{"id":94130,"date":"2024-08-19T19:15:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T23:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/?p=94130"},"modified":"2025-09-16T11:28:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:28:45","slug":"sports-betting-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharpfootballanalysis.com\/sportsbook\/guides\/sports-betting-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports Betting Odds Guide: American, Decimal, and Fractional Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

Entering the world of sports betting can be overwhelming, but understanding sports betting odds is a huge help. Put simply, knowing how odds work is essential to determining payouts and identifying favorites and underdogs.<\/p>\n

There are three types of odds: American, decimal, <\/em>and fractional.<\/em><\/p>\n

Understanding American Odds<\/h2>\n

One of the most popular forms of sports betting odds<\/strong> in the United States is American odds, which are also known as moneyline odds. American odds are the standard at most US sportsbooks.<\/p>\n

In the simplest terms, if it's a ‘-‘ in front of the odds, you must bet that much to win $100. If it's a ‘+' in front, you must bet $100 to win that much. The ‘-‘ denotes a favorite, while the ‘+' denotes an underdog.<\/p>\n

\"American<\/p>\n

Caesars odds accurate at time of posting (Aug 19,2025)<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n

American Odds: Moneyline Example<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s look at an example of how American odds work using a theoretical NFL moneyline wager<\/a> (a bet on who will win the game). The line for the game will look like this:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Team<\/th>\nOdds<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Washington Commanders<\/td>\n-130<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dallas Cowboys<\/td>\n+150<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

As we mentioned, the ‘-‘ in front of the number shows the favorite in the game (Commanders), and the ‘+' in front shows the underdog (Cowboys). Let's look at a couple of examples to paint a clearer picture (using the odds above):<\/p>\n