−280 odds: what they mean and what they pay
At −280 you bet $280 to win $100 in profit, $380 back in all. The price implies a 73.68% chance, so you need to win more than 73.68% of these bets to come out ahead.
The same price in every format
| American | −280 |
|---|---|
| Decimal | 1.357 |
| Fractional | 5/14 |
| Implied chance | 73.68% |
| Break-even win rate | 73.68% |
What −280 pays
| Bet | Profit if it wins | Total back |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $3.57 | $13.57 |
| $25 | $8.93 | $33.93 |
| $50 | $17.86 | $67.86 |
| $100 | $35.71 | $135.71 |
| $250 | $89.29 | $339.29 |
| $1,000 | $357.14 | $1,357.14 |
Is −280 good odds?
It depends on how likely the bet is to win, not on the number itself. −280 is a good price on a side that wins more than 73.68% of the time and a bad one on a side that wins less. If a market kept nothing, the other side of a −280 bet would be +280; 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, −280 makes the side a heavy favorite.
What a better price is worth
Find −275 instead of −280 on the same bet and the win rate you need drops from 73.68% to 73.33%. Over 100 bets of $100 that win 73.68% of the time, −280 breaks even and −275 comes out about $47.85 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.
−280 in a parlay
Two legs at −280 combine to decimal 1.842 (about −119): $100 would return $184.18. Each leg's cut compounds, so a parlay keeps more for the book than a single bet. Parlay calculator.
Questions
What does -280 mean in betting?
-280 means you bet $280 to win $100 in profit, returning $380 in all.
How much do I win on a $100 bet at -280?
$35.71 profit, $135.71 back in all if it wins.
What is -280 as a percentage?
-280 implies a 73.68% chance. That's also the share of bets you'd need to win to break even.
What is -280 in decimal odds?
1.357. In fractional odds it's about 5/14.
Is -280 a good bet?
Only if the side wins more than 73.68% 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.