Esports Betting / Betting Guide / How to Read Esports Betting Odds — A Quick Guide
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How to Read Esports Betting Odds — A Quick Guide

Publish Date:12/03/2021
Fact checked by: James Leeland

It’s Easier Than You Think!

Looking to find out how to read esports betting odds? The we’ve got you covered here at Strafe! For recognising the different odds formats and how to read them to working out your win percentage - you’ll find out everything thing in our quick but comprehensive guide.

The good news is that esports odds don’t differ all the much from those found in your regular sportsbook. The science, odds and formatting is all exactly the same - however you’ll need to have at least a basic understanding of it all if you are to have successful esports betting ventures.

Esports Odds - How They Work

Odds are essentially a provide a displayed likelihood of an outcome that you can use to calculate your chance of winning as a percentage and your potential returns from a bet. In the past odds tended to be monopolised and fixed firmly in the bookies’ favour. In the modern world of esports betting, there’s so much competition that the odds have never been fairer. Odds can be displayed in multiple forms, with the three most popular forms today being decimal, fractional and American.

Esports Odds vs Sports Betting Odds - What’s the Difference?

The good news for all of your sports betting fans out there is that in basic terms, there’s not a lot of difference between how esports betting odds work compared to regular sports betting odds. They both are displayed in variations of the same formate, and require the same formulae to work out your chances of winning as a percentage and our potential winnings should the bet come up.

The differences come in how the odds relate to the differing bet types between esports betting and sports betting. Just as odds are applied differently between online casinos and sportsbooks, they are as well between sports betting and esports betting. You can get to grips with the ins and outs of esports betting in our guide here. If you’re already acquainted with sports betting or casino odds then you have a massive head start when it comes to reading esports betting odds.

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How to Read Esports Betting Odds - Different Formats

As we’ve already alluded to above there are several different ways in which esports betting odds can be displayed. Rather than run through them all here, we’ll focus upon the three most popular - fractional, decimal and American. Each of the three odds are read very differently, with some being more easy to understand than others. Below we’ve provided you with a breakdown of the three odds formats with explanations regarding how to read and understand them. Whether you're planning on doing some COD or Hearthstone betting, learning these odds is essential for all your esports bets.

Fractional Odds

This is the most traditional odds format that started off with horse racing, and remains the most popular odds format in the UK and Ireland. With fractional odds, one side of the fraction represents one team/outcome with the other representing the other. In their simplest formats, fractional odds are simple to understand. For example, if your  backing a team to win at 2/1 with a £10 stake, your returns will be £20, and the probability of the team winning 33.3%.

How do we get to that conclusion? You multiply your £10 stake by the top number (£10 x 2 = £20) and then divide it by the bottom number (£20 ÷ 1 = £20). For the percentage you divide the total of the two numbers by 100 and multiply it by the second number, which in this case is 100 ÷ 3 = 33.3% x 1. If, for example, you were backing a team at odds the other way around, your winnings would be £5 and your winning probability 66.6%.

Fractional odds are easy with numbers like this, however they can get more complex with odds like 23/10. Fortunately, there are two things to help us here

  1. Online Esports Odds Converters
  2. More modern and simpler odds formats

Decimal Odds

Decimal odds are now the most commonly used esports betting odds in the world today, as they are the most universally understood and easiest to read. Unless you’re in the US or the UK, these are the esports betting odds that your most likely going to have to deal with - so listen closely here.

To work out your potential winnings when it comes to decimal odds, you simply have to multiply your stake by the odds. For example, if your backing a team to win with £10 at odds of 3.1, your potential winnings will be £31. You should note though that unlike with fractional odds, your decimal odds will give you your potential winnings including your stake. To calculate your win percentage your divide 1 by the odds and multiply it by 100. In this case, that’s (1 ÷  3.1) x 100 = 32.3%.

American Odds

Only used in the US and sometimes Canada, American odds at first look completely perplexing to sports and esports gamblers from elsewhere. However, once you actually find out how they work, you’ll be surprised to find out that American odds are actually the easiest of all. American odds come in two forms - positive and negative numbers.

Positive Number Odds

With positive number odds, the number displayed is the amount you stand to win should you bet $100 dollars. For example, odds of +200 means that you stand to win $200 if you bet $100. This is not including your stake, so with your stake only your profit - just as is the case with fractional odds calculation.

Negative Number Odds

With negative number odds, the number refers to the amount you would have to stake in order to win $100. For example, if the odds are -200, then you need to have a $200 stake in order to win $100 dollars.

How to Read Esports Betting Odds - Use Your Tools

If you’re not mathematically minded, then the above might seem slightly flummoxing to you, but you needn’t worry. It’s 2024, so there are all sorts of tools and websites to help you work thing out. As explained in our esports bookmaker for beginners review, the best and most user friendly esports gambling sites now have bet slips that calculate your potential winnings for you, making it instan tly easy for you to tell if your bet’s worthwhile. With skin gambling, things work slightly differently as it’s virtual in-game commodities on the line, rather than real life currencies.

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Shopping Around for the Best Esports Odds

In addition to the bet slips, you can also find odds and bet calculators online to help you work out your potential winnings and percentages. Such tools can come in mighty handy, especially if you want to shop around for the best odds by comparing the same bet type across multiple platforms. There are comparison sites out there, but they don’t all have every possible provider out there.

When shopping around, just make sure the betting site that you ultimately decide to use is 100% legit and legal to use where you are. You can find out about betting on esports safely from wherever you are in the world by using our esports betting legal guide here.

Esports Betting Odds - The Conclusion

So there you have it, a quick and easy guide on how read esports betting odds. The good news is that as long as you have a basic understanding of the science behind odds and how they work, you don’t really need to have a huge amount of mathematical know-how in order to read and use odds in 2024. Instead, it’s better to concrete your time on gaining knowledge and using the right tools in order to shop round and find the best odds for your esports bets today.

How to Read Esports Betting Odds FAQ

🎮 How do you interpret esports betting odds?

Esports betting odds are interpretation the same way largely the same as sports betting odds and casino odds. What differs is the way i  which they are applied to the particular intricacies of esports betting. If you’re familiar with odds in other types of gambling, but new to esports betting, then check out our beginners guide here.

❓ How does +200 work in esports betting?

+200 odds in esports betting, and general betting is a form of American odds. American odds are most commonly used in the USA and Canada and consist of positive and negative odds. American odds can look quite confusing for someone who’s used to fractional or decimal odds - but they’re actually the simplest odds of all! Find out how to read them right here!

📈 How are odds calculated in esports?

Odds are calculated in esports mich the same way as they are in most other forms of gambling. That being said, the world of esports is more modern and competitive, therefore there’s more competition out there - excellent for you as a consumer and bettor. FInd out where to find the best esports betting odds and how they work right here at Strafe.com.

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