−550 odds: what they mean and what they pay
At −550 you bet $550 to win $100 in profit, $650 back in all. The price implies a 84.62% chance, so you need to win more than 84.62% of these bets to come out ahead.
The same price in every format
| American | −550 |
|---|---|
| Decimal | 1.182 |
| Fractional | 2/11 |
| Implied chance | 84.62% |
| Break-even win rate | 84.62% |
What −550 pays
| Bet | Profit if it wins | Total back |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $1.82 | $11.82 |
| $25 | $4.55 | $29.55 |
| $50 | $9.09 | $59.09 |
| $100 | $18.18 | $118.18 |
| $250 | $45.45 | $295.45 |
| $1,000 | $181.82 | $1,181.82 |
Is −550 good odds?
It depends on how likely the bet is to win, not on the number itself. −550 is a good price on a side that wins more than 84.62% of the time and a bad one on a side that wins less. If a market kept nothing, the other side of a −550 bet would be +550; 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, −550 makes the side a big favorite: one loss wipes out the profit of several wins.
What a better price is worth
Find −500 instead of −550 on the same bet and the win rate you need drops from 84.62% to 83.33%. Over 100 bets of $100 that win 84.62% of the time, −550 breaks even and −500 comes out about $153.85 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.
−550 in a parlay
Two legs at −550 combine to decimal 1.397 (about −252): $100 would return $139.67. Each leg's cut compounds, so a parlay keeps more for the book than a single bet. Parlay calculator.
Questions
What does -550 mean in betting?
-550 means you bet $550 to win $100 in profit, returning $650 in all.
How much do I win on a $100 bet at -550?
$18.18 profit, $118.18 back in all if it wins.
What is -550 as a percentage?
-550 implies a 84.62% chance. That's also the share of bets you'd need to win to break even.
What is -550 in decimal odds?
1.182. In fractional odds it's about 2/11.
Is -550 a good bet?
Only if the side wins more than 84.62% 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.