−420 odds: what they mean and what they pay
At −420 you bet $420 to win $100 in profit, $520 back in all. The price implies a 80.77% chance, so you need to win more than 80.77% of these bets to come out ahead.
The same price in every format
| American | −420 |
|---|---|
| Decimal | 1.238 |
| Fractional | 5/21 |
| Implied chance | 80.77% |
| Break-even win rate | 80.77% |
What −420 pays
| Bet | Profit if it wins | Total back |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $2.38 | $12.38 |
| $25 | $5.95 | $30.95 |
| $50 | $11.90 | $61.90 |
| $100 | $23.81 | $123.81 |
| $250 | $59.52 | $309.52 |
| $1,000 | $238.10 | $1,238.10 |
Is −420 good odds?
It depends on how likely the bet is to win, not on the number itself. −420 is a good price on a side that wins more than 80.77% of the time and a bad one on a side that wins less. If a market kept nothing, the other side of a −420 bet would be +420; 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, −420 makes the side a heavy favorite.
What a better price is worth
Find −410 instead of −420 on the same bet and the win rate you need drops from 80.77% to 80.39%. Over 100 bets of $100 that win 80.77% of the time, −420 breaks even and −410 comes out about $46.90 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.
−420 in a parlay
Two legs at −420 combine to decimal 1.533 (about −188): $100 would return $153.29. Each leg's cut compounds, so a parlay keeps more for the book than a single bet. Parlay calculator.
Questions
What does -420 mean in betting?
-420 means you bet $420 to win $100 in profit, returning $520 in all.
How much do I win on a $100 bet at -420?
$23.81 profit, $123.81 back in all if it wins.
What is -420 as a percentage?
-420 implies a 80.77% chance. That's also the share of bets you'd need to win to break even.
What is -420 in decimal odds?
1.238. In fractional odds it's about 5/21.
Is -420 a good bet?
Only if the side wins more than 80.77% 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.