American odds use a plus or minus sign. Positive odds show the profit on a $100 bet: +150 wins $150. Negative odds show how much you need to bet to win $100: -150 means betting $150 to win $100.
A plus sign usually means the underdog and a minus sign the favorite. +100 is even money.
To turn American odds into decimal odds, divide positive odds by 100 and add 1, or divide 100 by negative odds (ignoring the minus) and add 1.
How it works
American odds are built around $100, but they scale to any stake. For positive odds, your profit is stake × (odds ÷ 100). For negative odds, it's stake × (100 ÷ odds), ignoring the minus sign.
The sign tells you which way to read the number. A plus means "how much you win on $100". A minus means "how much you risk to win $100". Mixing these up is the most common beginner mistake, especially with numbers close to 100 like -105 and +105.
| American | Profit on $100 | Total return |
|---|---|---|
| -200 | $50 | $150 |
| -110 | $90.91 | $190.91 |
| +100 | $100 | $200 |
| +150 | $150 | $250 |
| +300 | $300 | $400 |
You'll see American odds on almost every US sportsbook, and they're also called moneyline odds because they're used for moneyline bets. Spreads and totals usually show a price too, most often -110. Most sportsbooks let you switch to decimal odds in your settings if you find those easier.
Examples
- Example 1
A $20 bet at +150 wins $30 profit. A $20 bet at -110 wins $18.18.
- Example 2
A $40 bet at +250 wins $100 profit (40 × 2.5), so you get $140 back.
- Example 3
A $40 bet at -250 wins $16 profit (40 × 100 ÷ 250), so you get $56 back.
- Example 4
To win $50 at -400, you need to risk $200.
Read more: How to read betting odds
Common questions
What does +200 mean in betting?
It means a $100 bet wins $200 profit, so you get $300 back in total. It implies about a 33.3% chance of winning.
What does -110 mean?
You risk $110 to win $100. It's the standard price on spreads and totals, and it implies a 52.38% chance of winning.
Is a minus or plus better in betting?
Neither is better on its own. Minus odds win more often but pay less, plus odds pay more but win less often. What matters is whether the price is better than the real chance of the outcome, which is the idea behind expected value.