Betting Strategy Guide
What Is the Vig (Juice) in Sports Betting?
Key takeaways
- The vig, or juice, is the sportsbook's margin built into the odds; at -110 on both sides you risk $110 to win $100.
- Two sides at -110 each imply 52.4%, adding up to 104.76%; the 4.76% above 100% is the vig, and you need to win 52.4% of -110 bets to break even.
- To find no-vig fair odds, divide each side's implied probability by the market total: -150 / +130 becomes about -138 / +138.
The vig, also called juice, is the sportsbook's margin, built into the odds of every bet. On a standard line of -110 on both sides you risk $110 to win $100, and the implied probabilities of the two prices add up to 104.76%, 4.76 points more than 100%. That gap is the vig.
How -110 builds in the margin
At -110 the implied probability of each side is 110 ÷ 210 = 52.38%. Add both sides and you get 104.76%. If the sportsbook takes $110 on each side, it collects $220 and pays the winner $210, keeping $10, about 4.5% of the money bet. For you, it means winning 52.4% of your -110 bets just to break even.
Implied probabilities past 100%
Every two-way market adds up to more than 100%. The more it adds up to, the more vig you pay.
| Prices | Side A | Side B | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| -105 / -105 | 51.2% | 51.2% | 102.4% |
| -110 / -110 | 52.4% | 52.4% | 104.8% |
| -150 / +130 | 60.0% | 43.5% | 103.5% |
Negative odds convert as odds ÷ (odds + 100); positive odds as 100 ÷ (odds + 100). See how to read odds.
Removing the vig: fair odds
To see what a market thinks without the margin, divide each side's implied probability by the total. Take -150 / +130:
- Favorite: 60.0% ÷ 103.5% = 58.0%
- Underdog: 43.5% ÷ 103.5% = 42.0%
Converted back, 58.0% is about -138 and 42.0% about +138. Those no-vig odds are the fair price: the underdog pays +130 instead of +138, and the favorite costs -150 instead of -138. The difference is what the vig takes from each side. By the same method, -110 / -110 is a fair +100 on each side.
Why it matters on every bet
The vig is small on one bet and large over many. Bet $110 to win $100 a hundred times at -110 and win exactly half: you collect $5,000 and lose $5,500, ending $500 down. At -105, risking $105 to win $100, the same record costs $250. That is why comparing prices matters, and why futures, with many possible outcomes, and parlays, where the margin compounds leg by leg, carry more vig than a single spread.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does juice mean in sports betting?
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Juice, or vig, is the fee the sportsbook builds into the odds. It is why both sides of an evenly matched game are priced -110 instead of +100.
How much is the vig on -110 odds?
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Each side implies 52.4%, so the market adds up to 104.76%, a 4.76% margin. On balanced action the sportsbook keeps $10 of every $220 bet, about 4.5%.
How do you calculate no-vig odds?
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Convert both prices to implied probability, add them, and divide each side by the total. The results are the fair probabilities, which you can convert back to odds.
What win rate do you need to break even at -110?
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52.4%. You risk $110 to win $100, so 110 out of every 210 bets must win to cover the losses.
