In sports betting, you need to determine if you’ll get strong figures out of a wager, reading odds is a crucial skill. In addition to that, you should also learn how to calculate payouts properly. Learning so many things before betting on a horse race would be best to increase your chance of winning.
How to Read Horse Race Betting Odds
Learning to read odds is a key first step to becoming a good sports bettor. Everything starts with a thorough grasp of the odds, from deciding how much funds you want to risk to finding out which bets give the most value.
Understanding the Three Types of Sports Odds
The objective of odds, which can be presented in American, Decimal, or Fractional formats, is twofold.
- They provide a signal for the outcome’s implied likelihood.
- They show how much you could win by placing a wager on that result.
Your bookies may influence the odds to encourage bets on a particular side. Because the bookies take a share baked directly into the odds, the total probability for a single event will always be higher than 100%.
How to Read American Odds
Aside from the horse racing odds explained, you must also understand how sports betting odds work and can help you evaluate and select wagering chances that yield the most value.
In gambling, value is a crucial idea. It speaks of the compensation you receive for each dollar wagered. Those who can select the most advantageous situations tend to be the most effective online sports wagers.
Understanding sports betting odds will enable you to spot teams that are undervalued. As a result, they provide a chance of a greater payout with less risk. The distinction between an underdog and an underrated club is substantial. You keep in mind that the underdog is the team or contender that is thought to be unlikely to win. Meanwhile, underrated competitors are those who aren’t given enough recognition for their quality.
Always try to get the greatest odds when placing your sporting bets. You now possess the knowledge required to make better-informed sports wagering decisions. Keep in mind that you can compare odds from several online sportsbooks.
How to Read Decimal Odds in Horse Betting
Positive integers with one or two decimal places represent decimal chances. The smaller number in decimal odds denotes a team’s advantage, whereas the greater number denotes the underdog.
When you search for a race listing at an online betting site, you may see the odds for the major wagers first. That refers to the money line, spread, and overall odds for horse racing and other sports. It will resemble this in some ways.
The odds of this kind will be shown as 2.10, 1.65, 2.82 in a straightforward decimal format. Decimal odds make it simpler for the punter to calculate wins and require a few basic steps:
Decimal odds x wager = wager
Therefore, if you bet $100 on a horse with odds of 2.10, you would determine your profits as follows:
($100 x 2.10) – $100 = $110
The decimal odds system allows you to calculate your potential wins in seconds. This approach is popular with sportsbooks since it can be more accurate.
Reading Fractional Odds
You could occasionally come across fractional odds in wagering on horse racing. These odds are frequently shown as follows:
- 9/5
- 3/2
- 4/1
These seem to be familiar. If you’re used to placing horse wagers online, they certainly will. These fractional odds have traditionally been the norm in horse racing wagering. With other types of sports betting, they are employed far less frequently. They are the least frequent form of odds you will come across.
Fractional odds provide a simple method for calculating implied volatility without delving into too much information. The number to the left of the odds tells you how frequently the online sportsbook anticipates a result failing. The number to the right indicates the frequency with which the outcome is predicted to succeed.
Learn How to Calculate Payouts
Your payout is determined by deducting the successful wager value from the entire pool, dividing the residual pool by the successful bet value, and then adding the winning bet money back in.
The following additional numbers from the betting board must be used to get the precise win odds for a horse:
- Total prize fund
- Sum wagered on that horse
The total amount of the pool represents all wagers made on all horses to win, but it does not represent the sum that will be distributed to holders of winning tickets.
The “take,” which varies by state and is typically between 14 and 20 percent, is subtracted by the track before paying out the winners. With this money, the state and municipal taxes, the horse riders’ wages, the track’s expenses, and its profit are all covered.
Deduct the take from the entire pool and then deduct the amount wagered on your horse to get the precise odds on your horse. This will provide you with the number of funds that will be paid out.
To determine the precise odds, divide that number by the amount wagered on your horse. Before calculating the payoffs, this amount will generally be rounded to the closest dime (or nickel, as applicable). Here is a straightforward example of calculating win odds:
Pool Total: $900
$300 was wagered on horse no. 1.
15% as a take.
Nine hundred dollars less 15% equals 765 dollars.
$300 less than $765 equals $465.
$300 minus $465 equals $1.55.
Rounding this figure to $1.50 for breakage results in odds of 1.5-1 or 3-2, as it is typically expressed, and a $5 payout on a $2 gamble.
Start Improving Your Betting Skills
Now that you know how to read odds and calculate payouts, you can improve your horse race betting skill and become a more successful horse race punter. Bookmark this article if you need to revisit this guide throughout your learning process.
