Knowledge Base
What are the different odds formats available?
Read this help article to understand the differences between the odds formats you can bet with at Pinnacle. Understand the disparity between decimal odds and American odds, to give you a better understanding of betting.Pinnacle offer users two available formats to view our odds:
- Decimal odds
- American odds
You can select your preferred format by using the drop-down menu at the top-left of every page, after which time all odds will automatically be displayed in your chosen format, whenever you visit the site.
Irrespective of which of the two odds formats you use, the potential profit is the same, the odds are just represented in different ways.
Odds formats explained – Decimal Style Odds
The Decimal Odds format is a simple numerical representation of the potential return of a bet which includes the stake amount. The potential return of Decimal Odds is extremely easy to calculate by simply multiplying the amount you wish to bet by the Decimal Odds offered – just remember that the return includes your stake. Here is an example of a Decimal Odds 1X2 soccer market:
Placing a bet using Decimal Odds – Match Win Market
Using the above Decimal Odds example, if you bet $100 on Barcelona the potential return would be $188.50:
Odds x stake i.e. 1.885 X $100 = $188.50
As this includes your original $100 stake amount the potential profit is $88.50.
If you placed a $100 bet on Real Madrid the potential return would be $485:
4.850 x $100 = $485 ($385 profit plus your $100 stake)
Please note: When using Decimal Odds for match winner bets e.g. a soccer or tennis match, the bet process uses the Risk option by default. This means that you can only enter the amount you want to Risk, and the bet ticket will show the potential win amount i.e the potential profit.
Placing a bet using Decimal Odds - Futures/Propositions
When placing a Futures/Proposition bet using the Decimal Odds format, you can choose to place your bet either based on the amount you want to Risk, with the potential win amount calculated for you, or the amount you want To Win with the necessary Risk calculated for you.
As an example, here is a hypothetical Futures market for the US Open tennis:
If you choose to bet on Rafael Nadal you can either Risk a certain amount, and the bet slip will show you the potential profit at the available odds. E.g. $50 risk at 1.50 would return a potential profit of $25.
If you use the To Win option, you can choose how much profit you want to make, and the bet slip will calculate the Risk (bet amount) required. This method is much more familiar for North American bettors. E.g. to make $50 profit at odds of 1.50 your risk would be $100.
Odds formats explained – American Odds
American Odds are expressed with a negative number, e.g. -110, or a positive number, such as +120. A negative number indicates what you must bet to make $100 profit (or equivalent in your chosen currency) and a positive number indicates how much you might profit if you bet $100.
If you bet $110 on a team with American odds of -110 and they win, you will make $100 profit (plus your original $110 stake). If you bet $100 on a team with odds of +120, and they win, this will return $120 profit (plus the original $100 stake).
Placing a bet using American Odds – Money Line
When using American style odds, the basic match winner market is known as the Money Line.
Example Money Line for a tennis match:
You do not have to bet an amount equal to the Money Line number. You can bet more, or less, with the return to the chosen stake Using the above example, you could bet $11 on Nadal at -108 and your potential profit is $10.20 i.e. (100/Negative Money Line odds)*stake which is (100/108)*11.
If you bet $50 on a Money Line of +120, your potential profit is $60 i.e. Positive Money Line odds*(stake/100) which is 120*(50/100) Money Lines are combined with Point Spreads and Totals, which relate to margins of victory and total amount of points/goals/runs scored. For example:
This market offers two options:
Bet on New England with a 3 point start (+3) at odds of -120, or bet on Pittsburgh with a -3 point start (-3) at odds of +112. If you wanted to bet on New England +3 points, you would have to risk $120 to profit $100. If New England win, or lose by 1 or 2 points, you make $100 profit plus the $120 stake.
If New England lose by exactly 3 points, the bet is a tie and your stake money is refunded. If New England lose by more than 3 points, you would lose your $120 stake.
When placing a Money Line, Spread or Total bet there are three staking options:
Base Amount (default option) – with this option when betting a negative odd it automatically assumes stakes entered are the amounts you want To Win, while with positive odds, the stake entered is assumed to be the amount you want to Risk. (Note this option is not available for Decimal odds).
Risk – You can choose this option to ensure that the stake entered, for any American odds (both negative and positive) is the amount you want to Risk.
To Win - You can choose this option to ensure that the stake entered, for any American odds (both negative and positive) is the amount you want To Win, with the necessary risk calculated for you.
Example - Hypothetical NFL Money Line American odds:
The default option staking option will be Base Amount, where betting on the Patriots who are underdogs with a positive odds would assume your stake is a Risk amount e.g $100 would be risked to return a potential profit of $113. If however you select the Steelers, who are favourites with negative odds entering a $100 stake would assume that this is the amount you want To Win so the Risk would be $120 to make $100 profit.
You can choose the To Win option, where the stake amount entered will be the amount you want to profit, with the necessary Risk calculated for you e.g. $100 To Win on the Patriots would require a risk of $88.50; $100 To Win on the Steelers would require a risk of $120.
You can choose the Risk option, where the amount entered will simply be the amount you want to Risk, with the potential profit calculated for you e.g. $100 Risk on the Patriots would return a potential profit of $113; $100 Risk on the Steelers would return a potential profit of $88.33.
Placing a bet using American Odds – Futures/Proposition
When placing a Future or Proposition bet using America Odds format, you can choose to place your bet either based on the amount you want to Risk or the amount you want To Win.
Example - Hypothetical Futures market for the US Open tennis:
If you choose to bet on Rafael Nadal you can either Risk a certain amount, and the bet slip will show you the potential profit at the available odds. E.g. $50 risk at -200 would return a potential profit of $25.
If you use the To Win option, you can choose how much profit you want to make, and the bet slip will calculate your Risk (bet amount) for you. This method is much more familiar for North American bettors. E.g. to win $50 at -200 your risk would be $100.
Please note: When the odds are negative the To Win option is selected by default; when the odds are positive the Risk option is selected by default, but in both cases you can change to the preferred option.