Guides

Guides

Straight answers to the questions worth asking before you bet, with the math worked through.

1. Is my cash-out offer fair? How to check it in a minute

   A cash-out offer is your ticket bought back at the live price, minus a cut. Here is the formula, a worked example, and when an offer beats your stake.

2. No-vig odds explained: removing the bookmaker's margin

   Why a sportsbook's odds add up to more than 100%, how to strip the margin out to get fair odds, and why the power method treats longshots differently.

3. How to tell whether a sports picks record is real

   Most picks records can't be checked. Four questions to ask of any picks site, and how a hash-chained record lets you verify every call yourself.

4. How to read American odds: what +150 and −200 really mean

   What the plus and minus signs mean, what $100 pays at any price, how to turn odds into a chance to win, and why −110 on both sides is not 50/50.

5. What does a 70% chance to win mean? Reading win probabilities

   A 70% pick should lose three times in ten. How to read a win probability, why losing streaks are normal, and how to tell an honest forecaster from a lucky one.