I understand the basics of betting, but odds still confuse me sometimes. I see decimal, fractional, and American odds, and I don’t always know how to compare them. A friend tried to explain it to me, but I’m still not 100% sure how they’re calculated. Can someone break it down in simple terms?
Odds can definitely be confusing at first. Decimal odds are the easiest to understand because they show how much you’ll win for every unit wagered. For example, if the odds are 2.50, that means a $10 bet would return $25 ($10 x 2.50). Fractional odds (like 5/2) show profit relative to the stake, meaning you’d win $5 for every $2 bet. American odds work differently—positive odds show how much you’d win on a $100 bet, while negative odds indicate how much you need to bet to win $100. If you’re looking for a more detailed explanation, this article does a great job of breaking it down: https://findmylotto.com/. It took me a while to get used to different odds formats, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature.
I always wondered why different countries use different odds formats. It’s interesting how something as simple as displaying numbers can change how people perceive risk and reward. I guess once you understand the math behind it, it doesn’t really matter which format you use.
