−850 odds: what they mean and what they pay
At −850 you bet $850 to win $100 in profit, $950 back in all. The price implies a 89.47% chance, so you need to win more than 89.47% of these bets to come out ahead.
The same price in every format
| American | −850 |
|---|---|
| Decimal | 1.118 |
| Fractional | 2/17 |
| Implied chance | 89.47% |
| Break-even win rate | 89.47% |
What −850 pays
| Bet | Profit if it wins | Total back |
|---|---|---|
| $10 | $1.18 | $11.18 |
| $25 | $2.94 | $27.94 |
| $50 | $5.88 | $55.88 |
| $100 | $11.76 | $111.76 |
| $250 | $29.41 | $279.41 |
| $1,000 | $117.65 | $1,117.65 |
Is −850 good odds?
It depends on how likely the bet is to win, not on the number itself. −850 is a good price on a side that wins more than 89.47% of the time and a bad one on a side that wins less. If a market kept nothing, the other side of a −850 bet would be +850; 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, −850 makes the side a big favorite: one loss wipes out the profit of several wins.
What a better price is worth
Find −800 instead of −850 on the same bet and the win rate you need drops from 89.47% to 88.89%. Over 100 bets of $100 that win 89.47% of the time, −850 breaks even and −800 comes out about $65.79 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.
−850 in a parlay
Two legs at −850 combine to decimal 1.249 (about −401): $100 would return $124.91. Each leg's cut compounds, so a parlay keeps more for the book than a single bet. Parlay calculator.
Questions
What does -850 mean in betting?
-850 means you bet $850 to win $100 in profit, returning $950 in all.
How much do I win on a $100 bet at -850?
$11.76 profit, $111.76 back in all if it wins.
What is -850 as a percentage?
-850 implies a 89.47% chance. That's also the share of bets you'd need to win to break even.
What is -850 in decimal odds?
1.118. In fractional odds it's about 2/17.
Is -850 a good bet?
Only if the side wins more than 89.47% 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.