Luckily, sportsbooks do this complicated math for us, but you can read a full explanation here. Understanding how to read betting odds is key to successful betting. * Confused where +243 came from? To calculate a parlay, the odds must first be changed into decimal odds, multiplied together and then reconverted back to American odds.
You can also parlay bets across sports (a Packers and NWSL’s Portland Thorns bet, perhaps?) but most sportsbooks will cap a parlay at 10 total bets. Remember: the less likely an outcome, the more money you could make. For example, in a football game, if a team is a 2.5-point favorite, it will have to win by three points or more to be an ATS. The reason the payout is bigger is because the chances of both of those bets winning is much smaller. Depending on the sport, the favorite will lay either odds or points.You can bet on those individually or you can parlay them together with a combined odds of +243*. Let’s say you want to bet on the Green Bay Packers to win (-110) and the total score of the game to be more than 50 points (-125).A parlay (no, not that parley) combines two or more bets to greatly increase your possible payout but…it greatly decreases the chance of actually winning.
