Betting odds explained

A price is a return, not a prediction. Fractional and decimal odds are two ways of writing the same return, and Hollywoodbets uses a third label in its sign-up terms.

Odds are the rate Hollywoodbets offers on an outcome. If you know the stake and the price, you can work out the return before you place the bet. If you cannot do that sum, do not place the bet yet.

Fractional odds

Fractional odds show profit compared with stake. The number on the left is profit. The number on the right is the stake unit.

Fractional price	Meaning on a winning bet	European decimal
5/10	R5 profit for every R10 staked. A R10 stake returns R15.	1.50
1/1	R10 profit for every R10 staked. A R10 stake returns R20.	2.00
5/2	R5 profit for every R2 staked. A R10 stake returns R35.	3.50
10/1	R10 profit for every R1 staked. A R10 stake returns R110.	11.00

The European decimal in that table is the fractional price, divided through, plus 1. That extra 1 is your stake coming back on a winner.

European decimal odds

Decimal odds quote the full return per R1 staked, including the stake. Multiply your stake by the decimal price.

R20 at 1.80 returns R36 if the bet wins. Profit is R16.
R20 at 2.50 returns R50 if the bet wins. Profit is R30.
R25 at 1.50 returns R37.50 if the bet wins. Profit is R12.50.

If the bet loses, the stake is lost. The price does not pay a consolation.

A decimal below 1.00 is not a normal European price, because a winning bet has to return at least the stake. If you see 0.50 on a screen, check whether the account is showing profit odds rather than European decimals. That distinction is the whole of the next section.

What Hollywoodbets means by 5/10 (0.5 decimal)

The sign-up terms say the R25 must be wagered at odds of 5/10 (0.5 decimal) or greater. Read the fraction first. 5/10 is R5 profit for every R10 you stake. Hollywoodbets’ own bracket calls that profit rate “0.5 decimal”.

If your coupon is set to European decimals, the same minimum is 1.50, not 0.50. A bet at 1.40 in European decimals is shorter than 5/10 and does not meet that wording. A bet at 1.50 or longer does.

This is an account setting, not a trick in the match. Look at a price you already understand, such as an even-money outcome. If even money is shown as 2.00, you are on European decimals and the sign-up minimum is 1.50. If even money is shown as 1/1 or as 1.00, match the fraction 5/10 instead of guessing.

The rest of the offer, including the 24-hour limit and the ban on betting both sides, is on the sign-up offer page.

Implied chance

Implied chance is the decimal price turned into a percentage. Divide 1 by the European decimal.

European decimal	Implied chance
1.50	66.7%
2.00	50%
4.00	25%
11.00	9.1%

That percentage is not the true chance of the event. Add up the implied chances of every outcome in the market and the total will usually be more than 100 percent. The extra is the bookmaker’s margin. A two-outcome market priced at 1.90 and 1.90 implies about 52.6 percent each, or 105 percent together. You are being charged for the service of being able to bet.

Shorter and longer

A shorter price pays less and is the outcome the market treats as more likely. A longer price pays more and is treated as less likely. Moving from 1.70 to 1.55 means the price has shortened. Moving from 1.70 to 2.10 means it has lengthened.

Prices move because money arrives, teamsheets change, or the bookmaker changes its view. The price on the screen when you confirm is the price that counts, not the price you saw an hour earlier. If the coupon asks you to accept a change, read the new number before you accept it.

Where this shows up in a bet

A single uses one price. A multiple multiplies the decimal prices together, then multiplies by the stake. A R10 double at 1.80 and 2.00 returns R10 x 1.80 x 2.00, which is R36, if both legs win. If either leg loses, the double loses. That arithmetic, and the other market types, is on the bet types page.

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Questions

What is 5/10 in European decimal odds?

Fractional odds of 5/10 pay R5 profit for every R10 staked. The same price in European decimal odds is 1.50, because the stake is included in the number.

Why do Hollywoodbets' terms say 0.5 decimal?

Their sign-up terms write the minimum as 5/10 (0.5 decimal). The 0.5 is the profit multiple, half the stake, not a European decimal of 0.50.

How do I get the implied chance from a decimal price?

Divide 1 by the European decimal price. A price of 2.00 implies 1 divided by 2.00, which is 0.50, or 50 percent, before the bookmaker's margin.