Betting on football is, arguably, one of the biggest sports betting markets in the world, and this is simply due to the popularity of the sport and how big it has become around the planet. Whether it is called football, soccer, futbol, or any other derivative, the game is played in almost every single country across the globe, which has helped to further enhance its own appeal.
Indeed, this will have significantly had an impact on the betting industry as more and more people continue to enjoy what is available, with many taking advantage of the opportunities that are provided to them with football betting these days, given the number of competitions and matches that regularly take place on a near-daily basis.
Whilst betting on football is a rather simple activity to enjoy and get involved in, regardless of how experienced or new you are to the market, there will be some that may find that they become overwhelmed when they see the odds that are presented to them.
Of course, for punters in the UK, we typically see them being shown as fractions, which can be terrifying for those that perhaps do not have the strongest maths skills and only just managed to get by during their academic days.
Punters are able to choose these days between a variety of different ways in which the available odds are displayed, with decimals perhaps being one of the most favored options that many utilize, however, this article will look to try and explain how the fractions work and help simplify them so they no longer look as scary as they might first appear.
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What you should be looking out for when looking at fractional odds
When you are looking at fractional football odds, there are a few things that you need to take into account. The first thing is the size of the fraction. The second is what the first number represents, whilst the third is what the second number means in terms of your chances of winning.
Let’s explore each of those factors and try to explain them in a way that is easily digestible and can perhaps help you to further understand what each of them means, thus potentially improving your football betting experiences in the immediate future.
Size of the fraction
The size of the fraction is important because it tells you how much money you will win if you bet on that outcome. The larger the number, the more money you will win. So, for example, if you see a fraction that is 1/5, that means that you will win one-fifth of your bet amount back if that team wins. This particular example would then suggest that the outcome is very likely to happen and, for some, simply is not worth backing as you would have to place a significant bet in order for it to generate any profit.
This should be used as a key indicator as to what the sportsbook thinks will happen. Remember, bookmakers and operators will look to use mathematical and statistical data, as well as algorithms, to set the odds that they provide, therefore it is worth checking out what the chances of the event happening is.
The first number in the fraction
The first number in the fraction tells you how likely it is that the given outcome will happen. For example, a fraction like 1/5 means that there is a one in five chance that the team will win. A fraction like 3/4 means that there is a three in four chance that the team will win.
The second number in the fraction
The number after the slash also tells you something about your chances of winning. If the number is small, it means that you have a better chance of winning. If the number is large, it means that you have a worse chance of winning. Therefore, to use the examples used previously, a fraction like 1/5 means that you have a 20% chance of winning, while a fraction like 3/4 means that you have a 75% chance of winning.
Conclusion
When you are looking at fractional football odds, remember to take all of these factors into account in order to determine whether or not betting on that outcome is a good idea. By understanding what each number means, you can make more informed decisions about where to place your bets and have an understanding of what may potentially happen.
