Decimals are a simpler way of working out the odds and don't give you a headache every time you want to place a bet.
Do you know the difference between 8/13 and 4/7? No? Well, not many people do. But with decimals you'd know instantly.
So, how do decimal odds work? Well, if the decimal odds are 2.2 and you place a back bet of £10 and win, your total return is £10 x 2.2 = £22. This is equivalent to a traditional price of 6/5.
Decimal odds make it much easier to figure out which price is best - the bigger the number, the higher the return. Take a look at the table below to see why.

The key part to remember is that decimal odds always include the unit stake - thus every price you see on Betfair will be >1.
Fractional odds represent the profit - 5/1 means you will win five pounds for every one pound staked.
Decimal odds represent the return - 2.2 means you will receive £2.20 for every pound invested, including your stake.
If you're struggling with decimal odds, you can now use our mouse-over odds displays - traditional odds over every price. Every market on Betfair also has an odds-converter table. Click on 'What are decimal odds?' in the 'help' section on the right hand side of the screen, as seen in the image above.
Sign up to Betfair and you'll get up to £25 free Reproduced with permission from betting.betfair.com © The Sporting Exchange
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