Decimal odds explained: what 2.50 really pays
Decimal odds show what you get back per unit staked, stake included. How to read them and turn them into a chance, with six real prices from our Desk.
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Decimal odds tell you the total you get back for each unit you stake if the bet wins, with the stake included. At 2.50, a 10 euro bet returns 25 euros: 15 euros of profit plus your 10 back. Divide 1 by the price and you get the chance it implies: 1 / 2.50 is 40%. Those two sums are all of it, and every price on our Desk is shown this way.
Six real prices, read three ways
These are the best prices on today's live Desk cards, quoted on 24 October.
| Pick | Decimal | Returns on 10 | Profit on 10 | Implied chance | American |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas Raiders | 2.50 | 25.00 | 15.00 | 40.0% | +150 |
| Northern Illinois | 2.68 | 26.80 | 16.80 | 37.3% | +168 |
| Virtus Bologna | 2.60 | 26.00 | 16.00 | 38.5% | +160 |
| Ole Miss | 2.34 | 23.40 | 13.40 | 42.7% | +134 |
| Amed SK | 2.17 | 21.70 | 11.70 | 46.1% | +117 |
| Tennessee | 2.16 | 21.60 | 11.60 | 46.3% | +116 |
Return is stake times odds. Profit is stake times odds minus one. Implied chance is 1 divided by the odds. For a price above 2.00, the American number is (odds minus one) times 100, with a plus sign.
Why decimal is the easiest format to compare
A bigger number always pays more, and the gap is proportional: 2.68 pays 1.2 times what 2.34 pays in profit. There is no fraction to simplify and no plus or minus to keep track of. The same prices in other formats are in fractional odds explained with real prices and American odds: what plus and minus mean; the bet is identical in all three, as why odds formats do not change the bet shows.
Odds below 2.00
Below 2.00 a price is odds-on: you risk more than you stand to win. At 1.50, a 10 euro bet returns 15, so 5 is profit, and the implied chance is 66.7%. At exactly 2.00 you double your money and the price implies 50%.
From the implied chance to an edge
The implied chance is the market's view, plus the bookmaker's margin. We compare it with our own chance. The Raiders at 2.50 imply 40%; we give them 56.2%, so the price is 16.2 points longer than our number says it should be. Our own fair price is 1 divided by our chance: 1 / 0.562 is about 1.78. More on what that gap does and does not mean is in what a positive edge actually means.
What this does not tell you
The implied chance from a single price includes the bookmaker's margin, so across all outcomes of one game the chances add up to more than 100%. A decimal price is also a snapshot: every one in the table above has a timestamp and will move. And no format tells you whether a bet is good; only comparing the price with an honest chance can.
18+. Bet only what you can afford to lose.
Common questions
What do decimal odds mean?
The total you get back for each unit staked if the bet wins, stake included. At 2.50, a 10 euro bet returns 25 euros: 15 profit plus the 10 back.
How do you work out profit from decimal odds?
Multiply the stake by the odds minus one. At 2.50, profit is 10 × 1.50 = 15.
How do you turn decimal odds into a probability?
Divide 1 by the odds. 1 / 2.50 = 0.40, so the price implies a 40% chance, before any bookmaker margin is taken out.
What are decimal odds of 2.00?
Even money. You double your stake if it wins, and the price implies a 50% chance.