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Hold Calculator

Find out how much a sportsbook charges on a market by entering the odds on every outcome. It works for two-way lines, three-way soccer markets and futures with up to six outcomes.

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How to use it

  1. 1 Choose how many outcomes the market has, from 2 to 6.
  2. 2 Pick your odds format and type the odds on every outcome.
  3. 3 Read the hold and overround. If the total is under 100%, the calculator tells you it is an arbitrage instead.

Hold and overround, explained

Every outcome has an implied probability, which is one divided by its decimal odds. In a fair market those probabilities would add up to 100%. A sportsbook prices the market so they add up to more, and that excess is the overround. Vig and juice are the loose everyday words for the book's cut in general.

Overround is the total of the implied probabilities minus 100%. Hold is 1 minus 1 divided by that total. They are two different numbers: overround is how far the total is above 100%, while hold is the share of the money staked that the book keeps if action is perfectly balanced, so hold is always the smaller number. For -110 on both sides the overround is 4.76% and the hold is 4.55%.

What a high or low hold tells you

A lower hold means you pay less to place a bet. Standard point-spread and total lines at -110 on both sides carry a hold of 4.55%, while player props, parlays and futures commonly run far higher. Comparing the hold across books helps you find the cheapest place to bet.

Hold is a theoretical figure. Books do not always have balanced action, and the book's cut is usually spread unevenly across the outcomes.

Worked example

A point spread is priced at -110 on both sides. Each side has an implied probability of 52.38%, so the total is 104.76%.

The overround is 4.76%. The hold is 1 minus 1 divided by 1.0476, which is 4.55%. With equal action on both sides, $104.76 staked in total pays out $100 to the winners and the book keeps $4.76, which is 4.55% of the money staked.

The formula

implied = 1 / decimal odds total = sum of all implied overround = total - 1 hold = 1 - 1 / total

Frequently asked questions

The total implied probability is 104.76%, so the overround is 4.76% and the hold is 4.55%. That is the standard cut on most US spreads and totals.
People use the words loosely. Vig and juice are everyday words for the book's cut in general, and are used for either number. The two exact measures are hold, the share of the money staked that the book keeps (4.55% at -110 / -110), and overround, how far the implied probabilities total is above 100% (4.76%). Overround comes out larger because it is measured against 100%, not against the larger total.
If the implied probabilities add up to less than 100%, the book is offering better than fair prices overall. Backing every outcome at those odds would lock in a profit if every bet is accepted at those odds, so check the prices are current and that your bets will be accepted.
No. It is the cut built into the odds. The profit a book actually makes depends on how much is bet on each side and on the results.
Yes. List every outcome of the market and the calculator measures the hold. Futures with many outcomes usually have a much larger hold than a two-way game line.

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Calculators show math, not advice, and no result guarantees a profit. 21+ only. If gambling stops being fun, get help.