trying to take their money off them. In order to manage risk they use risk control systems, namely a combination of ARC, Customer Risk Categorisation and Stake Factor. Genie’s bookmaker risk control post covers the key info you need to be aware of.

Automatic Risk Control – A.R.C.

Automatic risk control refers to the computer system that all good fixed odds bookmakers use to control the liability that they open themselves up to on any given event. It is an essential piece of kit for any online bookmaker as it avoids the risk of getting completely taken to the cleaners if they offer an incorrect price or if someone knows something that they don’t.

Key Terms:


Max Book Loss (MBL)
The maximum amount that the bookmaker is willing to potentially lose on an event. It represents the level of liability that they are open to on any one selection in a market

Max Singles Takeout (MST)
The amount of money that the bookmaker will allow any 1 person to win on a selection in a market. The MST applies to single bets only.

Max Multiples Takeout (MMT)
The amount of money that the bookmaker will allow any 1 person to win with a multiple bet that includes a selection in this market.

The level of liability is normally dictated first and foremost by trading policy of a bookmaker. A larger bookmaker is generally willing to open itself up to a greater degree of liability than a small bookmaker. This may be because they have been around a bit longer and have good alerting tools and more confidence in their traders or because they have a better customer risk categorisation policy in place.

The other key factor in the level of risk that a bookmaker is willing to take is the type of event in question. For example a bookmaker may be willing to set a MBL of £250,000 for a Premier League football game with a MST of £50,000 whereas on a Blue Square Premier League match they may set the MBL at £10,000 and the MST at £1,000. The reason behind it is pretty straightforward – all of the info that a bookie has at his disposal is the same as what you have access to. A football trader would find it difficult to keep up with team news from a lower league team but he may be all to aware that the goalkeeper might be your cousin and he told you that half the team contracted swine flu. They would also be wary of allowing a liability on lower paid levels of the game where the temptation for the players to cheat for £50k may be quite a bit higher.

Golf is an excellent example of how the bookmakers use ARC to manage their risk. Firstly they will set a MBL at the overall book level. This applies to all selections initially but on any 1 selection they may allow a higher or lower liability.

Here is a table that may help you to better understand.

The market is assigned the following default overview limits:

  • MBL of £100,000
  • MST of £15,000
  • MMT of £50,000
Player

Odds



MBL



MST



MMT


Tiger Woods

2/1

 

 

 

Phil Mickelson

11/1

 

 

 

Padraig Harrington

16/1

200000

5000

20000

Sergio Garcia

16/1

250000

 

 

Vijay Singh

25/1

 

 

 

Ernie Els

33/1

 

 

 

Kenny Perry

33/1

50000

5000

20000

Lee Westwood

40/1

 

 

 

Angel Cabrera

100/1

 

 

 

Tom Watson

2500/1

500000

100000

250000

Etc…

 

 

 

 

Any of the fields in the above table that remain blank are set to the overview limits. This means that the bookmaker is willing to take a liability of up to £100k on Tiger Woods, Mickelson, Singh, Els, Westwood and Cabrera.

They may have a lot of patriotic Irish punters so they decide to take a bit more risk on Harrington because they know lots of people will bet on him. However to continue to allow a lot of people to bet they have decided to reduce the MST to £5k and the MMT to £20k.

The trader reckons that Sergio Garcia is not going to play well this week so he is willing to take a bit more money on Garcia. For example other bookies may be offering a lower price of say 12/1 but this trader thinks that Sergio will have a bad week so he offers higher odds than any other bookmaker on Garcia to attract more bets. In order to accommodate the expected extra bets he has to open up the potential liability to £250k.

Similarly he fancies that Kenny Perry has a good chance of winning this week. He still wants to have a balanced book and offer a competitive price but he may adjust the amount that he is willing to lose on Kenny (MBL to £50k, MST to £5k and MMT to £20k).

Because Tom Watson is such high odds the bookmaker feels the need to raise the liability in order to accept a reasonable sized bet from the customer.

The bookmaker will continue to adjust the limits during the lifetime of the market. They will always be aware of their liabilities and may adjust a MBL on one player if they see that the potential loss is getting close to the current MBL. This is so that they can continue to take bets.

If the max book loss is reached then any further attempted bets on that selection will be rejected.

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Customer Risk Categorisation – how bookies use it to control risk

Not every customer that signs up to a bookmaker has their betting patterns scrutinised but when you start betting at a certain level or if you start to win off the bookmaker they will analyse your play and put you into a certain category of punter. The categories vary across different bookmakers but they generally cover the same ‘group’, namely;

New – By default a new sign up will be identified as a new customer.

Monitored – When a customer has made a few bob but the bookie is trying to work out whether you were just lucky or whether you really know what you’re doing.

Good – A customer who is doing better than the average punter. This customer will continue to be monitored and any bets of a certain size may be referred to a trader before being accepted.

Hot – A customer that is beating the bookmaker. The bookmaker can use a number of tools at their disposal to restrict how much you can bet.

Arber – A customer who is continuously betting on prices that are better than those available on other bookmakers or betting exchange will stand out as a probable arber. Once you are identified as an arber the amount that you are able to bet will be very low (maybe even zero). Bookmakers cannot beat arbers in the long term so naturally they will cut them off as soon as they can.

VIP – A customer who bets a lot and is not very good at gambling (i.e. lose a lot of money) will be identified as a VIP. The VIP will generally be allowed to bet more than the average punter by adjusting their stake factor upwards.

Stake Factor – it’s use in bookmaker risk control

The MBL, MST and MMT are all important but some customers are allowed to win more than others and some punters are restricted to only being able to win small amounts. How the bookmakers do this for an individual customer is through their stake factor.

The stake factor is the multiple of the regular maximum bet that an individual punter is allowed to have.

By default a new customer is given a stake factor of 1. This means that they can continue to bet at the same level as 90% of all customers. If the MST on a selection in a market is £10k then the most that you can win on a win single bet is £10k.

If you are a punter who bets high stakes and loses quite a bit of money then there is a fair chance that your stake factor will be increased. So for example if your stake factor is raised to 3 and the MST on the market is £10k then the most that you can win on a win single bet is £30k (3*£10k).

If you are a punter who likes to bet high but beats the bookie then they might reduce your stake factor. For example if your stake factor is reduced to 0.1 and the MST is £10k then the maximum that you will be allowed to win on any win single bet is £1k.

That is a high level overview. The modern bookmaking systems are very sophisticated and allow the bookmaker to reduce stake factor for certain sports and not others or allow you to bet on certain betting markets but not others.

Other Bookmaker Risk Control Mechanisms

Along with these main risk control strategies a modern online bookmaker will also employ the services of companies like Bet Radar. Bet Radar track all of the bookmakers prices and will alert them to any time that their odds are out of line with those available on Betfair. Once the trading team has been alerted they can choose to adjust their odds or to keep their price at the same level.

The type of alert generated depends on how far out of line you are with Betfair. If the price is 5 times of that available on Betfair for example the Bet Radar sytem will issue a high level alert to the bookmaker as it is quite obvious that they have made a mistake in their pricing.

The terms and conditions of most bookmaker sites, as well as attempting to cure insomnia, are pretty comprehensive and allow them to cancel a bet that has been placed where an obvious pricing error has occurred. On the face of it this might seem like a scam but it is a very reasonable position as the traders entering the prices are only human and therefore error prone. Any adjustment or cancellation can be challenged by the punter (at no expense) with the regulatory body of the bookmaker (changes as per the jurisdiction of the company).

Overround (Betting Margin) Explained

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Bookmaker’s Overround

Bookmakers are profit making businesses. To keep them profitable they need to write in a certain amount of margin into each market they offer prices on. An overround of 110% means that the customer must stake a total of €110 spread out over all the selections to guarantee himself a return of €100 regardless of the result. In this way the bookmaker expects to make a profit of €10 for every €110 turnover.

We will first look at how margin is calculated:
For odds displaying in the fractional form X/Y the margin on this is calculated using the formula Y/(X+Y). e.g. the margin on 6/4 = 4/(6+4) = 4/10 = 40%.

For odds displaying in the decimal format this calculation is even easier as you just divide 1 by the decimal and display as a percentage. e.g. the margin on 2.5 (this is the decimal form of 6/4) is 1/(2.5) = 40%.

So if a bookmaker offers odds on a 3-way market with odds on the 3 selections of 1/1 (=50%), 2/1 (=33.33%) and 3/1 (=25%). This results in an overround of 108.33%.

The size of the overround depends on the number of selections and how high profile the event is. These can range from approximately 104% for the Superbowl match betting, 106% for Premier League Soccer match betting, 111% on lower profile soccer leagues, 125% on greyhound races with 6 selections, 130% on soccer correct score market to in the region of 160% on a golf tournament with over 100 golfers. The higher the overround the more margin the bookmakers expect to make from a market, making it increasingly difficult for the bettor to have a profitable bet.

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Fractional and decimal odds margin chart

Please see Genie’s chart that converts prices from fractional to decimal odds and displaying the margins on these odds.

FRACTIONAL ODDSDECIMAL ODDSMARGIN
1/1001.0199.01%
1/661.0298.51%
1/501.0298.04%
1/331.0397.06%
1/251.0496.15%
1/201.0595.24%
1/161.0694.12%
1/121.0892.31%
1/101.1090.91%
1/91.1190.00%
1/81.1388.89%
1/71.1487.50%
1/61.1785.71%
1/51.2083.33%
2/91.2281.82%
1/41.2580.00%
2/71.2977.78%
3/101.3076.92%
1/31.3375.00%
4/111.3673.33%
2/51.4071.43%
4/91.4469.23%
1/21.5066.67%
8/151.5365.22%
4/71.5763.64%
8/131.6261.90%
2/31.6760.00%
8/111.7357.89%
4/51.8055.56%
5/61.8354.55%
10/111.9152.38%
1/12.0050.00%
11/102.1047.62%
6/52.2045.45%
5/42.2544.44%
13/102.3043.48%
11/82.3842.11%
7/52.4041.67%
3/22.5040.00%
8/52.6038.46%
13/82.6338.10%
17/102.7037.04%
7/42.7536.36%
9/52.8035.71%
15/82.8834.78%
2/13.0033.33%
21/103.1032.26%
11/53.2031.25%
9/43.2530.77%
23/103.3030.30%
12/53.4029.41%
5/23.5028.57%
13/53.6027.78%
11/43.7526.67%
14/53.8026.32%
3/14.0025.00%
16/54.2023.81%
10/34.3323.08%
7/24.5022.22%
15/44.7521.05%
4/15.0020.00%
9/25.5018.18%
5/16.0016.67%
11/26.5015.38%
6/17.0014.29%
13/27.5013.33%
7/18.0012.50%
15/28.5011.76%
8/19.0011.11%
9/110.0010.00%
10/111.009.09%
11/112.008.33%
12/113.007.69%
14/115.006.67%
16/117.005.88%
18/119.005.26%
20/121.004.76%
22/123.004.35%
25/126.003.85%
28/129.003.45%
33/134.002.94%
40/141.002.44%
50/151.001.96%
66/167.001.49%
80/181.001.23%
100/1101.000.99%
125/1126.000.79%
150/1151.000.66%
200/1201.000.50%
250/1251.000.40%
300/1301.000.33%
400/1401.000.25%
500/1501.000.20%
750/1751.000.13%
1000/11001.000.10%

Betting Odds Explained

· ·

Fractional odds

Those of you from UK or from Ireland will be most familiar with fractional betting odds. Fractional odds display the amount of profit that you will stand to win relative to your stake

N.B. – If a selection has odds of 6/1 this means that we are saying it has a 1 in 7 chance of winning, not a 1 in 6.

The fractional odds assigned to a selection are determined by the expected chance it has of winning so if we believe something to have a 25% chance of winning it will be 3/1… meaning that it has a 1 in 4 chance of winning.

Example 1: If you be £2 at fractional odds of 5/2 then you stand to make a profit of £5 (you will also get the original stake of £2 back meaning a total return of £7).

Example 2: with fractional odds of 1/3 you will need to stake £3 in order to make a profit of £1.

Fractional Odds * Stake = Winnings

Decimal odds

Decimal odds are more commonly used outside of the UK and Ireland.

Unlike fractional odds, decimal odds are displayed in such a way that the stake multiplied by the odds is equal to the total returns.

Decimal odds are always displayed to 2 decimal places.

To decide upon the decimal odds of a selection we also have to firstly consider it’s prospective chances of winning. If again we say that it has a 25% chance of winning then we use the formula;

100/(% chance of winning) = decimal odds

in this case

100/25 = 4.00

Decimal Odds * Stake = Returns

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US odds

Most of us Europeans aren’t too familiar with US Odds display but you may come across it from time to time so you might as well know what it all means.

There are 2 types of US Odds and you will need to understand both:

1)     Positive US Odds: When the price is Evens or higher (the selection has 50% or less chance of winning).

2)     Negative US Odds: When the price is lower than Evens (the selection has a greater than 50% chance of winning).

Positive US odds can be distinguished by the ‘+’ sign displayed before the number. They show the amount that you would stand to win (profit) for a 100 stake… so, as with the above example of a 25% chance of winning, the US odds in this case are +300

Negative US odds are distinguishable by the ‘-‘ sign before the odds. The number shows the amount that the punter needs to bet in order win 100… so, for example, if Liverpool have a 75% chance of winning their match then the fractional odds would be 1/3 and the decimal odds would be 1.33. The US odds would be -300.

GENIE SAYS: If you are still a little confused about betting odds then why not contact us with any of your questions.

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