“Wait, why does this NFL team have a -235 next to its name? What’s with New England Patriots (-15) vs. Miami Dolphins (+15)? Help! HEEEELPPPP!”

1. Fractional Betting Odds Explained
2. What Does 2 1 Betting Odds Mean
3. Is 2/1 Good Odds
4. 2 1 Betting Odds Explained Point Spread

Feb 27, 2020 When you bet for the underdog, it is called betting 'against the odds.' For example, if odds are 3/1 for the Cowboys this Sunday, then it is three times more likely that they will lose than win. Odds of 3-1 indicate that if you bet $100, you will win $400, the original amount of your bet plus the profit. Odds of 1-3 will win you $33 on a $100. For example, betting on a market priced at 2.5 means you would win two and a half times your stake if your bet were to win. This means you’d win $2.50 for every $1 you wager. Another example of decimal odds in action would be betting on NHL game with odds of 9.0. Nov 22, 2011 2 / 1 = 16 / 8 (Multiply both sides by 8.) 16 / 8 is greater than 15 / 8. So if you were betting on something, you would prefer 2/1 odds over the same event that only gave you 15/8 odds. Hope this helps. Using the +120 odds, it shows us that a $100 bet on that outcome would pay out $120 in profits. Again this can easily be converted into smaller or larger size bets. A $10 bet on +120 odds would pay out $12 in profits. Examples: Below is an example of NFL betting odds taken from an online betting site.

If that sounds like you, we’re here to assist you. If you’ve stared at a board at a sportsbook or just seen spreads and moneylines on the Internet and been utterly confused, don’t worry. It’s not just you. Those numbers can be confounding.

But hopefully, once you’re done reading this, you’ll completely understand how they work. As you prepare to dive into the world of sports betting, here’s a breakdown of how the lines work, starting with …

Spreads

It would be really easy to bet on a game if you could put money on a heavy favorite to win.

That’s where point spreads come in. Let’s look at an example:

Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)

New York Giants (+4.5)

In this case, you can bet on either two outcomes: you can put money on the Eagles to win the game by 4.5 points OR MORE, which makes them the favorites. Or you can bet that the Giants will either win or lose by LESS THAN 4.5 points. They’re the underdogs.

Now, sometimes the spread “moves” during the days leading up to the game. Perhaps the Eagles’ spread ends up being -3.5 (in which they must win by 3.5 points or more to give you a victory in your bet). Your bet all depends on whichever spread you bet on, whether it was when the Eagles were favored by 4.5 or 3.5 points.

If you ever see “PK” or “pick” next to a team, it means there’s no spread and you can bet on who will win, no matter what the score is.

Moneylines

Let’s take that same example above but use moneylines:

Philadelphia Eagles (-200)

New York Giants (+150)

Fractional Betting Odds Explained

The team with a minus symbol is the favorite, and the number is how much money you would need to bet to win $100. In this case, you would have to bet $200 on the Eagles in order to win an additional $100.

The Giants are the underdogs. If they’re +150, that means you could bet $100 to win $150.

What Does 2 1 Betting Odds Mean

Note that you can bet any amount you want, but those numbers are always calculated and posted the same way, either in how much money you would need to wager to win $100 or how much money you could win by wagering $100.

Odds

If you’re betting on something like the team who will win the Super Bowl in the future, you might see it look like this:

New England Patriots — 3/1

Is 2/1 Good Odds

Baltimore Ravens — 5/1

Kansas City Chiefs — 8/1

If you were betting on the Patriots and their 3/1 odds, you would win $3 for every $1 you spend. So if you bet $50 on the Pats and they ended up winning the Super Bowl, you’d win $150 (plus your original wager) back.

2 1 Betting Odds Explained Point Spread

Good luck!