American odds
Odds with a plus or minus: plus shows what you win on $100, minus shows what you bet to win $100.
American odds (cote américaine) are the ones with the plus and minus signs you see on most NHL betting apps. They're built around $100.
- Minus = favourite. -145 means you bet $145 to win $100.
- Plus = underdog. +115 means a $100 bet wins $115.
You don't have to bet $100; the maths just scales.
Example: Habs +115
You put $20 on the Canadiens at +115 (illustrative, not a pick). Profit: 20 × 115 ÷ 100 = $23. You get $43 back.
Your friend bets the other side at -145 with $29. Profit: 29 × 100 ÷ 145 = $20. He gets $49 back.
Switching to decimal
Mise-o-jeu and lots of other books show decimal odds, so it helps to convert:
- Plus: 1 + (odds ÷ 100). +115 = 2.15.
- Minus: 1 + (100 ÷ odds). -145 = 1.69.
Quick sense check
- +100 is even money: bet $10, win $10.
- The bigger the minus, the bigger the favourite. -300 means risking $30 to win $10.
- The bigger the plus, the longer the shot.
Turn any number into implied probability to see the chance it's pricing in: +115 is 46.5%, -145 is 59.2%.