How to use the odds calculator
- Pick the odds format your bookmaker shows: decimal (1.85), fractional (17/20) or American (-118).
- Choose your currency and type your stake.
- Enter the odds. For an accumulator, press Add selection for each extra leg, up to 20.
- Read the total odds, total return, profit and the chance the odds imply. Everything updates as you type.
If you switch format halfway through, the prices you've typed are converted for you, so you never have to start again.
What each result means
| Result | What it tells you | Example (₦1,000 at 1.85) |
|---|---|---|
| Total odds | The price of the whole bet. For an accumulator, every leg multiplied together | 1.85 |
| Total return | What comes back if the bet wins, your stake included | ₦1,850 |
| Profit | The return minus your stake: what you actually win | ₦850 |
| Chance the odds imply | The probability the price suggests, before the bookmaker's margin is removed | 54.1% |
| Break-even rate | How often bets at this price must win for you not to lose money over time | 1 in 1.9 |
The number people most often get wrong is the return. A bookmaker's "potential winnings" usually includes your stake; profit doesn't. On a ₦1,000 bet at 1.85, you get ₦1,850 back, but you've only won ₦850.
How returns are worked out
The calculator turns every price into decimal odds first, because the sum is then the same for every format: return = stake × decimal odds.
- Decimal odds already include the stake. ₦1,000 at 2.50 returns ₦2,500.
- Fractional odds show profit against stake. 3/2 means you win 3 for every 2 staked, so ₦1,000 at 3/2 wins ₦1,500 and returns ₦2,500. As decimal odds that's 1 + 3 ÷ 2 = 2.50.
- American odds start from 100. A plus price (+150) is the profit on a 100 stake; a minus price (-200) is what you must stake to win 100. +150 is 2.50 in decimal and -200 is 1.50.
Singles and accumulators
A single is one selection. An accumulator (acca, multiple, or "slip") links several, and every one of them has to win. The total odds are the legs multiplied together: 1.50 × 1.80 × 2.00 = 5.40, so ₦1,000 returns ₦5,400.
That multiplication works on the chances too, and this is the part most slips forget. Here is what happens when you keep adding selections priced at 1.50:
| Selections at 1.50 | Total odds | Chance the odds imply | ₦1,000 returns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.50 | 66.7% | ₦1,500 |
| 2 | 2.25 | 44.4% | ₦2,250 |
| 3 | 3.38 | 29.6% | ₦3,375 |
| 4 | 5.06 | 19.8% | ₦5,063 |
| 5 | 7.59 | 13.2% | ₦7,594 |
| 6 | 11.39 | 8.8% | ₦11,391 |
Six short-priced picks at 1.50 give a slip that wins fewer than one time in ten. The bigger return isn't free: you pay for it with a much smaller chance of collecting it.
If a leg is void (a postponed match, say), most bookmakers count it as odds of 1.00: the slip carries on with the remaining selections and the total odds drop. To check that case, set the void leg to 1.01 or remove it.
Your chance and the value of a bet
The optional Your chance of winning box turns the calculator into a value check. Enter how likely you think the bet is to win, and it shows what the bet is worth on average:
expected value = your chance × return − stake
Say you back a team at 2.10 with ₦1,000 and you rate their chance at 50%. On average you get back 0.5 × ₦2,100 = ₦1,050 for every ₦1,000 staked, so the bet is worth +₦50 per bet. At 45% it would be worth −₦55. A positive number means the odds pay more than your estimate of the chance says they should. It is only as good as the estimate, so be honest with it, or use the percentages on our predictions.
Mistakes the calculator helps you avoid
- Mixing up return and profit. Always check which one a bookmaker or tipster is quoting.
- Forgetting the stake on fractional odds. 1/2 returns ₦1,500 on ₦1,000, not ₦500.
- Reading American minus prices backwards. -150 is shorter than -110, not longer.
- Treating short odds as a certainty. A price of 1.20 still loses about one time in six.
- Building long slips for the return alone. Check the implied chance before you add another leg.
Use it with our tips
Every tip on TodaysPrediction shows its chance and its odds, so you can drop them straight into the calculator. Try our top tips, the banker of the day or the ready-made 2 odds and 3 odds slips, and see exactly what they pay before you bet.