American odds tell you two things at once: how much you win, and how likely the sportsbook thinks the result is. Here is how to read them and turn them into a probability you can compare with your own.
Negative odds (the favourite) show how much you must risk to win $100. At -150 you risk $150 to win $100; a $10 bet wins $6.67.
Positive odds (the underdog) show how much a $100 bet wins. At +130 a $100 bet wins $130; a $10 bet wins $13.
Either way, a winning bet also returns your stake.
Implied probability is the win rate the price assumes.
A bet only has value when you believe the real chance is higher than the implied probability.
A standard spread or total is priced -110 on both sides. Each side implies 52.4%, so the two add up to about 104.8%: the extra 4.8% is the sportsbook’s margin, called the vig or juice.
That is why you need to win about 52.4% of -110 bets just to break even, not 50%. Heavier prices need more: -150 needs 60%, -200 needs 66.7%.
Short prices need very high win rates, and one loss erases several wins. Final Call Pro never posts a straight pick shorter than -175; a heavier favourite only appears inside a teaser or 2-game parlay, and nothing shorter than -325 is ever picked. Every pick is graded at the price posted when it locked.
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Written by the Final Call Pro team. For information and entertainment; no bet is guaranteed. 21+. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER.