Fractional odds are what you hear on British football coverage and see in betting shop windows: “Spurs are 7/2 tonight”, “the champions are 4/9”. They look old-fashioned, but the rule behind them is simple. The first number is what you win, and the second is what you stake.
Table of Contents
- a/b means you win a for every b staked, and your stake comes back on top.
- Bigger first number (7/2) = odds-against, the outcome is less likely than not.
- Smaller first number (4/9) = odds-on, the outcome is more likely than not.
- Evens (1/1) doubles your money.
- To convert to decimal, divide and add 1: 7/2 = 4.50.
- Implied chance = b ÷ (a + b): 7/2 → 2 ÷ 9 = 22%.
Read it like a sentence
Say the fraction as “a to b”. 7/2 is “seven to two”: stake 2, win 7. If the bet wins, you get your 2 back as well, so 9 in total.
The three kinds of fraction
Odds-against: the first number is bigger
Prices like 5/2, 7/2 and 10/1 are for outcomes the market thinks are less likely than not. Your profit is bigger than your stake. Away teams at strong grounds and most draw prices fall here.
Evens: 1/1
Your profit equals your stake. $10 wins $10, and you get $20 back. You’ll often hear it called “even money”.
Odds-on: the second number is bigger
Prices like 4/9, 1/2 and 2/7 are for outcomes thought more likely than not. You stake more than you can win. 4/9 means risking 9 to win 4. Strong home favourites usually look like this.
Four match-day examples
| Situation | Price | Stake | Profit | Total back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away underdog to win | 7/2 | $10 | $35.00 | $45.00 |
| Home favourite to win | 4/9 | $18 | $8.00 | $26.00 |
| Over 2.5 goals | Evens | $15 | $15.00 | $30.00 |
| Striker to score first | 11/2 | $4 | $22.00 | $26.00 |
How the 4/9 line is worked out: $18 × 4 ÷ 9 = $8 profit, plus the $18 stake = $26.
Turning a fraction into a percentage
To get the chance a fractional price implies, divide the second number by the sum of both numbers:
| Fraction | Decimal | Implied chance |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | 1.25 | 80.0% |
| 4/9 | 1.44 | 69.2% |
| 8/13 | 1.62 | 61.9% |
| 5/6 | 1.83 | 54.5% |
| 1/1 | 2.00 | 50.0% |
| 11/8 | 2.38 | 42.1% |
| 2/1 | 3.00 | 33.3% |
| 7/2 | 4.50 | 22.2% |
| 6/1 | 7.00 | 14.3% |
| 25/1 | 26.00 | 3.8% |
Some fractions, like 8/13 and 11/8, look strange. They exist because bookmakers want prices that land on particular percentages. Convert them to decimal and they make sense straight away.
A whole match in fractions
Here’s a typical league fixture: home 10/11 · draw 13/5 · away 3/1.
- Home 10/11 → 11 ÷ 21 = 52.4%
- Draw 13/5 → 5 ÷ 18 = 27.8%
- Away 3/1 → 1 ÷ 4 = 25.0%
Together that’s 105.2%. The 5.2% above 100% is the bookmaker’s margin. Fractional prices hide it a bit better than decimal ones, which is one reason to convert them before comparing. For more on the margin, see how bookmakers make money.
Converting to other formats
For quick conversions, use our odds converter. For the other formats, see decimal odds and American moneyline odds.
Fractions in accumulators
You can’t multiply fractions directly to build an accumulator. Convert each leg to decimal first, then multiply. A treble of 4/5, 6/5 and Evens becomes 1.80 × 2.20 × 2.00 = 7.92, roughly 69/10 in fractional terms. Bookmakers do this conversion behind the scenes.
Prices drift and shorten
You’ll hear that a team has “drifted from 2/1 to 3/1” (become less fancied) or been “backed into 6/4” (more fancied). It’s the same thing you see when decimal prices move: team news, money and goals during the game. Our guide to opening and closing odds explains why it happens.
FAQ
QAre fractional odds the same as 'UK odds'?
QWhat does odds-against mean?
QWhat does odds-on mean?
QIs 'evens' the same as 2.00?
QCan I change the format a site shows?
QDo fractional and decimal odds ever pay differently?
