Sports betting: read the odds before you bet
Alongside the casino, Woos offers a sportsbook. You will find no tips or "sure bets" here: you will find how to read a price, how much the bookmaker keeps and how to choose a bet type knowingly. Football, tennis, basketball and cricket each have their own page.
Online sports betting is licensed country by country. Whether you may bet with Woos depends on the law where you live and on whether the operator holds a licence that covers it: check before opening an account.
Decimal odds and implied probability
Decimal odds show the total return per unit staked, stake included. A 10 bet at 2.50 returns 25, a net profit of 15. Divide 1 by the odds to get the implied probability: 1/2.50 = 40%. That is the probability the bookmaker prices in, margin included. Fractional (6/4) and American (+150) formats express the same thing differently; most sites let you switch to decimal.
The bookmaker's margin, worked through
Add up the implied probabilities of all outcomes in a market and the total exceeds 100%. The excess is the margin, the share the bookmaker keeps on average.
| Outcome (1X2 example) | Odds | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — home win | 2.10 | 47.6% |
| X — draw | 3.30 | 30.3% |
| 2 — away win | 3.60 | 27.8% |
| Total | 105.7% |
Here the margin is about 5.7%. Different markets carry different margins: usually lower on the main outcomes of the most followed events, higher on secondary markets and accumulators. Comparing margins is the simplest way to see what a bet costs.
Singles, accumulators and compounding margins
In an accumulator the odds multiply, and so do the margins. With three legs at a 5% margin each, the share kept approaches 14%. That is why a big accumulator price is attractive but costs much more than three singles. See bet types.
Live betting and cash out
Live bets are placed during the event, with prices changing constantly and short suspensions at key moments. Cash out, where offered, lets you close a bet before the end at a value the bookmaker proposes, which itself contains a margin. It is not free: it is a new bet in the opposite direction.
Bankroll matters more than the prediction
A cautious method is a fixed monthly budget and a small flat stake per bet. Example: with 300 a month and a unit of 1 to 2%, each bet is 3 to 6. A run of ten losing bets does not empty the budget, and the decision to raise the stake is never taken right after a loss.
Sports we cover
- Football: 1X2, double chance, over/under, handicaps.
- Tennis: match winner, sets, games and retirements.
- Basketball: moneyline, point spreads, quarters.
- Cricket: formats and markets.