Find the Best Betting Odds in 2025

It may appear puzzling at first, but this betting odds guide should help players understand. Over the years, the method sports bookies generate odds and betting lines has changed dramatically.

Old-school Vegas oddsmakers formerly dominated the sports betting market, but much has changed since the introduction of internet sportsbooks and the fine-tuning of sports betting software and algorithms.

What hasn't changed is the main objective set by sportsbooks since the early days of sports betting: to balance the action on both sides of a bet. However, odds aren't intended to reflect the true and exact probability of either event.

After all, making a wager when you believe there is a disparity between the real chance of an event and the implied probability obtained from a betting line is one of the best tactics for acquiring an edge over your online bookmakers.

It's important to recognize that the primary goal of oddsmakers is to reduce your sportsbook's risk, not to present an accurate (or likely) image of reality. - like risk managers and expert sports forecasters.

The purpose of odds is to encourage equal action on both sides of a sports line. Ideally, a sportsbook would receive similar betting volume on both sides of a wager and profit 5-10 percent on the juice (or 'vig') whether they win or lose.

Understanding how sports betting odds work can help you make smarter bets, increase your chances of winning, and make watching the game even more exciting. It's also important for online betting bookies as it balances both sides of a wager, meaning that the house still gets their cut.

To profit from sports betting, you need to understand the difference between odds and probability. Odds aren't always a direct reflection of the chances of something happening, even though they're related. Remember, though, that sports betting is legal and regulated in Kenya by the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), so always play by the rules!

Simply put, probability in sports betting is subjective. Both bettors and online bookies will have different ideas about how likely a game outcome is. Probabilities generally range between 5% to 10%, sometimes less, sometimes more. Making correct evaluations about the probability of a result, and then assessing if the odds of that outcome offer bets value, are key to successful sports betting.

There is an option for live odds sports betting, where you can bet while the sporting event is being live streamed.

So, how do European betting odds work? The sportsbet odds determine how much you get paid out on winning bets. That's why they're often called the "price" of a wager.

A wager can be either 'odds on' or 'odds against'. Odds on means you win less than what you bet, and odds against means you win more than what you bet.

You'll still make money if you win an odds-on bet because you get your original stake back, but you'll have to risk more to win less. Big favourites are often odds on because they're more likely to win. A bet with a higher chance of losing than winning is called odds against.

Even money odds are also possible. If you win an even money bet, you get back exactly what you bet, doubling your money. Remember, the higher the odds, the less likely the bet is to win, but the bigger the payout will be.

The standard odds format can vary depending on where you are. However, gambling sites make it easy to switch things up. They allow you to change the odds format to what you're used to. Some of the best betting sites even offer a mix of odds types.

Let's check out the most common sports betting odds formats: Moneyline, Decimal, and Fractional odds.

• Moneyline odds are most popular in America and work differently for crowd favorites and underdogs.
• Fractional odds are also often known as British odds, UK odds, or Traditional odds.
• Decimal odds are considered to be the easiest betting format to understand. It's most popular in Europe, Canada, and Australia, but most bookmaker sportsbooks offer the option to show the odds in the decimal odds format.

If you're not sure what you're looking at when you see betting odds, you can't really find value in the betting markets, and that's key to winning at sports betting.

Understanding Odds

Odds are a bit different from other betting formats as it usually highlights a favourite and an underdog.

The odds for the favourite to win will usually have a ' - ' sign. The number next to it shows how much you need to bet to win KSh 12,987 (approximately).

The underdog's number has a '+' sign, showing how much you'll win if you bet KSh 12,987 and they win.

For example, say Team A is the favourite to win the Sunday game at -110 odds. If you bet KSh 14,286 on Team A, you'll win KSh 12,987 and get your KSh 14,286 bet back, for a total payout of KSh 27,274.

Now, say you put KSh 12,987 on Team B at +240 odds. If Team B wins, you'll get KSh 31,168 plus your original KSh 12,987 bet. That's a total payout of KSh 44,155.

Fractional Odds Explained

These odds show you how much profit you'll make if you win, on top of your stake.

Let's say the Friday night game between Team A and Team B has odds of 5/1 and 1/5, respectively. If you bet KSh 650 on Team A and they win, you multiply KSh 650 by five (the top number in the odds).

So, your bet on Team A wins you KSh 3,250 plus your original KSh 650 bet — a total payout of KSh 3,900.

A bet on Team B with odds of 1/5, on the other hand, will only get you KSh 130 for every KSh 650 you bet. That's a total payout of KSh 780 for a KSh 650 stake.

Fractional odds are often used in horse racing. If you bet KSh 6,500 on Noble Feet at 20/1 and it wins, you multiply your original bet by the odds: KSh 6,500 times 20. So, you'll win KSh 130,000 on your bet, plus your KSh 6,500 bet back, for a total payout of KSh 136,500.

Understanding Decimal Odds

Decimal odds are easier to understand than the other two. The number you see is the exact amount you'll get paid if you win. Let's say the fight on Saturday night has odds of 2.0 for Fighter A and 5.5 for Fighter B.

If you bet KSh 12,987 on Fighter A and they win, you multiply your KSh 12,987 by the odds (2.0). So, your total winnings and payout will be KSh 25,974. If you bet the same amount on Fighter B, you win a total payout of KSh 71,429.

In theory, odds can be shown in any format, no matter the game. But, in reality, it depends on who's watching.

For example, since most viewers are in the United States, NFL odds are almost always shown in the American format (at least at first).

Football, especially the English Premier League, is incredibly popular in Kenya, with many fans placing bets on the beautiful game. So, how do you bet on football games?

The huge number of matches means there are lots of betting options, and many bookie websites offer special deals and competitive odds. You can easily access these sites from your mobile phone. M-Pesa and Airtel Money are common ways to pay for your bets, along with credit cards.

The first thing to remember is that there are no sure things in football betting. You can do all the research you want and know everything about a game, but a surprise result is always possible.

That's why you should use your football betting knowledge to pick the game and bet you want. Simpler bets, like Match Bet or goalscorer markets, and lower-risk bets, like Draw No Bet, are better for those with less experience.

Stick to leagues and teams you know. Otherwise, you might lose money because you can't be sure if the bet is worth it. For example, if you follow the Premier League closely, you're better off betting on that than a league you don't know much about.

There are also lots of free stats sites you can use to understand some of the more specific prop markets available on many bookie sites. These are great betting tips in football.

Cricket betting odds are the key to everything in cricket betting, and you can't win without knowing how they work.

Limited-over matches are simple head-to-head games, while test matches can end in a draw. Odds are basically a way to show the probability of something happening, based on past bets.

If you bet against what most people think, your chances are slim, but you'll win big if you're right. Betting tips cricket can help you with this.

It's a good idea to only bet on teams you know well. Otherwise, you might lose money because you don't know if the bet is worth it. There are many cricket betting apps available in Kenya.

Remember that a horse's chances of winning, and how much you'll get paid if it wins, are based on probability. These are your horse racing odds.

Traditional odds let you see what chance an online wagering company or the industry as a whole gives to a horse, unlike the pari-mutuel system, where payouts are decided by the players themselves based on how much money is in the pool and how many bets are placed on each horse.

For example, a 5-1 horse might not seem like a long shot at first, but multiply that by a standard KSh 130 stake and divide 100 by that number. Dividing 100 by 6 gives this horse a success rate of less than 17%.

In horse racing, a 17% chance of winning isn't bad. There could be 20 horses in the race, and each would only have a 5% chance of winning if they were all equal.

But remember, if a horse's odds say it has a 17% chance of winning, it also has an 83% chance of losing. So, keep your bets reasonable and the numbers on your side.

Most sports betting odds are shown in the same way. The minus sign (-) means the favourite, and the plus sign (+) means the underdog. Most odds are based on KSh 12,987 bets.

If you see +110 or -110, it means the vig (the bookmaker's cut) is about KSh 1,300. Sportsbooks need to make a profit to stay in business, so the juice is usually between KSh 650 and KSh 1,300.

For example, you might see odds for a fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov at +125 and -155, respectively. These are your UFC odds.

If you bet on the favourite, you'd have to bet KSh 20,130 to win KSh 12,987. But if you bet on the underdog (McGregor), you only have to put down KSh 12,987 to win KSh 16,234.

The best UFC fighters are diverse, but no matter how good a fighter is, they all have strengths and weaknesses. These are clear in their fighting style. Take time to study each fighter's different approaches and how they match up.

A fighter can usually control the pace of a fight, but showing a weakness against the wrong opponent can lead to a big loss for a favourite and a nice payout for an underdog bet.

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