Hold Calculator
How to Use This Hold Calculator
To calculate the hold for a market:
- Select the format for your odds (American, decimal, fractional, etc.)
- Enter the odds of both sides.
After entering valid odds, the calculator will automatically calculate the hold percentage.
What is Hold in Sports Betting?
In sports betting, hold is the percentage of money wagered that sportsbooks keep for themselves. A larger hold percentage typically means worse odds for you as the bettor.
How to Calculate Hold in Sports Betting
The true odds for an outcome, such as which team will win, add up to 100%. However, if you convert a sportsbook's odds to implied probabilities, you'll see that the total is greater than 100%. This is because sportsbooks charge a vig (juice, tax, etc.) on all their markets to help ensure they make a profit.
Hold is calculated by converting odds into implied probabilities, adding together the implied probabilities, and subtracting 100%.
For example, let's say the Boston Celtics are -180 favorites against the +150 Los Angeles Lakers. -180 American odds converts to a 64.29% implied probability and +150 converts to a 40% implied probability. Adding these implied probabilities together, we get 104.29%. If we subtract 100% from this, we get a 4.29% hold.