What Is the Vig or Juice? Sports Betting Terms Explained

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Have you ever heard the terms “Juice” or “Vig” tossed around in the world of sports betting and wondered what they mean? In this article, we’ll shed light on these commonly used terms and explain how they play a vital role in the sports betting landscape.

Understanding Juice or Vig in Sports Betting

Juice, also known as vigorish or vig, serves as the bookmaker’s commission or fee for facilitating sports wagers. Essentially, it’s the cost associated with placing bets through a sportsbook. While juice is most commonly associated with straight point spread wagers, it can apply to various types of bets, influencing both the potential payouts and betting behavior.

How Juice Operates

Let’s dig deeper into how juice operates:

1. The 11 to 10 Standard: In the realm of sports betting, the 11 to 10 standard is the most prevalent when it comes to laying juice on straight point spread wagers. This means that if you wish to place a bet, you must wager $11 to potentially win $10 (or an equivalent amount in your chosen currency).

For instance, if you decide to bet $110 on a point spread wager with -110 juice, a successful bet would yield a profit of $100 (in addition to the return of your initial $110 stake). Conversely, if your bet doesn’t pan out, you forfeit the entire $110.

2. Adjusting Juice: Sportsbooks have the flexibility to adjust the juice to steer betting activity in one direction or another. For instance, if a sportsbook aims to attract more bets on a particular side of a game, they might offer reduced juice, such as -105, instead of the standard -110. This slight adjustment makes it more enticing for bettors to place their wagers on that side.

Impact on Betting Payouts

It’s important to note that the juice significantly impacts the potential payouts from your winning bets. Higher juice, as seen in -120 or -130, decreases your profit when compared to lower juice, like -105 or -110. Savvy bettors take the juice into account when evaluating the overall value of a bet.

Check out these odds on DraftKings. You’ll see that for a $100 profit, you’d have to wager $110.

vig or juice in sports betting, -110 odds vig or juice in sports betting, -110 odds

In summary, Juice or Vig is a fundamental concept in sports betting, representing the bookmaker’s commission and affecting both potential payouts and betting decisions. As a bettor, understanding how juice operates can be the key to making informed and value-driven wagers.

The next time you consider placing a sports bet, keep these insights into Juice or Vig in mind, as they are crucial for navigating the intricate world of sports betting with confidence.

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Eamonn KeenanEamonn Keenan
Eamonn Keenan, with a Digital Arts Degree from the University of Tampa, brings over a decade of sports betting experience to his role as Creative Director at BettingHero.com. Starting with Betting Hero in the Fall of 2020, Eamonn has been deeply involved in the industry, assisting customers with major sportsbook and casino operators like BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and others. A self-proclaimed sports fanatic, he has a keen interest in professional hockey, MMA, NFL, NCAAB, NCAAF, and MLB. Eamonn enjoys researching teams and players to predict game outcomes, highlighting his passion for sports betting.