Hold Calculator
Hold is the excess of implied probabilities over 100%.
Enter both sides as American or decimal odds. Output shows combined implied probability and hold.
Hold Calculator
Adjust inputs to see updated results.
Table of Contents
How to Use This Calculator
Enter American odds for both sides of a two-way market. The tool converts to implied probabilities, sums them, and reports hold (excess over 100%) plus each side’s raw implied probability.
Both sides required
Over/under, spread both sides, or any two-way line—use the prices actually offered.
American format
Examples: −110 / −110, −115 / −105. Parser accepts many American-style strings.
Read hold %
Hold is the book’s margin embedded in the pair of prices—higher hold means steeper vig.
Compare books
Line shop—lower combined implied sum means tighter pricing before normalization.
What Hold Means
For prices with implied probabilities pA and pB, hold = pA + pB − 1 when both sides are offered at −vig-adjusted style decimals. On a balanced two-way, hold is the vigorish baked into both numbers.
Examples
Example 1 — Standard −110 / −110
Each side ≈ 52.38% implied; sum ≈ 104.76%; hold ≈ 4.76%. Verify live.
Example 2 — Uneven juice
−120 / +100 shifts implied mass; hold may differ—enter both legs exactly.
Example 3 — Low hold market
Sharp books sometimes show combined implied near 102% pre-normalization—still positive hold, just smaller.
Frequently Asked Questions
Closely related—hold is the total margin on the market expressed as excess probability.
Books shorten prices so both sides carry margin simultaneously—that’s how they earn revenue.
This UI expects American. Convert or use implied prob manually if needed.
Use a three-way sum of implied probabilities—this tool is two-sided only.
Removing hold to estimate fair odds is a separate step—see fair-odds tooling.
