Vig Calculator
Vig Calculator: How Much the Sportsbook Takes Before the Game Starts
The vig (also called juice) is the sportsbook's margin built into the odds. On a market priced -111 (1.90) on both sides, each side implies 52.6%, the total is 105.3%, and the extra 5.3% is the vig: for every $100 you bet, you give up about $5 on average. At the standard -110 (1.91) the vig is 4.76% and the hold is 4.5% of handle. Enter both prices into the vig calculator to get the vig, the hold and the no-vig fair odds.
Vig Calculator
Vig CalculatorSee how much juice the sportsbook takes on every bet and shop for the lowest
Vig = (1 ÷ odds A + 1 ÷ odds B) − 1Hold = vig ÷ (1 + vig), the share of total handle the sportsbook keeps with balanced action.
How to use the vig calculator
Enter both sides of the same market and the calculator returns the vig percentage, the hold, the average cost per $1,000 wagered and the no-vig fair odds for each side. The lower the vig, the closer the odds sit to the true probability and the better your long-run return.
Vig and hold are two ways of measuring the same thing, and the calculator shows both. Standard -110 (1.91) on both sides works out to 52.38% per side, 104.76% in total: a 4.76% vig measured against payout, or a 4.5% hold measured against handle, which is what the book keeps when action is balanced. Bettors and industry reports use both conventions, so check which one a number refers to.
Actual sportsbook hold runs higher than the -110 math suggests because of parlays and unbalanced action. Covers' tracker put the 2025 US average at 10.4% of handle on $163.2 billion wagered. The vig on a single market is what you control, and it is what this calculator measures.
How much the vig costs over a season
Say you bet $100 a game at a true 50% win rate. At -111 (1.90) each bet costs you $5 on average, so 500 bets a year cost $2,500. At a 2.5% vig the same 500 bets cost about $1,250. You changed nothing about your handicapping; shopping for the lower vig saved half.
So before committing to any market long term, check the vig. Player props, exotic markets and same game parlays usually carry more juice than the main spreads and totals, and with the same hit rate they are harder to beat. With several legal books in most states, comparing the vig across books is the cheapest edge available.
Example: -111 (1.90) on both sides
- Implied probability per side = 1 ÷ 1.90 = 52.63%; total 105.26%.
- Vig = 5.26%; hold = 5.26 ÷ 105.26 = 5.0%.
- Fair odds: +100 (2.00) on each side; average cost per $1,000 wagered: $50.
If the same market is offered at -105 (1.95) on both sides, the vig drops to 2.6% and the cost per $1,000 to $25; at -118 (1.85) on both sides it rises to 8.1%, or $75. The three prices are only 0.05 apart in decimal terms, but the long-run cost differs threefold, which is why line shopping across books matters.
FAQ
What is vig in sports betting?+
Vig, short for vigorish and also called juice, is the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. It is the amount by which the implied probabilities of all sides in a market add up to more than 100%; at -110 on both sides it is 4.76%.
How do you calculate the vig?+
Vig = (1 ÷ odds A + 1 ÷ odds B) − 1 in decimal odds. For -111 (1.90) on both sides, vig = 0.5263 + 0.5263 − 1 = 5.26%. For standard -110 (1.91) both sides, it is 0.5238 + 0.5238 − 1 = 4.76%.
What is a normal vig?+
Standard -110 pricing on spreads and totals gives a 4.76% vig (4.5% hold). Reduced-juice books price closer to -105. Props, futures and exotic markets can run much higher. The lower the vig, the better for the bettor.
What is the difference between vig and hold?+
Vig is measured against the payout; hold is measured against the total handle. On -110 both sides the vig is 4.76% and the hold is 4.5%; on -111 (1.90) both sides it is 5.26% and 5.0%. The numbers differ slightly but describe the same margin.
How much do US sportsbooks actually hold?+
More than the -110 math implies. The 2025 US average was 10.4% of handle per the Covers revenue tracker, because parlays and unbalanced action lift the hold well above the roughly 4.5% on a single balanced spread or total.
Related calculators
Implied Probability Calculator
Implied Probability
Convert odds into the market's win probability and find the side with value
Open calculator →No-Vig Fair Odds Calculator
No-vig Fair Odds
Strip out the juice to see the fair odds on a game
Open calculator →Sportsbook Hold Calculator
Hold
The built-in margin on a market with three or more outcomes
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For informational purposes only. Sports betting is legal in 39 states and D.C.; rules and minimum age vary by state. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Odds and vig conventions follow standard US sportsbook pricing (-110 on spreads and totals). The tax line is based on IRS Topic 419 and the Form W-2G instructions (rev. 01/2026); it is not tax advice.