In sports betting, you will often come across numbers with a + or – in front of them. For example, a +350 odds ration is interpreted as “there is a 350-to-1 chance that the sportsbook will refund my wager” or, “the sportsbook is offering a bet at 350-to-1 odds, meaning that I’ll win $350 if I wager $100”.
This article will explain the meaning of these odds in sports wagering and show you how to use them to your advantage.
The + Oder Ratio
Many people confuse the odds ratio with the + or – odds, but they are very different animals. The odds ratio (also known as “the over/under” or “the money line”) measures the relationship between two or more groups of odds. The group on the left side of the ratio is called the “column odds” and the group on the right side is called the “row odds.” A common example of an odds ratio is the over/under for football. For example, if the over/under is set at 48.5 points, then that means there is a 48.5-point difference between the winning and losing teams. In a nutshell, if you are betting on football, then the over/under is the number you should use to calculate your wager, not the + or – odds.
How Do I Calculate The Odds Ratio?
To calculate the odds ratio, first you need to determine which group of odds is on the left side and which group is on the right side. Take a look at our example above. The winning team is the Baltimore Ravens and the over/under is set at 48.5 points. The group on the left is the Ravens, and the group on the right is the Indianapolis Colts. Since the Colts are the ones with the lower odds, their odds will be on the right side. Once you have that cleared up, you can add them up to get the total odds for the game. In this case, we have, 12 + 350 =, plus 48.5 points, which equals 490.5 points. You can then divide that by 2 to get the final over/under or 48.5.
More Examples
To make things simpler, let’s suppose you want to calculate the odds ratio for a coin toss. If you are betting on heads or tails, then you would use the column odds of 2.0 and the row odds of 3.5. The final calculated odds would then be (2.0 + 3.5) / 2 = 2.25 or 2.5. You can do the same thing if you are betting on baskets. For example, if you were betting 10 dollars on the Kansas Jayhawks to win and the spread was 6.5 points, then you would use the 10-to-1 odds of the Jayhawks and add them to the 6.5-to-1 odds of the Oklahoma Sooners to get a total of 17.0-to-1 odds. The final, calculated odds would then be 10 + 6.5 = 16.5. You can check this yourself by using the same process we just explained above, adding up the odds in each case to get the total odds for that game. For example, in our last example the total odds would be 17.0 + 16.5 = 33.5.
You should always check the juice (or vigorish, as people in the industry call it) on the books before making any wagers. This is simply the additional amount of money that the sportsbook is offering to wager on certain outcomes. For example, if you are in a small town with no other sportsbook, then the juice might be 10 percent for football and basketball and 0 percent for other sports. In a large city, the juice might be as high as 20 percent for football and basketball, and as low as 2 percent for other sports.
Odds Versus Odds-Only Games
Some games have odds-only formats, which means you can’t make any wagers on those games using the odds ratio. For example, in a horse race, there are usually only two options, either the horse wins or the horse finishes second. There is no third option. In an NFL divisional playoff or Super Bowl game, there are four or more options, including a tie. This is why you can’t use the odds ratio to bet on these games. However, you can use the juice to determine how much you should wager since the more juice you have, the more likely you will win.
Future Odds
A common question among bettors is, what does the future odds mean? When a bookmaker offers future odds, that means they don’t know the outcome of the game yet. It could be that the game is still in progress, or it could mean the final score has not been determined. Imagine you are wagering on a football game and the ball is in the air. If the football is going through the uprights, then you know the game is over and you can calculate the final score. However, if the ball is still in the air, then you don’t know whether or not the game will end in a touchdown or a field goal. In that case, the bookmaker will not be able to calculate the final score and might have to wait until the end of the game to make it worth while for him to give you your winnings.
The Upper Limit
An upper limit is the maximum amount of money a sportsbook will refund (or pay out). For example, a single-game wager on the Kansas Jayhawks might be limited to 110 dollars, and a multi-game wager on the same team could be limited to 1,850 dollars. These are the limits that the sportsbook sets for itself, and it needs to make sure it doesn’t go above that amount, otherwise, it could become problematic for the bookmaker. The upper limit can also apply to the amount of money a player can wager on his favorite team. For example, if a bookmaker’s upper limit is 200 dollars and a particular player has 200 dollars to wager, then the bookmaker needs to make sure he doesn’t lose more than that amount. It would then become a matter of how loyal the player is. The bookmaker might consider that a problem wagering on one of their favorite teams since they could end up losing more than the bookmaker is willing to refund. This is where the +3.5 comes in. If a bookmaker wants to attract more customers they might offer a rebate of up to 3.5 percent for certain wagers and limits. So, when a bookmaker says +3.5 percent, that simply means they are giving you an additional 0.5 percent in rebates on top of the 3.5 percent they are already offering.
What About Half-Time Wagers?
Certain games, such as college basketball and hockey, are only divided into two equal parts, and in those cases, you can use the half time to determine the winner. For example, if the game is still tied at the beginning of the second half, then whoever finished the first half stronger will win. The first half is usually played without interruption, while the second half is divided into two 10-minute periods, so you will have 20 minutes to make your wager. In that case, you would have to use the combined odds of 3.0 (since there are two equal parts) to get the most accurate result. If the second half is only divided into three 10-minute periods, then you would have to use the combined odds of 7.0 to get the most accurate result.
Why Do Some Books Only Take Credit Cards?
Some bookmakers limit the types of credit cards they accept, so if you have an Amex gift card, then you might not be able to use it at certain places. This is why some sportsbooks only take cash or the more traditional forms of payment, such as check or money order. If they start to lose a lot of money due to credit card fraud, then they may decide it’s not worthwhile for them to accept those cards.