−125 odds: what they mean and what they pay
At −125 you bet $125 to win $100 in profit, $225 back in all. The price implies a 55.56% chance, so you need to win more than 55.56% of these bets to come out ahead.
The same price in every format
| American | −125 |
|---|---|
| Decimal | 1.800 |
| Fractional | 4/5 |
| Implied chance | 55.56% |
| Break-even win rate | 55.56% |
What −125 pays
| Bet | Profit if it wins | Total back |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $8.00 | $18.00 |
| $25 | $20.00 | $45.00 |
| $50 | $40.00 | $90.00 |
| $100 | $80.00 | $180.00 |
| $250 | $200.00 | $450.00 |
| $1,000 | $800.00 | $1,800.00 |
Is −125 good odds?
It depends on how likely the bet is to win, not on the number itself. −125 is a good price on a side that wins more than 55.56% of the time and a bad one on a side that wins less. If a market kept nothing, the other side of a −125 bet would be +125; real books price it worse than that, and the gap is their cut. At −110 on both sides, the most common spread and total price, the cut is 4.76%. Which book keeps the least differs: every sportsbook's cut, measured.
As a price, −125 makes the side a slight favorite.
What a better price is worth
Find −120 instead of −125 on the same bet and the win rate you need drops from 55.56% to 54.55%. Over 100 bets of $100 that win 55.56% of the time, −125 breaks even and −120 comes out about $185.19 ahead: the same picks, a better price. Books often differ by that much on the same game: the board shows which one pays the most.
−125 in a parlay
Two legs at −125 combine to decimal 3.240 (about +224): $100 would return $324.00. Each leg's cut compounds, so a parlay keeps more for the book than a single bet. Parlay calculator.
Questions
What does -125 mean in betting?
-125 means you bet $125 to win $100 in profit, returning $225 in all.
How much do I win on a $100 bet at -125?
$80.00 profit, $180.00 back in all if it wins.
What is -125 as a percentage?
-125 implies a 55.56% chance. That's also the share of bets you'd need to win to break even.
What is -125 in decimal odds?
1.800. In fractional odds it's about 4/5.
Is -125 a good bet?
Only if the side wins more than 55.56% of the time. The price alone can't tell you: compare it with other sportsbooks' prices on the same bet, since a better price lowers the win rate you need.