−490 odds: what they mean and what they pay
At −490 you bet $490 to win $100 in profit, $590 back in all. The price implies a 83.05% chance, so you need to win more than 83.05% of these bets to come out ahead.
The same price in every format
| American | −490 |
|---|---|
| Decimal | 1.204 |
| Fractional | 10/49 |
| Implied chance | 83.05% |
| Break-even win rate | 83.05% |
What −490 pays
| Bet | Profit if it wins | Total back |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $2.04 | $12.04 |
| $25 | $5.10 | $30.10 |
| $50 | $10.20 | $60.20 |
| $100 | $20.41 | $120.41 |
| $250 | $51.02 | $301.02 |
| $1,000 | $204.08 | $1,204.08 |
Is −490 good odds?
It depends on how likely the bet is to win, not on the number itself. −490 is a good price on a side that wins more than 83.05% of the time and a bad one on a side that wins less. If a market kept nothing, the other side of a −490 bet would be +490; 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, −490 makes the side a heavy favorite.
What a better price is worth
Find −480 instead of −490 on the same bet and the win rate you need drops from 83.05% to 82.76%. Over 100 bets of $100 that win 83.05% of the time, −490 breaks even and −480 comes out about $35.31 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.
−490 in a parlay
Two legs at −490 combine to decimal 1.450 (about −222): $100 would return $144.98. Each leg's cut compounds, so a parlay keeps more for the book than a single bet. Parlay calculator.
Questions
What does -490 mean in betting?
-490 means you bet $490 to win $100 in profit, returning $590 in all.
How much do I win on a $100 bet at -490?
$20.41 profit, $120.41 back in all if it wins.
What is -490 as a percentage?
-490 implies a 83.05% chance. That's also the share of bets you'd need to win to break even.
What is -490 in decimal odds?
1.204. In fractional odds it's about 10/49.
Is -490 a good bet?
Only if the side wins more than 83.05% 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.