Fractional Odds vs Decimal Odds

If you are a seasoned punter then you will already have your favoured types of odds. This may be fractional, or it may be decimal but the key point is that you have made your decision, and regardless of what happens in the future you are likely to stick with that.

However, for new punters who are just beginning their betting career, this is a decision they need to make, something the older players never really thought about.

Do you go with fractional odds or decimal odds type? The choice is actually completely down to personal preference, there is no types of betting odds that are better than the other outright, both have positives and negatives.

To try and help you make the choice when it comes, here is our look at the positives and negatives for both betting odds fractions to decimals, so you can judge for yourself which way you want to go. Dont forget to check innovative crypto betting sites, where you can find not only fractions to decimals betting odds format, but also american and asian odds.

Fractional odd are seen as the traditional option in betting circles. If you log onto a betting website that is facing the UK or has a lot of UK players then they are highly likely to have fractional odds displayed as their default.

One of the real positives for choosing fractional odds is that these are used by many bookmakers as the standard option. When you log on, fractional odds will be displayed for you to view.

If you are intending to combine your online betting with a trip to see your local bookmaker then there is even more need to choose fractional odds, as this is what will be used inside the shop, and obviously, you can’t change that.

If you go to a horse racing or greyhound racing meeting then you will be placing your bets with the bookmakers that are on course and again these will all use fractional odds.

The negative of fractional odds is that not too many people use fractions, in general, any more and for that reason, they can be very difficult to work out for customers. If you are new to fractional odds, working out which is the best odds between 15/8, 9/5 and 19/10 is not easy to do, especially if you don’t have much time because you need to bet quickly.

Those three odds displayed as decimal odds would instantly let you know which was the best and which you should take.

The other negative is that it seems fractional odds are a dying art form. They may stick around because of their history and because they are viewed as being the traditional option but in 20 years from now, far more people will be using decimal odds than they are now.

The final negative comes for those who use betting exchanges (read this article about most popular exchange site – Betfair sportsbook and exchange). These all use decimal odds, so if you are going to combine betting with bookmakers and on the exchanges then you are going to have to use decimal on the exchange, so you may as well use decimal for everything.

Decimal odds are seen as the new wave of betting odds. They are far more popular on the European continent than in the UK, mainly because Europe doesn’t have the same traditional ties to horse racing. In Europe, sports betting focuses on sports like football and tennis where decimal odds are more broadly used.

The biggest positive with decimal odd is that they are so easy to work out which is best. We compared 15/8, 9/5 and 19/10 early as fractions, and many would struggle to say which was best.

In decimal odds, these are 2.88, 2.80 and 2.90, so clearly, the biggest odds on offer is 2.90, so 19/10.

This means when you want to know your winnings you can work them out instantly with just one simple sum. The odds on offer times by the stake you place. So 2.90 with 10 on means a return of 29.

Any new gamblers coming into sports betting are going to see that and wonder why everyone doesn’t use decimal odds.

The negatives for decimal odds are the lack of use elsewhere other than online. When you are betting online, you can change the odds from showing fraction to decimal betting with the click of one button.

If you are betting in a shop, on a racecourse or anywhere else away from the online world, you cannot do fraction to decimal odds betting.

Until those places change and offer decimal odds to their players, it is unlikely you will be able to bet anywhere other than online without struggling.

There is also a sense that learning fractional odds is part of the fun of gambling and something we should all do. This is certainly the case more in the UK than anywhere else, and again probably comes down to the fact that it is a very traditional betting country. Here you can find traditional trusted betting sites list 2024 .

So, as we said at the top of this article, this is purely a personal choice, there is no right or wrong answer here.

However, we do have a few pointers for you to note, and if you are in particular circumstances then using either fractional odds or decimal odds will be an advantage for you.

If you are betting away from the online world then you are likely to need fractional odds at some point. For that reason, it is probably better to just stick with those and ignore decimal odds until a time comes when you can place all of your bets in decimal.

If you are intending to mix up betting with bookmakers and on betting exchanges then using decimal odds would give you the ability to use decimal odds for all of your betting needs. Betting exchange work in decimal odds, so if you want to use those then you will need to learn decimals if that is the case you may as well do as much of your betting using them as possible.

Whatever your views, make the right decision for you and your betting to avoid the risk of being confused and struggling to understand the odds on offer.

If you want find more articles about sport betting strategies, check out our betting strategies category.