Betting terms
What is american odds in sports betting?
By DeepChamp research team · Updated · Methods and limitations
Definition
American odds, also called moneyline odds, state a price as a number built around 100. A plus number is the profit on a 100 stake, and a minus number is the stake needed to win 100. At +150, a 100 stake profits 150. At -110, risking 110 wins 100.
How it works
The sign tells you which direction the number points. A plus price, such as +150, is the profit you would collect on a 100 stake, and the stake itself comes back as well, so a winning 100 ticket returns 250 in total. A minus price, such as -110, is the amount you must risk to profit 100. Other stakes scale in proportion: 20 at +150 profits 30, and 55 at -110 profits 50.
There are no American prices between -100 and +100, because the scale is anchored on 100 units. Both +100 and -100 describe the same even-money price, where profit equals stake, which is decimal 2.00 and an implied probability of 50 percent. A minus number marks the outcome the price treats as more likely, and a plus number the one it treats as less likely, although two sides priced at -110 can both be minus because of the margin.
To compare prices, convert them. For a plus price, the decimal equivalent is 1 plus the number divided by 100, so +150 is 2.50. For a minus price, it is 1 plus 100 divided by the number without its sign, so -110 is about 1.909. Implied probability is 1 divided by the decimal figure: 40 percent for +150 and 52.38 percent for -110.
Reading +150, -110 and -250 on the same 100 stake
Suppose a hypothetical market lists three prices and each is staked at 100. At +150 a win profits 150 and returns 250 in total, a decimal price of 2.50 and an implied probability of 40 percent. At -110 a win profits about 90.91, because 110 would be needed to win 100 and the stake here is smaller; the decimal price is 1.909 and the implied probability is 52.38 percent. At -250 a win profits 40, the decimal price is 1.40, and the implied probability is 71.43 percent.
Hypothetical numbers for arithmetic only.
Why it matters when you research a bet
U.S. operators typically display American odds, so it is the format most researchers meet first. The number alone says little about likelihood until it is converted: a +400 price and a -400 price are not equally likely outcomes, since they imply 20 percent and 80 percent. Converting every price to an implied probability puts the market and your own estimate on one scale before you judge either.
Common mistakes
- Reading a minus price as the amount you stand to win. At -150 the 150 is what you risk to win 100, so a larger minus number means a more expensive price, not a larger payout.
- Comparing across the gap with plain subtraction. Going from -105 to +105 looks like a 210-point move, yet it shifts the implied probability by only about 2.4 percentage points.
- Forgetting that the stake comes back on a win. A +150 winner profits 150 and returns 250, which matters when you compare it with decimal odds that already include the stake.
Common questions
What does the minus sign mean in American odds?
A minus sign means the number is the amount you must risk to profit 100. At -150 you stake 150 to win 100. The minus side is usually the outcome the market considers more likely, though both sides of an evenly matched game can be minus because of the margin.
Is +100 the same as -100 in American odds?
Yes. Both describe even money, a price where a win pays profit equal to the stake. Operators usually display it as +100 and some write it as even. Either way the decimal price is 2.00.
Why do American odds skip every number between -100 and +100?
The scale is anchored on 100 units of profit or risk, so every price sits at least that far from zero. A price that pays less than 100 of profit on a 100 stake is written as a minus number instead, such as -125 for risking 125 to win 100.
This is educational research content. Examples use hypothetical numbers and are not live odds, picks, or claims about performance.
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