Learn More about Sports Gambling Odds

When considering making a bet on your favorite sports teams it is important to know sports gambling odds. If you are going to be successful at sports betting consider these sports gambling tips to help in your climb to the top. One of the greatest things about choosing an online sports book is that you will be able to bet on games taking place throughout the world. However, the advantages and edges for the games may be presented in an unfamiliar way. Simply put, all they are is a method of indicating the chance of winning the bet.

American Odds

American odds are quite popular among sportsbooks throughout the United States. These figures are sometimes referred to as the money line. They are calculated by showing the amount of money a person would have to bet in order to win $100. For example, if the odds for an event are -110, a person would need to bet $110 to win $100. There are also the underdog figures to consider. If your team is the underdog in a particular game and the casino offers +240 and you place a bet of $100, you will win the original bet of $100 plus $240 if your team comes through with a win.

Fractions

In the United Kingdom, fractions here are quite popular. Fractional numbers are also used in horse racing. This type of odd points out the total that a person will be paid should they win based on their stake. For example, odds of 5/1 indicate that a bettor can win $100 on a bet of $20. If the odds are 1/5 a bettor will make $4 from a $20 stake.

Decimals

In Canada, Australia, and Europe decimals are very popular. These are also the easiest type of numbers to understand. Many online sports books provide bettors with the option of seeing the sports gambling odds for a particular game in decimal form. With the decimal, a bettor will know exactly how much they will be paid should their bet win. Essentially, decimals are equal to the decimal value of their fractional counterparts.

A Comparison

In order to understand the differences, here is a simple comparison of the three. The New England Patriots are provided with a +250 in American terms, 5/2 when it is depicted as a fraction, and 3.5 when written as a decimal. One of the best sports gambling tips out there is to always understand the difference and be able to do an immediate conversion when necessary.