Football betting odds can be expressed as decimals or fractions. If you’re confused by one or the other (or both) – never fear! Here at Ladbrokes, we aim to make it all easier to understand.

What’s the difference?

Well, there isn’t any monetary difference between decimal and fractional odds. They are quite simply two different ways of expressing the same thing.

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Fractional odds

Examples of fractional odds include 1/4 and 7/2. There are many ways to understand the way they work, but the easiest is: [how much will you win] / [how much you stake].

So, if you have odds of 10/1, you stand to win £10 for every £1 you bet. If you bet 7/2, you will receive £7 in winnings, plus your £2 stake.

Odds-on selections

Fractional odds can appear the wrong way round, for example, 2/7 or 1/10.  These are known as ‘odds-on selections’. So in the case of a 1/7 selection, you would have to stake £7 to win £1.

You will see these types of odds when the team you’re betting on is strong favourite to win (or sometimes lose).

Decimal odds

Many punters and even bookmakers consider decimal odds to be much easier to understand than the fractional equivalent. Indeed, for most punters, knowing which is the greater number between 10/6 or 8/5 takes some mental arithmetic (or a calculator).

On the other hand, it’s pretty easy to see straight away that 3.90 is a bigger number than 3.85.

How do I calculate decimal odds?

To work out your winnings, all you need to do is multiply your stake by your decimal odds.

So, if you stake £10 at decimal odds of 4, then your winnings will be £40.

In the case of decimal odds, your stake is included automatically in your returns. In addition, odds of 2.0 represent even money (the same as 1/1). Any decimal odds of less than 2.0 constitute an odds-on bet.

Being able to read and interpret odds will give you a great foundation for picking which team you want to back, as well as how much you’re willing to bet.

Take some time to get to grips with how odds work, and you will be able to choose your stakes quickly and with more confidence.

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