Understanding Sports Odds

Identify the sort of line you’re looking at. All online sports books give you the chance to have your traces at an”American” or”Money line” variant. I would use this as my regular, if I were you. An”American” line uses either a + or – before a number to indicate odds. So a -120 and a +120 are two very different chances on a team… I will explain the differences shortly. Two other less common variations exist: decimal odds and fractional chances.
Briefly:
–Fractional odds are seen in racing. A 10/1 payout ought to be read”$10 paid for every $1 wagered.” When the bigger number is on the left, you’ll find that bet is generally an underdog in the race. Also note, however, that if for example”Who will win the Super Bowl in the NFL?” You may see all the teams recorded as”underdogs”… i.e. paying 2/1 (some around 300/1 or more).
Identify your favorite. Lines with a – until the number (i.e. -200) signal the preferred. A -200 should be read as:”For each $200 wagered, I win $100.” When there’s a negative signal, the line should be read with relation to 100. That does not mean that you have to bet that far, it’s just easiest to comprehend! When a + signal is present, just undo the reading, constantly in reference to 100:
Cases:
1) -150: For every $150 wagered, I win $100 ($50 wagered would win $25).
2) +300: For every $100 wagered, I win $300 ($50 wagered will acquire $150).
3) 100 (can be either +/): For every $100 wagered, I win $100 ($50 wagered will win $50).
4) Most commonly: -110: For every $110 wagered, I win $100.
You see”4″ most often because the additional $10 you have to bet to win $100 is called the”juice” the books keep as a charge for making the line that is available to you.
The most important thing you can teach yourself on is:”Only because the books assign one side to be the preferred (even large, -200 or even -300, favorites), does not follow they will win.” We’ve got all seen favorites get mad, and it’s important to avoid the temptation of finding comfort in the fact that the lines makers place one group as a favored.