Calculating the Breakeven Point in Sports Betting
Published on: September 8, 2022
Updated on: September 2, 2024
Category: Advice & Tips
The following post explores calculating the breakeven point in sports betting.
What is breakeven? This point represents the winning percentage needed to balance losses and gains, factoring in the standard juice applied by sportsbooks – typically set at -110.
Read: Pitfalls of Buying Sports Betting Picks
Related: Flat Betting For Wagering Success
Understanding your breakeven point is one of the keys to achieving profitability.
Here’s what you need to know.
Understanding Juice
Essentially, the juice represents the price of placing a bet. When odds are -110, a bettor must risk $110 to win $100. The additional $10 represents what the sportsbook receives for taking your action.
Documenting Your Wagers
Keeping detailed records of your wagers is key for calculating your breakeven point. Tracking the odds you paid week-over-week is the requisite data for understanding your cumulative breakeven point.
Calculating Breakeven
To calculate your breakeven point, consider the following formula:
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Breakeven Percentage = Risk ÷ Total Payout x 100
In the case of -110 odds, where the risk is $110 and the total payout (including the initial stake and profit) is $210, the breakeven percentage is:
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Breakeven Percentage = 110 ÷ 210 × 100 ≈ 52.38%