Question by : How do betting odds work? How does -160 and +140 work? for example?
Thinking of betting on a UFC event but need help understanding the – and + meanings.
Best answer:
Answer by pdq
“Big Dude A” is -160. “Big Dude B” is +140.
“A” is the favorite to win the fight. You must bet 0 just to get a profit of 0. (You would get 0 back – your original 0, plus your 0 profit.)
“B” is the underdog. If you bet 0 and “B” wins, you would win 0 profit. (You would get 0 back – your original 0, plus your 0 profit.)
This goes for any size bet. You could bet to win profit on “Big Dude A”, or you could bet to win profit on “Big Dude B”.
***IMPORTANT – That’s the answer to your question, now here is something important to know. If the bookies made this a FAIR bet, they would have you putting up only 0 to win 0 profit for “A”, and they would have someone betting 0 to win 0 profit for “B”.
Can you see that everything would be balanced that way? The ‘extra’ that they charge you to bet on “A” and the amount they shortchange you when you bet on “B” is the bookies “take”. It’s the reason the bookie NEVER loses. It’s also the reason why only 1% of people placing bets on sports can do so profitably.
Good luck, but whether you win or lose, sports betting is a losing proposition.
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