Although there are lots of sports that people love to bet on, soccer remains one of the most popular. This is no surprise when you consider that it has billions of fans around the world and plenty of exciting leagues to wager on. The sheer choice of markets to bet on also makes it a sport which people like to get involved with.

Whether you follow the English Premier League, the UEFA Champions League or the FIFA World Cup, knowing how to read odds is key for soccer gambling. But why is this true and just what are the best ways to read odds when wagering on your favourite teams?

Why is knowing how to read odds crucial for soccer gambling?

One point to bear in mind is that soccer odds show how much the bet will return if it wins. This is essential to know because it helps ensure you bet from a position of knowledge and are fully aware of how much a winning bet pays out. Understanding how odds work helps bettors identify value and better predict outcomes.

Getting to grips with how to read odds also means you can spot value for money wagers on your favourite soccer teams. If the odds given mean a £10 bet only returns £0.25, it is not really a wager which offers good value for money. On the other hand, odds which see a £10 bet returning £50 deliver much better value.  

The last reason knowing how to read odds before betting on your top soccer teams makes sense is probability. Odds indicate how likely an event is to happen and gives bettors an idea of how probable the bet is to pay off. For instance, odds of 250/1 on one of the newly promoted EPL teams to win the league next season clearly show that it’s not likely to happen.

Best ways to read soccer betting odds

If you like betting on your favourite soccer teams, knowing how to read odds makes total sense. As shown at askgamblers.com, this involves getting to know the most common type of odds you’ll find at sportsbooks and how to interpret them.

Although all formats show the same basic information, they present it in a slightly different way. Let’s take a closer look at the most common for soccer gambling:

Fractional odds

For UK gamblers, fractional odds such as 2/1 and 5/2 are the most familiar odds that we’re most used to seeing. But just how do you read odds like this when betting on your favourite side? They come in the format of fractions and are calculated in a specific way. This involves dividing the numerator and denominator before multiplying this by the stake and adding the stake back into the final figure.

If Arsenal were playing Wolves in the EPL for example, you might see them with odds of 2/1 to win. In this case, a £10 stake would return £30 if Arsenal came out on top (£10 x 2 = £20 + £10 stake = £30).

Decimal odds

Digging into the top soccer betting strategies before putting any money down is wise and this certainly covers knowing how to read odds. Another popular odds format in the UK and beyond is decimal.

These are simple to find at all sportsbooks online and can be easier to understand for some bettors. Decimal odds can make it much quicker to calculate how much a wager on your favourite side will return.

You’ll often see decimal odds such as 1.25 and 2.00 for soccer betting online. The basic thing to know about these odds is that the lower the number, the more likely it is that the event will happen. For instance, if Everton is showing odds of 1.50 to win their next match in the EPL, they are the favourites for that game. If they were showing odds of 5.00 though, the opposite is true.

When working out what a bet made with decimal odds returns, it’s a simple case of multiplying your stake by the odds. If Barcelona were playing Villareal in La Liga for example and had odds of 3.50 to win, a winning £10 wager would return £35.

American odds

Although most soccer bettors outside of the US tend to stick with fractional or decimal odds, American, or moneyline odds as they can be called, are worth knowing about. They are widely seen at many sportsbooks and knowing how to read them is never a bad thing.

The obvious sign that you’re looking at American odds is a plus or minus symbol next to the odds. This might be something like -150 or +200. Odds with a negative symbol next to them show the favourite for that game and the positive odds indicate the underdog.

If you were betting on Manchester City to beat Brentford for example, you might see odds such as -200 for this to happen. This indicates that you need to bet £200 to win £100, which would return £300 in total.

If Brentford is your team though and has odds of +400, you’d get £400 back from a £100 wager if they won. You don’t have to bet in £100 stakes because the payouts are scaled in proportion with your stake.

Understanding odds for soccer betting

If you plan to bet on your favourite soccer teams, knowing how to read odds is a must. This means you gamble from a position of knowledge and in a responsible, informed way. It also ensures you know just what any bet could return, what value it offers and how likely the bet is to win.