Sportstrade Blog | Fractional Sports Odds Explained

November 29, 2019, by Toby Banks

Fractional Sports Odds Explained

While a punter needs to possess many skills to be successful, the most fundamental requirement that one needs to have to make a wager is the ability to read odds. Fortunately, this isn’t difficult to do. Odds represent the probability of an outcome occurring, and they are also indicative of your potential profits. There are, however, several types of odds. And although they serve the same purpose, they are different from each other. This article will help you understand fractional sports odds – how to read them and how to calculate your potential profits.

Fractional Sports Odds

Whether you’re new to betting, or if you’re just more familiar with decimal or Moneyline odds, the fractional sports odds aren’t difficult to grasp. Like with another type of odds, they are used to indicate the likelihood of an event occurring. You can also use them to calculate how much money you could potentially make if your bet wins. They are mostly used in and around the UK and Ireland and are very fittingly, also called UK odds. So let’s jump straight into it.

How to read fractional odds?

Like its name would suggest, fractional sports odds are necessarily a fraction, which is indicated by two numbers separated by a slash. The denominator – which is the second number or the number on the right is indicative of the amount you have to bet, and the first number or the number on the left is the numerator, and it represents how much you will win.

How to calculate expected profits?

With fractional sports odds, you can also calculate the amount of money you couple make if your bet is successful. Keep in mind that this is just an estimation; every sportsbook has a different bookmaker’s cut or vig. Let’s take a look at a few examples.

Chelsea - 5/2

This means, for every $2 you stake, you win $5 if the bet is successful. If you were to bet $100 on Chelsea, your total return would be $350, a total profit of $250.

Arsenal - 2/7

Here, for every $7 you bet, you win $2. Again, if you were to bet $100 on Arsenal, your total payout would be $128, a profit of $28.

Now, if you know how betting works, the team that is most likely to win will be priced very high. This means that if the fraction is a proper one, wherein the numerator is smaller than the denominator, it means that this option has a higher chance of happening. They are the favorites. By betting on them, you have a high probability of winning, but the payout rate will be relatively low.

If you see an improper fraction, where the numerator is a higher number than the denominator, then the team is an underdog. Of course, betting on the underdog is risky as you have a lower chance of winning, but if your bet is successful, your profit margin will be high. In the above example, Arsenal is the favorites to win, and Chelsea is the underdogs.

How to convert fractional odds to decimal odds?

If you’re more comfortable with decimal odds, don’t worry, converting fractional sports odds to decimal ones is a lot simpler than you might think. You simply take the numerator, divide it by the denominator, and then add 1.

5/2 would be 3.5

2/7 would be 1.2

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