Bets made on fractionated odds – which involve laying odds on each of the possible outcomes of a race – are incredibly popular in Ireland and the UK, and for good reason.
Let’s have a closer look at how these bets work, and why you should consider backing them.
Why Do We Care About Odds?
Odds are a way of measuring the relative likelihood of an event happening. If you think of the phrase ‘moneyline’ – which stands for ‘Moneyed-Line’, as in ‘The Gucci Bag in Full: The Cost of This Luxury Handbag Is €10,000 or More – we might be inclined to lay an odds bet on whether or not that bag will be bought. After all, if you’re seriously considering spending that kind of money on a handbag, you must be a bit of a gambler. Right?
Well, maybe. But that’s not exactly what a moneyline bet implies. When you lay an odds bet on a sporting event, you’re not actually placing a wager on whether or not that sporting event will happen. You’re placing a wager on the outcome of a random event, with the odds shaping the odds of that event happening. So, for example, if you lay odds on whether or not Ireland will beat England in the next Match of the World Cup, you’re actually betting on whether or not Ireland will randomly win one of the games against England (regardless of whether or not you think Ireland will actually win).
In this sense, the odds dictate the odds of the event happening. Consider these odds bets as “hedges” or “insurance” policies against the event not happening as expected. If you think Ireland will beat England, you’re effectively saying that you don’t want to bet on England winning the match. And if England wins, you’ll be delighted to know that you didn’t have to spend any money on that handbag after all.
What’s more, sometimes a team will have a significant amount of betting interest on them. This could be because they’re big beasts in their sport – or it could be because they’re heavy favorites to win – in which case, you might want to lay some sort of insurance policy on them. If they win, you’ll be grateful for the bet. If they lose, you’ll be relieved that you didn’t have to bet on them to lose.
Odds are also incredibly useful when you’re doing fantasy football or fantasy baseball. If you’ve got a team of your own that you think is capable of winning the league, you might consider backing them with a small wager. The idea is that if they do win, you’ll be happy to have placed the bet and if they lose, you won’t feel too bad about it. This is also known as “saber-rattling” because it involves making small bets on the outcomes of rival teams. When a team’s season is on the line, rivalries will often boil over into fights where nothing less than a championship is on the line. During one such heated rivalry in 2015, the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers engaged in a bit of a brawl that was settled only when a game was temporarily delayed while the police arrived to break up the brawl. Shortly thereafter, the two teams still had to play a 48-minute rendition of ‘Hard Knocks’ before finally settling their differences (with Ben Roethlisberger punching Tom Brady in the face). No, that’s not a typo. We said ‘Hard Knocks’. Not ‘Hand-Knocks’. Not even ‘Calf-Knocks’. It’s 48 minutes of the most aggressive dance fests you’ll ever see. It’s actually a must-watch for anyone who loves football.
How Do Fraction Betting Odds Work?
When you place a fraction bet, you’re basically accepting the fact that the outcome of the event is going to be one of a small number of possibilities. This is important, because if you looked at a typical bookmaker’s odds for an event like Ireland against England in the World Cup – which you could conceivably wager on if you want, but probably not make money off of – you’d see something like this:
- England: 1/5
- Ireland: 2/5
- Draw: 3/5
- Total: 5/5
What this essentially means is that you’re only getting ‘fractional’ odds – which is a type of odds that’s all the more exciting because of how rare they are. In this case, Ireland is a 2/5 favorite to win, which means that for every five gambles that place on England, two of those gambles will come in on Ireland. In other words, you’re getting less than an even chance at winning with Ireland, but you’re excited to take that risk because it means you’ll win big.
Placing fraction bets is actually a lot easier than it seems. All you need to do is multiply the odds of the respective teams and then add them together. So, for example, if you think Ireland is a 2/5 favorite to beat England, and you want to risk €100 on a bet, all you need to do is multiply 2 by €100, which comes to €200. Then, all you need to do is add this figure to 5, which comes to €300. What you have then is a total of €500, which you can bet on Ireland. Should Ireland win, you’ll earn €300. Should they lose, you’ll lose €200. Obviously, this is assuming that both teams obey the rules of the game and that the match is played according to the specified rules. If either of these things go wrong, your loss will be greater. But, for the most part, this is a pretty simple process. The only complexity that comes with fraction betting is knowing how to interpret the results of your bets when they don’t come in on the expected outcome. This usually happens when a draw is declared, because there are so many possibilities for the result of a game. If you’re patient, though, and keep enough money in reserve, you can essentially “stall” a casino. This is done by placing a small, delaying bet before the big, exciting bet. What this means is that when the big bet is settled, you’ll get your winnings from the small bet, plus whatever winnings you made on the big bet. In other words, you’ll get your money from two separate places, which is great for diversification.
Many people consider betting on sports to be a lot of fun, because the possibilities for exciting results are so great. Plus, it’s fairly easy to place a bet on a game and know what the outcome will be. You don’t need to have a crystal ball to know whether or not your favorite team will win. You just need to know which side has the best odds.
Fraction Betting Is Popular In Ireland And The UK
What’s interesting is that Ireland and the UK – where many of our clients are from – are the heartlands of fraction betting. It seems that the concept was born there and has since spread throughout Europe. In Germany, for example, you’ll often see shops dedicated to fraction betting, which is called ‘Kurzbißwahrscheinlichkeit’ (short-odds betting). In the Netherlands, you have the option of placing wagers either in fractions or in whole numbers. In Brazil, you’re not allowed to place regular wagers in casinos, but you can place fraction bets in certain types of shops. In other parts of the world, like Thailand, you’ll find that most establishments will not allow you to place bets in fractions, but you can find a few that do.
Fraction Betting Is Done In Different Ways
Although many people enjoy betting on sports and seeing the results of their wagers, others prefer to remain detached from the action. If this sounds like you, we have a few betting-odds-related suggestions. First, you might want to look into placing your bets on horseraces (also known as Thoroughbreds) instead of pure-bred dogs or horses. Second, you might want to consider playing on the internet. While it’s not always possible to do this from your home, especially if you’re not one of the lucky few who can access a high-speed internet connection, you can always access a public library’s internet connection. Third, you might want to try one of the many virtual betting casinos offered online. This way, you can keep your distance from the action while still having access to all the excitement that a real-life casino has to offer.