Hold Calculator
See the sportsbook's hold on any two-way market, and what it costs you.
Enter the odds on both sides of a market. The calculator shows the book's hold percentage, the margin they keep, plus the fair no-vig odds for each side so you can spot low-hold lines.
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How the Hold Calculator works
What is hold in sports betting?
Hold is the percentage of every dollar wagered a sportsbook expects to keep on a market when action is balanced across both sides. It exists because both sides' implied probabilities add up to more than 100%. A 5% hold means the book keeps about $5 of every $100 wagered. It is close to, but a touch smaller than, the vig, because hold divides the margin by the full amount wagered rather than by a fair 100% book. A 5% hold means the book has built in a 5% edge before a single bet is placed.
How to calculate hold
Convert both sides to implied probability and add them to get the overround. The hold is the amount over 100% divided by that total. For example, two -110 prices imply about 52.4% each, totaling 104.76%, so the hold is 4.76% / 104.76% = about 4.55%. (The raw 4.76% figure is the vig; hold is that margin taken as a share of the full handle.)
What counts as a low hold?
Lower hold means you keep more of your money. Sharp two-way markets can hold 2 to 4%; soft markets, props, and parlays hold much more. Finding low-hold lines is one of the simplest ways to stop leaking value.
The lowest hold is no house at all
Even a low-hold sportsbook is still taking a cut. On BettorEdge you trade with other bettors instead of a book, so there is no built-in hold eating your edge on every bet.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a hold calculator?+
It measures the sportsbook's margin on a two-way market by adding both sides' implied probabilities and showing how much they exceed 100%.
What is a good hold percentage?+
For you, lower is better. Sharp markets often hold 2 to 4%. Props and parlays can hold well into double digits.
What is the difference between vig and hold?+
Closely related but not identical. Vig is how much the two prices exceed a fair 100% book; hold is the margin the book actually keeps per dollar wagered. Hold = vig / (1 + vig), so two -110 prices are a 4.76% vig but a 4.55% hold. Use the vig calculator for the first, this one for the second.
How do I find low-hold bets?+
Compare the hold across books and markets and bet the lowest. A no-vig marketplace like BettorEdge removes the hold entirely.