One of the first things you need to get your head around as a matched bettor is decimal odds. You are more than likely used to using and hearing fractional odds. When bookies advertise on tv or put up their offers in the shop windows it is always fractional. Pretty much everyone understands what it means when we say a bet is 10/1 for example. If you don’t then it very simply means that if we bet a pound we will win £10, bet £2 and we will win £20 and so on.
But decimal odds aren’t so easy to work out. At least not when you first start matched betting. As you become a seasoned matched bettor you will start to recognise the decimal numbers and automatically know what they are in fractions.
The easy ones are the whole numbers. For example 11.0 in decimal is 10/1. You just add the fraction numbers together and you get 11. So 5/1 is 6.0, 6/1 is 7.0 and so on. Easy.
It becomes a lot more difficult when the odds are strange. These days the bookies are trading in decimals but they still give the odds to the punters in fractions as they know it’s the most recognisable and widely used format. It can though lead to some weird looking odds. 37/10 etc
These are harder to work out going either to or from a fraction.
If you do any sharbing then you will need to brush up on your conversions or use a online calculator (which is what I do because it is way quicker and easier). I use http://oddsconverter.co.uk as you can instantly put the odds in, in either format and get the corresponding fractional or decimal result.
We need the decimal for the matched betting calculators so this is important. A great tip for your online bookie accounts is to change the setup so you get decimal odds on the site as opposed to the default fractions. This should be the first thing you look for after signing up to a new bookie account. Most of them have this option and most of them will remember your choice for when you next login. There are a few which annoyingly don’t and some of the mobile apps make you do it every time. Sometimes if you are in a rush it’s quicker to jump onto oddsconverter and get the data you need. Especially if you are out and about and trying to place bets on your phone.
As your matched betting career starts to grow you will become a pro at converting odds. I don’t think I am converting them most of the time you just start to remember what is what as you have used the numbers so many times. Always check if you are unsure though as a miscalculation can cost you a lot of money.
If you are interested in getting started in matched betting then this is seriously nothing to worry about. It can put a lot of people off as they think they need to do maths but the tools on a matched betting site like Oddsmonkey will do all the calculations for you. I am rubbish at maths and I have managed to make a fortune from matched betting. There is no reason why you can’t either. You just need the confidence to take the plunge.