Glossary / Prices & odds / American odds
A ParlayAPI glossary entry

American odds

American odds are the US-standard odds format. Negative numbers state how much you must risk to win $100 (-150 risks $150); positive numbers state the profit on a $100 stake (+130 wins $130). The sign flips at even money (+100).

Conversion cheatsheet

# American -> implied probability, decimal
        -150  ->  150/250 = 60.0%   decimal 1.667
        -110  ->  110/210 = 52.4%   decimal 1.909
        +100  ->  100/200 = 50.0%   decimal 2.000
        +130  ->  100/230 = 43.5%   decimal 2.300

American odds are awkward arithmetically (the formula changes sign at even money), which is why most quantitative work converts to decimal or straight to implied probability first.

Where it shows up in ParlayAPI

ParlayAPI returns American or decimal prices via the odds-format request parameter, matching the-odds-api's interface so existing clients work unchanged. See the docs for request syntax and response shapes.

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