Sportsbook Odds Comparison
The online betting universe can be a mystery. And, within those stars, there’s arguably none more enigmatic, more mystifying, than sports betting odds. Or at least, I’m sure to many of you, that must be how it seems.
As your captain in this mission to explore the ends of the best betting odds solar system, I am here to pull back the cosmic curtain and show that whether it’s the best football odds, the latest odds on UFC, or any of your favourites, this is something that can be explored with a space suit made of interstellar knowledge.
The Inner Workings of the Ship’s Engine
Now, since this is your first day in our crew – welcome by the way, we hope the mini muffins were delivered on time – we’re not going to assume you’re an expert in regards to sportsbook odds. So, allow me to introduce the core concepts for you to bounce around your brain like meteorites. Bookmaker odds are, at first glance, those funny little numbers and symbols you see next to your preferred sports market pick.
What they represent is two-fold: how much you’ll receive if you win your wager and how likely the bookmaker believes that outcome is to come true. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do much work to know how much you’ll receive. Once you have selected a betting market and told the bookmaker how much you wish to bet, the returns should be as crisp and clear as the Northern Lights.
If you wish to get a better idea of what the prediction of the bookmaker means, then you can easily do so by converting the odds to a percentage: it translates as directly as a sunbeam. So, remember, however confusing betting odds today may initially appear, they’re really a simplified way of telling you what the operator thinks about the likelihood of that market being correct, and how much you can get if you win.
That’s all there is to it: no astrophysics needed.
Alien Languages: Decoding Sportsbook Odds Comparison
“Well, big shot captain”, I hear you ask, “if it’s so simple, why does it look so confusing?”First off, I don’t like that attitude as part of my crew. Second of all, it’s actually very simple.
Just like all the different lifeforms from across the galaxy have their own way of speaking, there are also different ways of writing down odds. An odds comparison may initially seem very confusing when the sports betting odds are written differently – and this can leave many people feeling as though the subject is beyond their understanding. However, they all are very simple ways of saying the same thing.
Let’s say we wish to say something has a 75% chance of coming true. Well, if it were in fractional odds, that would be 1/3. In decimal odds, it would be 1.33. In American odds – named after an interesting country on one of the Earths found down by the Milky Way – it would be -300.
They all suggest the same implied bookmaker odds probability. You’ll still get your returns laid out to you on the betting slip and if they’re converted to a percentage, they all come out the same.
If you prefer one or another, most sites can help make your gambling comparison easier by allowing you to switch between them. They’re like how humanoids sometimes say hello, and sometimes hola, for example. They’re simply different methods of presenting sports betting odds. They have no impact on which are the best betting odds. Their returns and implied probabilities can be easily understood, and easily converted to a percentage.
One Set of Odds to Rule the Galaxy?
If then, odds comparison is so simple, then surely it will be easy to find the best betting odds and thus, the finest bookmaker – at least in this very important regard. Well, like so many things in the universe, everything is not always as it seems.
Put simply, in all my years of cyberspace travel, I have never come across a single bookmaker which always provides the best odds. The reason for this is straightforward: the odds of each market are part of the odds offering of an overall event. So, if there’s three markets, the implied probability (and thus return they offer) needs to make sense. If it all came out to 230% or 40%, that would lead to a pretty bad, illogical business plan.
Essentially, it’s not rocket science. They just can’t logistically offer incredibly generous odds all the time on every market, because generosity on one must be reflected on another. However, there are operators which provide consistently fair, generous odds, and that’s part of what our gambling reviews are here to help you navigate.
How the Rocket is Built: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Own Predictions
To understand odds, it’s a good idea to understand the overround. This is how much all the implied probability percentages come to above 100%. Now, if you have two possible outcomes – as would be the case with tennis betting odds, for example – this is easy to work out.
I’m going to use a real life example to help get a telescope on this subject. A game between Bernard Tomic and Blaz Kavcic sees the former be given 4/7 odds and the latter 5/4 odds.
Converted into percentages these are 63.6% and 44.4%. If we run those numbers through our ship’s supercomputer, we can see those come out at 108%. As together, these outcomes are certain, it should logically come out at 100%. The overround – in his case, the 8% above that – is therefore, the mathematical advantage the operator has over the gambler.
Even the best betting odds have some kind of overround. It’s essentially how operators consistently make money in an ever-changing betting cosmos. This should also help explain why the odds must work together to be competitive and logical, and why no odds comparison will see one bookmaker always come out on top.
However, you also have your own advantages over any operator. Because they must remain competitive with other bookmakers, their odds are pulled like gravity towards the direction of public opinion, how much money is being put on different markets and what other operators are offering. Put simply, their course is set and the pilot has little freedom at the controls.
This means that often, there are betting opportunities because that course has been sent the wrong way. That means that sometimes, bookmakers’ predictions can be drastically wrong. This gives you the chance to fire your lasers at your perfect betting odds today.
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A Planet of Their Own: Why Some Sports Might Have Better Odds Than Others
If you check out what the eggheads down at the knowledge section have cooked up in terms of the most out of this world sports betting guide articles, you’ll know that we respect each sport as a galaxy of its own. This is especially true when it comes to odds.
Remember how I mentioned that odds are impacted by how people bet and the movements of the market like the sea to the moon? Well, that means popularity is a factor too. Not only can a very popular market sway sports betting odds but the more popular a sport is generally, the more competitive the betting odds become.
This means that the sportsbook odds for something extraterrestrially popular like the Super Bowl may be better than the finest odds for a more niche option because operators have less to compete against. Regardless though, the sports betting odds from a quality operator should be like the Justice Council of the Space Core: always fair.
How to Get the Biggest Boost From Your Odds
Before I complete this shooting star of a bookmaker odds exploration, I thought I’d end with some advice from your battle-hardened space veteran. These words of wisdom have kept me strong during the battles on Pluto, and I hope they can give you strength also.
Utilize our recommendations for the best odds
Our crew works tirelessly to ensure that you’re getting the finest betting odds today, each and every day. You don’t have to worry about odds comparisons, because we’ve done the work for you. I give you the captain’s word that this ship will only recommend sites that deliver quality sportsbook odds.
Look for odds boosts!
Who doesn’t like a little extra jet fuel in their engine? Odds boosts, enhanced odds, price boosts – whatever they’re called – these are promotions that improve the odds quality on selected markets. Better odds mean even bigger returns and make your best odds even greater. You’d have to be from another planet not to take them up on this offer.
Use whatever odds type works best on your radar
This is no giant leap for mankind, just common sense. If you’re more comfortable with one form of sports betting odds, whether that be fractional, American or decimal, use it.
When live betting, focus on the return
Things move at lightspeed during live betting. For many, the best navigational move is to focus on whether you think the returns offered feel worth your while based on your predictions.
Remember your training
Something I always try to teach here is to remember that better betting is all about finding opportunities where you think the markets have got it wrong. Regardless of any odds comparison, and while you should still seek out the greatest odds, this remains your primary objective.
Captain’s Log: Remember, a ship is the sum of its parts
I view sports betting odds as one of the most important considerations when deciding which betting planets are worth exploration from my dedicated crew. However, that’s not the only thing to consider. There’s so much more aside from bookmaker odds comparison to take into account. There’s everything from customer service to promotions, with a whole galaxy in between to consider. So, keep your eyes on the skies for the best betting odds, but don’t miss the galaxy for the stars, and make sure to take in the whole picture.
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