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Reading the odds
How to read the percentage next to each fighter, work out what a bet pays, and see why the price moves.
On FightBets, odds are always a percentage. No plus and minus signs, no fractions. One number tells you the price and the crowd's opinion at the same time.
What the percentage means
A fighter at 62% means two things:
- The price. One share costs 62¢.
- The crowd's view. The market gives that fighter about a 62% chance to win.
Every share pays $1 if your fighter wins, and $0 if they lose. So the lower the percentage, the more you stand to win per dollar, and the less likely the crowd thinks it is.
The two fighters' percentages always add up to 100%. If one is at 62%, the other is at 38%.
Worked example
Two ways to bet $10 on the same fight:
| You back | Price | Shares for $10 | Pays if they win | Trading fee | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The favorite | 62% | about 16.1 | about $16.13 | $0.19 | about $5.94 |
| The underdog | 38% | about 26.3 | about $26.32 | $0.31 | about $16.01 |
The quick formula: what you get back = your bet ÷ the price. $10 ÷ 0.62 ≈ $16.13.
The market's trading fee is paid on top of your bet, so it doesn't change what you get back. It only trims your profit. It's smaller on favorites and bigger on underdogs. See Fees.
The bet slip does this math for you. Its figures can differ a little from the table, because the price you'd actually get right now can differ from the card.
Why the price you pay can differ
The percentage on the fight card is the current market price. When you enter an amount, the slip checks what's really on offer. On a computer, the fight page's bet slip shows it as Avg. Price.
- For most bets, the price you get is close to the card, often a touch higher.
- For a big bet on a fight not many people are betting on, you may have to take worse prices to get the whole amount in. The slip warns you when that costs more than about 2%, and suggests a smaller amount.
Prices move
The percentage changes as fans buy and sell. News, weigh-ins, a late replacement: all of it can move the price. The Win probability chart on each fight page shows how the price has moved over time.
The price you get is locked in when your bet goes through. Later moves change what your shares are worth if you sell early, but not what they pay if your fighter wins: still $1 a share.
Tip: A fighter at 50% isn't "no information". It means the crowd thinks it's a coin flip.
Next
Ready to put it to use? See Placing a bet.
