What Is Vig (Juice) in Sports Betting?

Vig, short for vigorish and also called juice, is the commission a sportsbook builds into its odds. It is why a coin-flip bet is priced at -110 instead of even money: that extra 10 percent is the book's margin, and it is what you must overcome to profit long term.

How do you calculate the vig on a -110 line?

Definition. Vig (vigorish) is the sportsbook's built-in margin, the gap between the odds you are paid and the fair odds.

Worked example. Two bettors take opposite sides of a -110 spread and each risks $110. The book collects $220 and pays the winner $210 ($110 stake plus $100 profit), keeping $10, which is 4.5 percent of $220.

Convert -110 to an implied probability: 110 / (110 + 100) = 52.38 percent.

Do the same for the other side (also 52.38 percent) and add them: 104.76 percent.

Subtract 100 percent. The 4.76 points over 100 are the vig, and the break-even rate for one side is 52.38 percent.

How the vig works

On a two-way market priced -110 / -110, both sides' implied probabilities add up to about 105 percent, not 100. That extra 5 percent is the vig. Bet $110 to win $100 on each side and the book keeps the difference no matter who wins. Over thousands of bets, that margin is the sportsbook's built-in edge.

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Why it matters

The vig sets the bar you have to clear. At -110 you need to win about 52.4 percent of your bets just to break even, not 50. That is why line shopping and getting -105 instead of -110, or a better number entirely, has an outsized effect on long-term results.

How to beat the vig

Strip the vig out with the no-vig calculator to find the fair, no-vig price, then only bet when a book's number is better than fair. Shop every bet across regulated books and take the best available line. Reducing the margin you pay, bet after bet, is one of the most reliable edges available to any bettor.

In the Wise Guy tools

Market vig

The cut the sportsbooks keep on a market, even at the best price on each side. Lower is better for you; below 0% the prices cross.

Example: Best prices of -105 and -105 add up to about 2.4% vig.

How our tools use it: Market vig is the cut the books keep across a whole market, even at the best price on each side. Add up the win chances those best prices imply and take away 100%: 2% means you still pay about a 2% cut. Below 0% the best prices cross, which is a possible arbitrage. Also called overround; it is not any one book's margin.

Frequently asked questions

Why is a bet -110 and not even money?

The extra 10 is the vig, the book's commission. It makes a 50-50 proposition profitable for the sportsbook over time.

How do you calculate no-vig odds?

Convert both sides to implied probability, then divide each by the total so they sum to 100 percent. A no-vig calculator does this instantly.

Your next step

1Learn itVig (Juice) (this page)
2Apply itHow to read betting odds →
3Run itNo-Vig Calculator →
4Master itDay 2: How sportsbooks make money →

Related terms

Expected Value (+EV): Expected value, or EV, is the average amount a bet would win or lose if you placed it many times over.
Plus and Minus (American Odds): In American odds, a minus sign marks the favorite and shows how much you must risk to win $100, while a plus sign marks the underdog and shows how much you win on a $100 bet.
Closing Line Value (CLV): Closing line value, or CLV, measures whether the price you got on a bet was better than the closing line, the final odds right before the event starts.
No-Vig Fair Odds: No-vig fair odds are the prices a market would show with the sportsbook's margin taken out.
Implied Probability: Implied probability is the chance of winning a betting price represents.
Betting Exchange: A betting exchange is a marketplace where bettors take each other's offers instead of betting against a sportsbook.

No-Vig Calculator →Full glossary →

21+. For entertainment and educational purposes, not financial advice. If gambling stops being fun, take a break. 1-800-GAMBLER. Regulated US books only.

How to use the vig

Take the odds on both sides of one market.

Convert each to an implied probability.

Add them. Anything over 100% is the book's margin.

Divide that margin out of each side to see the fair price, then compare books: the lowest margin is the cheapest place to bet.

Worked example: what -110 on both sides really costs

A spread is posted at -110 on both sides. Each side implies 52.38% (110 divided by 210). Add them: 104.76%. The extra 4.76% is the book's margin, and the hold works out to 4.55%.

The fair price is 50% each way. To win $100.00 you lay $110.00, so you must win 52.38% of the time just to break even. That gap between 50% and 52.38% is what you are fighting on every standard bet.

The numbers above are an illustration of the math, not a prediction or a result.

Common questions

What is the vig in sports betting?

The book's built-in margin, also called juice. It is why both sides of a spread pay less than even money.

Is the vig the same at every book?

No. Some books run tighter markets than others, and margins change by sport and market. Compare before you bet.

How do I beat the vig?

Shop the best price on every bet, and bet only when your edge is bigger than the margin.