Decimal Odds

Stake times price equals total return

Decimal odds show the total amount returned for every $1 staked, stake included. Multiply the stake by the price to get the total return, then subtract the stake to get the profit.

• $20 at 1.90 returns $38: $18 profit plus the $20 stake.
• $25 at 3.40 returns $85: $60 profit plus the $25 stake.
• $50 at 2.00 returns $100, which is even money.

A price below 2.00 pays less than the stake in profit and marks a favorite; a price above 2.00 pays more and marks an underdog. Decimal odds are always above 1.00, since a price of exactly 1.00 would only hand back the stake.

Implied probability is the reciprocal

Divide 1 by the decimal price to get the implied probability, the win rate needed to break even at that price. 1.90 implies 52.63%, 3.40 implies 29.41%, and 2.00 implies 50%. A common misreading is to treat 1.50 as 50%; it actually implies 66.67%.

Because the formula is so short, break-even rates are easy to read at a glance, which is one reason bettors who build their own models tend to work in decimal odds.

Convert to and from American odds

For decimal odds of 2.00 or higher, subtract 1 and multiply by 100 to get a plus price: 3.40 becomes +240. Below 2.00, divide −100 by the decimal price minus 1: 1.90 becomes −111.1, and 1.50 becomes −200.

Going the other way, +175 becomes 2.75, and −110 becomes 1.909. Displays often round that to 1.91, which converts back to about −109.9. When comparing close prices, convert from the original quote rather than from a rounded display. The odds converter turns any American price into decimal, fractional, and implied probability.

Parlays and price comparisons

Decimal odds multiply cleanly. A two-leg parlay at 1.90 and 2.10 pays 1.90 × 2.10 = 3.99, so $10 returns $39.90. The same calculation in American odds means converting each leg first.

They also make price differences concrete. On a $100 stake, 1.95 returns $195 and 1.91 returns $191: a $4 difference that repeats on every winning bet.

Three-way markets

Soccer match results are often quoted in decimal odds with three outcomes. Take home 2.40, draw 3.30, and away 3.10. The implied probabilities are 41.67%, 30.30%, and 32.26%, which add up to 104.23%. The extra 4.23 points is the book’s margin spread across all three outcomes.

Dividing each figure by 104.23% gives a no-vig estimate of 39.98%, 29.07%, and 30.95%, or fair decimal prices of about 2.50, 3.44, and 3.23. The no-vig odds guide explains the assumption behind that adjustment.