What are decimal odds?
Decimal format odds, unlike the fractional format odds traditionally quoted in the UK, include the stake as part of the total return. Decimal odds therefore represent your total payout and not just your profit. Decimal odds are always greater than 1.0 as “1” represents the stake. As an example, decimal format odds of 4.0 are equivalent to fractional format odds of 3/1. In both cases, the total return for a winning £10 bet is £40: 4.0x£10 or 3x£10+£10 (the stake). All odds quoted on a betting exchange are expressed as decimals.
Decimal odds are the factor that lets you calculate how many times the stake the payout (or for lay bets the liability) will be. To calculate your return for a back bet or liability for a lay bet therefore, multiply your stake by the odds. For example, £100 at 3.0 on a back bet returns £300 — £200 profit plus the £100 stake. The return is therefore three times the stake, or for each pound you bet, the payout will be £3.00.
When the profit is less than the stake, which is normally the case for the most likely outcome (the favourite team, for example), the decimal odds fall between 1.0 and 2.0. These odds are usually referred to as odds-on.
Even odds are when you win exactly the same amount as your stake. The decimal odds representation of evens is 2.0.
When the profit is greater than the stake, which is normally the case for the least likely outcome (the underdog team, for example), the decimal odds will be greater than 2.0. These odds are usually referred to as odds-against.
Odds Conversion
To convert decimal odds to fractional odds, subtract 1 from the decimal odds and then convert the decimal number to a fraction. For example, decimal odds of 4.0 are equivalent to fractional odds of 3/1 ((4.0-1.0)/1 = 3/1).
To convert fractional odds to decimal, you convert the fractional number to a decimal and then add 1. For example, to convert fractional odds of 3/1 to decimal format, first convert the fraction to a decimal by dividing the numerator (3) by the denominator (1) and then add 1. This results in decimal odds of 4.0 ((3/1)+1 = 4.0).
Fractional to Decimal Odds Conversion Table
| Fractional | Decimal | Fractional | Decimal | Fractional | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/10 | 1.10 | 1/1 | 2.00 | 5/1 | 6.00 |
| 1/9 | 1.11 | 11/10 | 2.10 | 11/2 | 6.50 |
| 1/8 | 1.12 | 6/5 | 2.20 | 6/1 | 7.00 |
| 1/7 | 1.14 | 5/4 | 2.25 | 13/2 | 7.50 |
| 1/6 | 1.17 | 11/8 | 2.38 | 7/1 | 8.00 |
| 1/5 | 1.20 | 6/4 | 2.50 | 15/2 | 8.50 |
| 2/9 | 1.22 | 13/8 | 2.63 | 8/1 | 9.00 |
| 1/4 | 1.25 | 7/4 | 2.75 | 17/2 | 9.50 |
| 2/7 | 1.29 | 9/5 | 2.80 | 9/1 | 10.00 |
| 3/10 | 1.30 | 15/8 | 2.86 | 10/1 | 11.00 |
| 1/3 | 1.33 | 2/1 | 3.00 | 11/1 | 12.00 |
| 4/11 | 1.36 | 85/40 | 3.12 | 12/1 | 13.00 |
| 2/5 | 1.40 | 11/5 | 3.20 | 14/1 | 15.00 |
| 4/9 | 1.44 | 9/4 | 3.25 | 15/1 | 16.00 |
| 1/2 | 1.50 | 12/5 | 3.40 | 16/1 | 17.00 |
| 8/15 | 1.53 | 5/2 | 3.50 | 18/1 | 19.00 |
| 4/7 | 1.57 | 13/5 | 3.60 | 20/1 | 21.00 |
| 8/13 | 1.62 | 11/4 | 3.75 | 25/1 | 26.00 |
| 4/6 | 1.67 | 3/1 | 4.00 | 33/1 | 34.00 |
| 8/11 | 1.73 | 10/3 | 4.33 | 40/1 | 41.00 |
| 4/5 | 1.80 | 7/2 | 4.50 | 50/1 | 51.00 |
| 5/6 | 1.83 | 4/1 | 5.00 | 66/1 | 67.00 |
| 10/11 | 1.91 | 9/2 | 5.50 | 100/1 | 101.00 |
