• What Do Odds 4/7 Mean
• 4 7 Odds Explained
• What Are 7 To 4 Odds

There are two ways odds – or prices – are displayed at racecourses in Britain: the traditional fractional system or the more recently introduced decimal system.

Fractional odds:

1. Remember, the number 7 is the most frequently rolled number. Then 6 and 8 are the next two frequent, followed by 9 and 5, then 4 and 10 with the least frequent of the point numbers. The 6 and 8 pay out 6:5 or $6 for every $5 wagered. 5 and 9 pay out 3:2. 4 and 10 pay out 2:1 odds. Note that these payouts are only for the odds bet.
2. Odds are simply the way prices and payouts are shown at a horse track. The numbers displayed as 4-7 or 2-5 tell you what you pay and how much you get back if the horse you bet on wins. The first number tells you how much you could win, the second number is the amount you bet. So, if the odds are listed as 2-1, you’ll get $2 for every $1 you bet.

These are usually displayed in this format: 4/1.

In spoken form this is “Four-to-one” and sometimes this can be written as: 4-1.

Odds are just maths. To illustrate some examples, let’s call each number a unit. So:

What Do Odds 4/7 Mean

When calculating the payout for a $2 bet compared to the listed horse betting odds, divide the first number in the odds by the second number, multiply that by 2, and then add the standard minimum $2 bet. Therefore, for a horse at 7-4, divide 7 by 4 (1.75), multiply this number by 2. Therefore, if A is the probability of subjects affected and B is the probability of subjects not affected, then odds = A /B. Therefore, the odds of rolling four on a dice are 1/5 or 20%. Odds Ratio (OR) is a measure of association between exposure and an outcome. The OR represents the odds that an outcome will occur given a particular exposure, compared to the odds of the outcome occurring in the absence of that.

4/1: For every 1 unit you stake, you will receive 4 units if you win (plus your stake).
7/2: For every 2 units you stake, you will receive 7 units if you win (plus your stake).
9/4: For every 4 units you stake, you will receive 9 units if you win (plus your stake).

If you see fractional odds the other way round – such as 1/4 – this is called odds-on and means the horse in question is a hot favourite to win the race.

In spoken form this is “Four-to-one on”.

1/4: For every 4 units you stake, you will receive 1 unit if you win (plus your stake).
1/2: For every 2 units you stake, you will receive 1 unit if you win (plus your stake).

Sometimes you will see Evens or EVS displayed. This is the equivalent of a 1/1 fraction. Again it means the horse in question is expected to win the race.

EVS: For every 1 unit you stake, you will receive 1 unit if you win (plus your stake).

Decimal odds:

These are usually displayed in this format: 5.00.

5.00: Simply multiply this number by your stake to calculate your total potential returns if you are placing a win bet. Unlike fractional odds, your stake is already factored into this price i.e. this is the equivalent of 4/1 plus the 1 unit you stake.

Favourites:

Each race has a favourite. This is the horse most likely to win, which is reflected in having the shortest price displayed with betting operators.

You will see an F alongside the horse’s odds when they are the favourite. If more than one horse has the same odds of winning according to the betting market, this will be displayed as JF, meaning joint-favourite.

4 7 Odds Explained

What about odds when betting each-way?

Racecourse bookmakers operating at Jockey Club Racecourses must meet (or exceed in the customer’s favour) a standard set of terms if you decide to place an each-way bet.

You will appreciate it is not affordable for bookmakers to pay out on all four places in a four runner race (!) so these agreed terms concerning place part of your each-way bet have to vary dependent on the number of runners and type of race. These are:

What Are 7 To 4 Odds

• Races with 3 or runners: win bets only, unless the bookmaker chooses to offer 1/5 (one fifth) of the stated odds for finishing 1st or 2nd
• Races with 3 or 4 runners: 1/5 (one fifth) of the stated odds for finishing 1st or 2nd
• Races with 5 to 7 runners (inclusive): 1/4 (one quarter) odds for finishing 1st or 2nd
• Races with 8 or more runners: 1/5 odds for finishing 1st, 2nd or 3rd
• Handicap races with 12 to 15 runners (inclusive): 1/4 odds for finishing 1st, 2nd or 3rd
• Handicap races with 16 to 21 runners (inclusive): 1/5 odds for finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th
• Handicap races with 22 or more runners: 1/4 odds for finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th

Betting odds explained

Betting odds can appear daunting at first glance but they are actually quite straightforward to calculate. We’ve devised a beginners guide to explain betting odds.

How do odds work?

When looking at the odds (price) of a horse, the two formats used are decimals and fractions. Betting exchanges operate in decimals, whereas fixed-odds betting firms generally operate in fractions.

When determining the returns of a fractional bet, the second number always suggests the stake and the first number denotes what the profit will be if the bet wins. Take 4/1 as an example. If you stake £1 on a horse, then you stand to win £4 if the selection wins the race, which excludes your initial stake. In contrast, the decimal format factors in the initial stake. Betting odds of 4/1 would equate to 5.0 in decimal terms, 5/1 would be 6.0, and so forth.

See the chart below for a breakdown of betting odds in both fractional and decimal format, showing forecasted returns to £5 level stakes for the key prices in a market.

Knowing your odds

If you want to work out your winnings from a multiple bet such as an accumulator or lucky 15, you can use our betting calculator to find out instantly what you’ve won.