If you are a regular bettor, you’ll know that there is more than one way of computing betting odds. One of the most common methods is to use a fraction, sometimes referred to as a decimal, to represent the odds. When presented with betting odds in this form, 1.5 to win, the most frequent reaction of most people is that 1.5 is the implied probability that the team will win the game. This is, of course, assuming that the gambler is using the decimal odds version and not just seeing those that are commonly found in print or online forms.
While an odd score at times, this can be quite confusing to a casual bettor who isn’t familiar with the concept of betting decimals. Let’s explore what 1.5 in decimal odds actually means and how it’s different to normal odds, such as 1.5 to win, which is more common in sportsbooks.
Decimal Odds Can Be A Little Tricky
Decimal odds are pretty handy when it comes to gambling. After all, if you are using a decimal number system, all of a sudden a lot of the fractions that we have to think about when it comes to normal odds disappear. For example, in decimal odds, there are no halfs, thirds or sixths. All fractional values are treated equally, with 1 being equal to 1 and 0.5 being half of 1, or a quarter of the total number of chances the team will win the game. This makes arithmetic much easier, and it also makes it much less likely that you’ll make a mistake when entering bets.
This form of odds also makes it easier to use a calculator when working out the winnings or losses from single bets. As there are no longer any fractions to worry about, there is also no need to worry about any rounding errors when entering the numbers. The computer will do all of the mathematical heavy lifting, and you just have to click the Calculate button to see the results.
Not All Decimal Odds Are Created Equal
Decimal odds are very handy in theory, but they can actually be a little tricky when it comes to sports betting. For example, what if a game has a line of 2.5, or is it 25/1, or any other fractional value?
In these cases, you might assume that the team is twice as likely to win as the oddsmaker initially stated, since 1.5 is clearly greater than 2 or 25/1, right? Not necessarily. It really depends on how the bookies set up their lineup. If they set the line at 2.5, that means that they believe that the team is actually 2.5-fold more likely to win than what the lay odds actually state. This is sometimes referred to as a positive bias. Conversely, if they set the line at 1.5, that means that they believe that the team is actually 1.5-fold less likely to win than what the oddsmaker initially stated. This is sometimes referred to as a negative bias.
The point is that you need to look at the entire lineup, not just at the implied probability that the team will win, in order to properly interpret the bet. One other thing to watch out for is whether or not to include the points in the calculation. If you have set the line at -135 for a game with 9 points and the other team has 9.5 points, you are going to end up overweighting the half point difference, resulting in an inflated perceived chance of winning. For example, if you had only included the 9 points in your calculation and not the 0.5, you would have seen the line as -135, resulting in a 50% chance of winning. However, including the half point difference distorts your perception of the chance of winning the game. It is always better to round the actual score down to the nearest whole number whenever possible, rather than relying on the vague decimal values that most sportsbooks provide.
Interpretation Of 1.5 In Decimal Odds
Decimal odds are very handy for computing the winnings and losses from individual bets, but they can still be a little tricky to interpret as a whole. If you are using decimal odds, it is always a good idea to at least round the number down to the nearest whole number, such as 1.5 to win. This prevents you from having to do any of the rounding up yourself, which can be error-prone. Keep in mind that 1.5 in decimal odds is not the same as 1.5 to win. The first is an implied probability that the team will win, while the second is the ratio of the payout to what you risked (i.e., winnings to losses).
For example, if you placed a $100 wager on the Cleveland Browns and they won, your winnings would be $150, since you risked $100 and won $150. However, if they had lost the game, your losses would be $100, since you risked $100 and lost $100. To illustrate how this works, let’s continue with the same example and assume that you risked a $25 wager on the New York Giants. If they win the game, your winnings would be $25, and your losses would be $25, resulting in a $100 total profit (i.e., winnings $25 – losses $25 = $100).
If the Giants had lost the game, your losses would have been $75, since you risked $25 and lost $75, but your winnings would still be $25, for a $100 total profit (i.e., winnings $75 – losses $25 = $100).
How To Figure Out Decimal Odds
It can be tricky to find the decimal odds for a game you are interested in wagering on. This is especially true if you are looking for legal betting options, because the bookies will almost certainly not want to reveal their secret odds. To illustrate, let’s say that you are in London and you want to place a bet on a game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. You might think that the best and the easiest way to find the decimal odds is to check on the internet, but you would be wrong. In London, you would actually have to go to the betting shops, since the online odds are not accepted there. In this case, you would have to go to two separate places to get the decimal odds (or any other sort of odds, for that matter). First, you would have to go to a cashier to check your bet with real money, and then you would have to go to another cashier to get your winnings or losses, as the case may be. All in all, this could be a pain in the ass, not the kind of thing you would want to do especially when you are already traveling abroad for another reason.
If you are in New York and want to place a bet on the game, there is another option that you might want to consider. If you contact the New York Sports Book directly, they will give you the decimal odds for almost all major sports and entertainment events that are held in or around the state. This way, you can always get your odds whenever you want and don’t have to worry about whether or not they are available online or through a gambling website. Just make sure when doing your research that the team you are betting on is actually playing, and not just participating in some exhibition or preseason match. In the latter case, you will have to look for odds that are more than 1 day old, as the bookies will not want to reveal their secrets before the game (or event, in this case) has actually taken place.
More Than Meets The Eye
Although decimal odds can easily be one of the more useful tools in your betting arsenal, it is important not to forget that they are not everything. Just because the bookies have set the line at -135 for a game with 9 points, that does not mean that they actually believe that the Browns have an 135% chance of winning. When presented with betting odds, most people assume that the odds are referring to the probability that the team will win the game, but it is generally best to assume that this is not always the case. With all of this in mind, you can make a much more informed decision about whether or not to wager on a game, and you will not have to worry about being misled by badly presented or outdated odds.