Calculate the hold (vig, juice, margin) baked into a market from its prices: hold% = sum of implied probabilities minus 100%.
Enter one price per outcome to measure the market's built-in margin.
Pure math only. Not financial advice; no real-money handling.
About this tool
The Bookmaker Hold / Vig Calculator measures the margin — the hold, vig, or juice — a sportsbook builds into a market's prices. Each outcome's quoted odds carry an implied probability qᵢ = 1/dᵢ, and in a perfectly fair market these would add up to exactly 100%. Real markets add up to more; that total is the overround, Σ qᵢ, and the hold is simply hold% = (Σ qᵢ − 1) × 100%, the amount by which the market exceeds a fair 100%.
Enter one price per outcome in decimal, fractional, or American format and the tool reports each outcome's implied probability, the total overround, and the resulting hold percentage. It handles two-way moneylines as well as three-way and larger markets. A classic −110/−110 two-way line has two implied probabilities of 52.38% each, an overround of 104.76%, and therefore a hold of about 4.76% — a typical sportsbook margin. A hold of 0% would mean a fair, margin-free market.
Everything is calculated locally in your browser with nothing uploaded. This is a pure mathematics tool: not financial or betting advice, and it handles no real money. Lower hold generally means better prices for the bettor, which is why comparing hold across books is useful.
Frequently asked questions
What is bookmaker hold?
Hold (also called vig, juice, or margin) is the built-in edge in a market's prices. It equals the sum of every outcome's implied probability minus 100%: hold% = (Σ 1/dᵢ − 1) × 100%. A fair market has 0% hold; a typical −110/−110 line holds about 4.76%.
How is hold different from overround?
The overround is the raw sum of implied probabilities (e.g. 104.76%), while the hold is that sum minus 100% (4.76%). Overround is the total; hold is the excess over a fair market — the two describe the same margin in slightly different terms.
What is a typical hold percentage?
Standard two-way markets like point spreads at −110 hold around 4.5–5%. Parlays, props, and less liquid markets can hold much more. Sharp books and exchanges tend to hold less, giving bettors better effective prices.
Does it work for three-way markets?
Yes. Enter one price per outcome — two, three, or more. The tool sums all the implied probabilities and subtracts 100%, so it measures the hold for moneylines, soccer 1X2 markets, futures, and any multi-way market.