In esports, betting odds act as the foundation of every single wager. And Overwatch is no exception. Whether you’re a complete newcomer or a seasoned veteran, odds are the first thing you’re looking at to determine if the bet is worth the trouble. And once you make your decision, it’s the Overwatch odds that dictate how much you can win.
Granted, it takes time to get familiar with them. Numbers are already intimidating, but odds come in so many different shapes and forms that it’s easy to get lost. Don’t worry, though, because we’ve created an all-encompassing esports odds guide for your convenience!
The definition of esports betting odds
First things first, let’s talk about what esports odds are. The simplest definition is probability. Odds express the chance of something to happen, but instead of using actual percentages, they show how much you can win by betting on a particular outcome. Usually, the more likely the event, the less you stand to gain.
For example, in an Overwatch League game between Shanghai Dragons and New York Excelsior both lineups could theoretically take the W. But the former are so much better than the latter that the OWL odds on New York Excelsior winning won’t give you a very good deal. Meanwhile, the few that believed in Shanghai Dragons will receive a huge reward in the unlikely event that the Chinese franchise wins.
To achieve this disposition, Overwatch bookmakers go through countless variables, including player performance, team standings, head-to-head records, recent showings, global statistics, and etc. At the end of this analysis, they arrive at the approximate probabilities of each team winning or losing, which act as the basis for esports odds.
Arguably the most prominent category of Overwatch odds is fractional odds. If we were to return to the above-mentioned example, the betting site might offer you odds of 5/1 on Shanghai Dragons. This means Shanghai will lose 5 games against New York Excelsior before they win 1. In short, they’re pretty big underdogs. There are different methods of approaching odds, so a good punter has to know how to play with fractional, decimal, and moneyline odds.
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Fractional Overwatch odds
If you’re planning to use British Overwatch betting sites, you’ll encounter fractional odds the most. Not only are they quite intuitive, but you can quickly break them down into implied probabilities to deduce the actual chance of your team winning. In the example we used above, the OWL odds of 5/1 on Shanghai Dragons would mean that this lineup has around a 17% chance of achieving victory.
To arrive at this number, do the following equation:
- 5/1 = 1 / (5 + 1) * 100% = 16.67%
Here are a few other examples to get you familiar with the concept of fractional odds:
- 1/2 = 2 / (1 + 2) * 100% = 66.67%
35/22 = 22 / (35 + 22) * 100% = 38.59%
1/8 = 8 / (1 + 8) * 100% = 88.88%
To make things even more simple, take a closer look at the numbers. If the one on the left is bigger, your team is an underdog. And if the one on the right exceeds it, the bookmaker expects this team to win. Of course, bookmakers can make mistakes, and capitalizing on these is the cornerstone of every esports betting strategy.
Now, what about the most important part of the deal—the payouts? Once again, the great thing about fractional odds is that they are very, very straightforward. The left number is the amount you’ll receive in the event you win, and the right number indicates how much you have to wager to get it. Let’s throw in some examples:
- 5/1 – you wager £1, and you win £5
1/2 – you wager £2, and you win £1
35/22 – you wager £22, and you win £35
1/8 – you wager £8, and you win £1
If you look strictly at the return on investment, the first bet (5/1) would make you the most money while the profits of the last bet (1/8) are almost non-existent. Of course, the former scenario would involve a considerable chance of losing your stake, and the latter is as close to a sure thing as it gets. And so, the decision to make a particular wager will largely come down to weighing risks against possible profits. Oh, and one more thing. Let’s say you want to bet £20 instead of £1 for esports betting odds of 5/1. Well, here’s how much you would stand to gain:
- £20 * 5/1 = £100
Decimal Overwatch odds
Despite their popularity, fractional Overwatch odds are slowly being overtaken by decimal odds. The reason? They’re even more convenient! Ultimately, no one wants to solve intricate math problems to place a simple wager, which is exactly the problem decimal odds solve.
Another advantage of this system is that decimal odds combine your stake and your winnings instead of highlighting profits only like their fractional counterparts. In short, you get the full picture of how much money will go to your gambling account once you win the bet. And if you want to find the implied probability behind your wager, simply divide a 100% by the value of decimal odds:
- 3.0 = 100%/3 = 33.33%
2.25 = 100%/2.25 = 44.44%
1.4 = 100%/1.4 = 71.42%
As you can see, the higher the decimal odds, the fewer chances you have to win. Now, let’s take a look at the payouts. To calculate these, multiply the wager by decimal odds. With that, if you were to bet different amounts of money for odds of 1.4, you’d get the following returns on investments:
- £5 = £5 * 1.4 = £7
£12 = £12 * 1.4 = £16.8
£20 = £20 * 1.4 = £28
£141 = £141 * 1.4 = £197.4
Remember that the final number includes your stake, so a bet of £5 would only get you £2 in profits. Still, it’s useful to know how much money would go to your account. And unlike with fractional odds, you don’t have to calculate it manually.
Moneyline Overwatch odds
Moneyline odds are quite common in the United States of America. They’re not as popular in other parts of the world, though, as it takes a while to get used to them. Even so, you might have to deal with them while making Overwatch bets on platforms like Bovada, so it’s good to know how they work.
There are two kinds of moneyline odds: positive (+) and negative (-). The positive type highlights your winnings if you were to bet a $100. With that, odds of +200 indicate that a $100 wager would get you twice as much in profits. Meanwhile, the negative category showcases how much you need to bet to get a $100. For example, if the odds are -150, you have to wager $150 to get a $100. Still confused? Here’s how you calculate all kinds of moneyline wagers:
- Positive moneyline odds: Stake * (Odds / 100) = Your Winnings
- Negative moneyline odds: Stake / (Odds / 100) = Your Winnings
Keep in mind that this equation doesn’t account for your initial stake. So you will have to add it on your own if you want to know the precise amount that will go to your Overwatch betting account.
Our Recommendation: Betway, always a safe bet:
