Sports
Betting Odds on Mostplay: Decimal Odds Made Simple
Quick Summary
- Decimal odds give the full return for each ৳1 staked, with your stake counted in.
- Divide 1 by the odds and you have the implied probability as a share of 100.
- Add the implied probabilities of every outcome and the excess over 100% is the bookmaker's margin.
- Odds describe likelihood, not certainty. Short odds still lose sometimes.
- 18+ only
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- Checked 7 Nov 2026
- Know your limit
Odds are the language of betting, and once you can read them every market makes more sense. The good news is that decimal odds, the format most sportsbooks in South Asia use, are the easiest of all. A little arithmetic, nothing more than you would use to work out a required run rate, tells you what a bet would return and how likely the bookmaker thinks it is. This guide walks through decimal odds with worked examples in Taka, explains the margin and shows how to use odds as a sense check.
What decimal odds tell you
The short answer: multiply your stake by the odds and you get your total return, stake included. Odds of 2.00 on a ৳100 stake return ৳200, which is ৳100 profit plus your ৳100 back. Odds of 1.50 return ৳150. Odds of 4.00 return ৳400.
The lower the number, the more likely the bookmaker thinks the outcome is. A heavy favourite might be priced at 1.20; a long shot at 10.00. Odds below 2.00 mean you win less than you stake; odds above 2.00 mean you win more.
| Odds | Return on ৳100 | Profit | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.25 | ৳125 | ৳25 | 80% |
| 1.50 | ৳150 | ৳50 | 66.7% |
| 2.00 | ৳200 | ৳100 | 50% |
| 3.00 | ৳300 | ৳200 | 33.3% |
| 5.00 | ৳500 | ৳400 | 20% |
Turning odds into probability
Implied probability is simply 1 divided by the decimal odds. Odds of 2.50 imply 1 ÷ 2.50 = 0.40, or 40%. That is the bookmaker's view of the chance, adjusted for their margin.
This is a useful sense check. If you think a team wins about a third of the time and the odds imply 50%, the price looks short to you. If the odds imply 25%, it looks generous. Your own estimate can be wrong, of course, which is why this is a way to think rather than a way to win.
Spotting the bookmaker's margin
Take a two-way market, such as a tennis match, priced at 1.90 on each player. Each implies 52.6%. Add them up and you get 105.2%, not 100%. That extra 5.2% is the margin, sometimes called the overround, and it is how a sportsbook earns money over time.
Three-way markets work the same way. Add the implied probabilities of home, draw and away; the amount above 100% is the margin. Smaller, less popular markets often carry bigger margins. Comparing margins across markets tells you where prices are tighter.
Odds in accumulators and why they mislead
When you combine several selections in one bet, the odds multiply. Three selections at 1.50 combine to 1.50 × 1.50 × 1.50 = 3.375. That looks attractive, but every selection must win, and the margin compounds on each leg.
The implied probability of all three landing is about 29.6%, so most such bets lose. If you enjoy accumulators, keep the stake small and the number of legs low. For cricket-specific prices, see our cricket odds guide.
Using odds on Mostplay
Odds on Mostplay's sportsbook are shown on each market in the sports betting section, and the bet slip shows your potential return before you confirm. If you see another format, the sportsbook's settings may let you switch to decimal. Odds change constantly, especially in-play, as our live betting guide explains.
In three steps
How to read any price in 3 steps
- 1Work out the return
Multiply your planned stake by the decimal odds to see the total return, stake included.
- 2Find the implied chance
Divide 1 by the odds and compare that percentage with your own view of the event.
- 3Check the margin
Add up the implied chances across all outcomes; the excess over 100% is the margin.