The standard odds format for all betting sites in the UK is now decimal. Granted the best betting sites still allow you to click a button and switch back to fractional but as time goes on fractional odds will eventually be phased out. It’s important to get to grips with how to convert decimal odds to fractional odds and in this article I’ll show you exactly how it’s done. It’s not that difficult and you don’t need a maths degree. Once you’ve been doing it for a couple of weeks it’ll start to come naturally.
Understanding Decimal Odds
Before you go about converting decimal odds to fractional odds you first need to understand what decimal odds actually mean. This is best displayed using an example. Lets say the odds on a certain event happening are quoted as 1.75. This basically means that if you put £1 on at those odds you’ll get a 0.75p return plus your stake back. If the odds were 7.00 and you put £1 on you’d get £6 plus your stake back.
How to Convert Decimal Odds to Fractional Odds
Obviously you can use a betting odds calculator of some kind but that’s cheating and you’re better off learning how to do it in your head. It’ll save you time and if you’re using any betting exchanges or live betting services then you will need to do this simple conversion very quickly.
The quickest and easiest way to convert decimal odds to fractional odds is to simply take the decimal odds shown on screen and minus 1.0 from that number. Your fractional odds then become decimal odds – 1 = fractional odds (x to 1).
For example say your decimal odds are quoted as 3.0 on screen and you want to make a conversion to fractional odds. You simply minus one from the 3.0 and it becomes 2/1. It’s slightly different when it comes to odds on fractions but the process remains the same. Lets say you want to convert 1.80. You minus the one and you end up with 0.8/1 – for every £1 you put on you’ll get 80p + your stake back in winnings.
List of Decimal Odds as Fractional Odds
Here’s a short list of some of the most common conversions you’ll need to do:
| Decimal Odds | Fractional Odds |
|---|---|
| 7.00 | 6/1 |
| 4.00 | 3/1 |
| 3.00 | 2/1 |
| 2.00 | Evens |
| 1.83 | 5/6 |
| 1.80 | 4/5 |
| 1.50 | 1/2 |
| 1.20 | 1/5 |
In time you’ll find that the conversion between decimal odds and fractional odds comes naturally. If you just can’t get to grips with how to convert decimal odds to fractional odds at all then remember you’ll always be able to switch the odds you see on screen back to fractional. Just look in the left hand side bar or top nav bar of your betting site and you’ll find the option usually listed in an ‘Odds’ section.