To do this successfully, you need to shop around for the best odds on opposite outcomes to cover your back bets before laying a bet at the exchange.

Use filters to compare odds for specific bet types like moneyline, spread, or totals
Sort odds tables by bookmaker, percentage, or best price available
Check for available sign-up offers and promotions linked to the best odds
Set up personalized alerts for when odds on your selected markets move
Access direct links to bookmaker sites for quick placement of bets

Matched betting basically involves taking multiple betting offers, sign up bonuses and/or free bets being offered by bookies and turning them into real cash winnings.

Sport	Market Depth	Top Tool for This Sport
Football (Soccer)	Very High (200+ markets)	OddsPortal
Horse Racing	High (Ante-post, live prices)	Oddschecker
Tennis	High (Set betting, totals)	BetBrain
Basketball (NBA)	Medium (Point spreads, totals)	Sportsbook Review
Esports	Growing (CS2, LoL, Dota2)	BettingExpert

You do this by using a combination of free bets and back and lay betting (similar to arbing above) in order to turn a game of chance onto a mathematical equation that guarantees profit. You may, in some cases, end up with less than the free bet amount in real cash - but as the stake was a free bet, you’ll still be in the plus. For example, if you use a match betting strategy with a $30 bet and end up with $25, you’re still technically $25 up. Different sports have slightly differing betting markets, and therefore different odds to think about. Below, we’ve taken a look at some of the most popular betting sports from throughout the gambling world and detailed some of the most popular betting markets and odds types for each. Football, or soccer, depending on where you are, is the single most-watched sport globally.

Which Sportsbooks are Available in our Odds Comparison?

To work out the implied probability, you divide the total of the two numbers by 100 and then multiply it by the second number. With odds of 2/1, this works out as follows: 100 ÷ 3 = 33.3% x 1 = 33.3% If you want to know how much you stand to win with fractional odds, you multiply your stake by the top number, and divide it by the bottom number. So if you bet $10 on odds of 2/1, it would work out as follows: ($10 x 2 = 20), (20 ÷ 1 = $20) To calculate your probability of winning with decimal odds, all you have to do is device 1 by the odds and multiply it by 100. If we take odds of 3.1 as an example: (1 ÷ 3.1) x 100 = 32.25% To calculate your winnings, simply multiply your stake by the odds. So for example, with a $10 stake at odds of 3.1, your potential winnings are 3.1 x 10 = $31.

Golf Pro

Please note, that while the winnings calculation for fractional odds gives you only your potential profits, with the decimal equation, it gives you your total returns, including your $10 stake. How you calculate your probability and winnings with American odds differs between positive and negative numbers. With positive number odds, the number is the amount you stand to win should you bet $100 as your stake. For example, with odds of +200, you stand to win $200 if you bet $100. With negative number odds, the number dictates the amount you would have to stake in order to win $100 dollars.

Licensing, Regulation and Player Safety

For example, with odds of -200, you’d need to bet $200 in order to win $100. We’ve given you the basics of how to calculate your potential winnings and then some. However, while it’s good to have a basic understanding, you don’t need to worry about whipping out the calculator every time you place a bet. It’s 2026, and our team here at betting.net™ have compiled plenty of guides on how to use bet best bookmaker offers uk our very own odds calculators. All that is left for you to do is to think about what kind of bets you are putting together and what you would ideally like to get out of your odds calculator. Therefore unsurprisingly, it’s also one of the most popular betting sports around in 2026.

Understanding Different Types of Odds

We have various odds calculators over at betting.net™, so be sure to check out the res of our site to see how we can help you get the most out of your betting endeavours. As well as using your comparison to shop around for the best odds, you can also deploy a number of betting strategies to help boost your odds and winning probability overall. Below, we’ve provided a quick run through of a couple of the most popular betting strategies used to boost your odds online in 2026. The betting strategy, also known as arbing that can involve making use of our odds comparison in order to find suitable back bets. How arbing works in betting is that you place both back and lay bets on a particular sporting event, so that you end up with a positive win balance no matter what the outcome. Popular pre-match betting markets for football include match winners, clean sheets, both teams to score and half time/full time bets.

Easy Odds

Simple fractional odds are easy to understand, but they can get more complicated. If you keep reading on, we’ve provided a detailed description of how all odds types are calculated below. Decimal odds - How do decimal odds work? Decimal odds are the most commonly used odds globally, with their popularity being owed to the fact they are the most logical and easy to understand. Unless you’re in the UK, the US or certain parts of Asia, then there’s a 99% chance that the sports betting site bet best free bet no deposit uk you’re logging on to will be displayed in decimal form as default.

Odds Quality, Margins and Value

Therefore, if you’re only going to learn how one type of odds work - this is the one.Decimal odds, as you might expect, as displayed as a ratio - for example, 2:1. It is worth noting that if you want to convert odds types 2/1 fractional odds doesn't equal 2:1 decimal - but we’ll explain more about that in our odds calculation section below. American odds - How are American odds different? American odds are, as the name suggests, only really used in the US. They consist of positive and negative numbers and, upon first introduction, can look really confusing, especially to people used to dealing with decimal or fractional odds.

Why Free Bet Returns Differ from Normal Bet Returns

However, once you get to know them it’s actually pretty easy, which we’ll explain in the calculation section below. Basically, it’s down to logic though - the best betting odds are positive, and the small odds are negative. Get your 10 SC FREE + 220,000 Gold Coins Get 100% on any coins purchase up to $100 Sport Welcome Bonus: 5 SC FREE Play The big gambling companies now have full departments dedicated to delivering better betting odds than their competitors on a consistent basis. The basics of odds are calculated is done using an easy-to-understand formula, which we’ve broken down for each odds type below: With fractional odds, each number represents a different outcome. If we take 2/1 as an example. Live betting is also extremely popular in football, with the next team/player to score being one of the most used options.

Identify arbitrage opportunities by scanning for price differences across bookmakers
Use the "odds percentage" or "overround" display to see the bookmaker's margin
Compare Asian Handicap lines to find the most favorable quarter-goal or half-goal lines
Check the odds for "both teams to score" and "over/under" markets simultaneously

Betting markets on all of the major European leagues can be found on almost any sportsbook in the gambling world, so there’s a lot of shopping around to be done for the best football odds.

Always verify the odds on the bookmaker's site before placing a bet as prices can change
Consider the reliability and payout speed of the bookmaker, not just the highest odds
Look for tools that include odds for niche sports and esports if that's your interest
Be aware of regional restrictions that may block access to certain bookmakers or tools

The most obvious UFC betting market is of course betting on a straightforward winner-loser outcome.

Mobile apps for iOS and Android allow for odds checking on the go
Browser extensions that overlay the best odds directly onto sports news sites
API access for developers to build custom comparison dashboards (some free tiers exist)
Twitter bots that tweet out significant odds movements for major events

More specific and valuable bets come in the form of picking the round and method of winning - TKO, submission, decision etc.

odds comparison tool

In almost all cases, the best sports betting app is going to have better odds than the best land-based betting shop - and that’s a rule that can be applied all over the gambling world, no matter where you are. As long as you take your time to do your research, browse the market and compare your odds, then your online betting is always going to have the potential to be more fruitful than any offline betting endeavour ever could. Just remember that it’s best to never place a bet before you’ve compared the odds elsewhere. If you really want to get the most out of this odds comparison, it’s not simply a case of finding one site with the best odds and sticking with it. If you really want to commit, you’re going to want to compare the best odds every time!

Payment Methods, Deposits and Withdrawals

The first traces of odds-related phrases were recorded in 16th century England, with Shakespeare using the phrase ten-to-one in his play Henry IV. With the fun facts over, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty, odds as we know and love them today, came with the arrival of probability theory, which came some years after Shakespear’s time. Basically, odds provide you with a numbered display that lets you determine the probability of an outcome and, crucially, how much you stand to win for your stake. Your favorite bets are On the win to nil and that both teams score? Then please check out our high odds for the most important upcoming tournaments right here.

FACT 2: A Small Increase In Odds Gives A Big Increase In Profits

There are numerous different types of odds depending on where you’re travelling to, however the most common that you’re likely to come across online are fractional, decimal and American odds. We’ve provided you with a short explanation of these three odds types and how they work. If you’re completely new to betting, these might very well be the odds that you have pictured in your mind. Sometimes referred to as “British odds”, fractionals is the real OG format of the odds world, and still remains the most widely used sports betting odds form in the UK and Ireland. Fractional odds are displayed with two numbers either side of a dash - e.g 2/1.One site of the fraction represents one outcome, with the other number representing the opposite. Live betting isn’t as popular with UFC as it is with field sports, however, the longer a fight goes on the more popular in-play bets can become, as punters can then jump in to call a finish in the next round.

Format	Example	Common in Region	Tool Support
Fractional	5/1	UK, Ireland	All tools
Decimal	6.00	Europe, Australia	All tools
American (Moneyline)	+500	USA, Canada	Sportsbook Review
Hong Kong	5.00	Asia	BetBrain

You can find the best betting odds on UFC here.

Tool Name	Key Feature	Number of Bookmakers	Mobile App
Oddschecker	Live odds movement	50+	Yes
BetBrain	Asian handicap focus	60+	Yes
OddsPortal	Historical odds data	70+	Yes
BettingExpert	Community tips integrated	30+	No

Tennis betting on the face of it is the same as most other sports betting types, with tennis betting odds getting more and more competitive.

Our Other Great Sports Betting Calculators to Try Out

Betting odds calculator: if you are looking to simply work out your potential payout or convert different odds types then this would be your go-to calculator. Odds value calculator: if you need some help trying to figure out what odds are giving you the chance for a value bet then we'd suggest going with this calculator. Parlay odds calculator: putting together a parlay bet with multiple selections can make following your potential payout quite tricky which is why we'd recommend using the parlay odds calculator to help you navigate any confusion you might have about the value of your overall bet. Hedge bet calculator: as the name suggests, this calculator will help you determine the best odds for hedging your bets. Giving you an edge with your hedge bets (see what we did there?) Spread to moneyline odds calculator: if you are specifically looking to work in US moneyline odds then the spread to moneyline odds calculator is going to be the option you need.

Top comparison sites to find places to check the odds on upcoming matches