Calculators
Hold Calculator
Bookmakers build margins into their odds. Hold calculators show you exactly how big that margin is on any two-way market, so you know how much you're really paying to bet.
Hold Calculator
Calculate the total hold (margin, vig, or juice) a bookmaker has built into any market. Enter the odds for every outcome, and see the true fair odds after the margin is stripped out.
What is a Hold Calculator?
A hold calculator works out the total margin, or hold, a bookmaker has built into a two-way market. You just enter the odds for both sides, and it adds up the implied probabilities to show you exactly how much the bookie is taking.
Every market a bookmaker prices includes some level of hold. It's how they make a profit regardless of the result. The lower the hold, the less you're paying to bet, and the closer the market sits to true, fair value.
U sing a hold calculator helps you:
Compare markets fast: See which bookmaker or market offers the tightest, most competitive pricing before you bet.
Spot value: Low hold markets are closer to fair odds, giving you a better price on your bet.
Find low hold and near-arb opportunities: Holds close to zero or negative can signal a low hold or arbitrage opportunity.
Track bookmaker pricing over time: Some bookies typically have tighter markets than others, and a hold calculator makes that easy to spot.
How to Use this Hold Calculator
Using the calculator takes seconds.
Step 1: Enter the best available odds for Side 1
Step 2: Enter the best available odds for Side 2
Step 3: The calculator instantly returns the hold percentage
You can use two odds from the same bookmaker's market, or the best price available across two different bookmakers, to check for near-arb opportunities.
Examples
Bookmaker A prices Side 1 at 1.91 and Side 2 at 1.91.
he market totals 104.71%, so the hold is 4.71%. That's the margin the bookmaker keeps regardless of the outcome.
FAQs
What is a hold in sports betting?
Hold is the built-in margin a bookmaker adds to a market. You calculate it from the total implied probability of all outcomes, and it's how bookies guarantee a profit regardless of the result.
Why is hold important?
Hold tells you how much you're paying to bet. A market with a 2% hold is far better value than one with a 6% hold, even if the odds look similar side-by-side.
How do I calculate a sportsbook's hold?
Convert each side's odds to implied probability by dividing 1 by the decimal odds. Add the probabilities together. The figure you get after subtracting 100% from the total of the probabilities is the hold.
How do I remove holds?
You can't remove hold from a single bookmaker's market, but you can strip it out mathematically using a no-vig fair odds calculator to see the true, hold-free price for each side.
What are bookie odds, fair odds, and true probability?
Bookie odds include the hold. Fair odds have the hold removed, showing the true price. True probability is the actual, no-vig chance of each outcome happening, written as a percentage.
What's the difference between a hold calculator and a no-vig calculator?
A hold calculator shows you the total margin in a market. But a no-vig fair odds calculator goes a step further, removing that margin to show the fair odds and true probability for each side.
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