A Breakdown of How to Calculate Decimal Odds

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There are three major types of odds that are used in sports betting: fractional odds, American odds and decimal odds.

Fractional and American odds are usually used mostly in North America, while European markets usually use decimal odds.

All three types of odds - fractional, American and decimal - all say the same thing. The story is just told in a different way.

Decimal odds is likely the easiest type of odds format to use, and it can usually be calcuated in your head.

Let's take a look at some decimal odds.

First off, the simplest: 2.00.

The 2.00 decimal odds mean that the outcome is a pure coin flip - if you get it right, you get a 100% return on your money.

In fractional odds, the 2.00 would be expressed as 1/1, and in American odds, it would be +100.

All three of these things - 2.00, 1/1 and +100 - mean the same thing. You will make a profit of 100% if you are right.

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If the decimal odds are under 2.00, this means that the outcome is a favourite.

Decimal odds can NEVER be less than 1.00, as that would mean that you would lose money if you bet!

For instance, if the decimal odds for an event was 1.50, you would receive a 50% profit on your wager.

So, if you bet $100, you would receive $150 back - your original $100 bet, plus $50 in profit.

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If the odds are greater than 2.00 in the decimal format, this means that the outcome is an underdog to happen.

For instance - let's say that your favourite team is 3.50 to win a game.

This means that if you bet $100 on them at 3.50, you would receive $350 back if they win - your original $100 wager returned, plus $250 in total profit.

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Sportsbooks will let you toggle between different odds formats on their sites, so if there is an odds format that you are comfortable with, make sure that you change your settings.