Vig & Margin Calculator
Enter every outcome in a market and see what the sportsbook is charging you. The hold is the single most reliable number in betting: it is the only edge that is guaranteed, and it belongs to them.
What the vig actually is
Turn every price in a market into an implied probability and add them up. In a fair market they sum to exactly 100% — one of these things must happen. A sportsbook’s market sums to more, and the excess is the margin, also called the vig, the juice or the hold. It is not a fee you pay separately; it is baked into every price you see, and you pay it whether you win or lose.
What a normal hold looks like in the US
On a mainstream two-way market — a point spread, a game total, a popular player prop — the standard US price is -110 on both sides, which works out to a 4.76% hold. Under 3% is genuinely sharp. Above 8% you are in territory where you need a very strong opinion to make the bet worth taking: the price has to be wrong by more than the margin before you are even level.
Why it matters more than almost anything else
A 5% margin means the market has to be wrong by more than 5% in your favor before you make a cent. That is the bar every bet has to clear, on every bet, forever. It is also why line-shopping is the only edge that requires no opinion at all — the same bet at a book with a 4% hold instead of a 7% one is three percentage points of pure, free improvement.
The formula
pᵢ = 100 / (Aᵢ + 100) (plus odds)
total book = Σ pᵢ × 100
margin % = (Σ pᵢ − 1) × 100
where Aᵢ is the American price of each outcome in the market, and pᵢ its implied probability.
Worked example
A two-way market priced -110 / -110 gives implied probabilities of 52.38% and 52.38%. Those add to 104.76%, so the total book is 104.76% and the hold is 4.76%. Price the same market -105 / -105 and the hold falls to 2.44% — the same bet at about half the cost.
See the margin on every market at once
HaterPicks prices every player market across 14 US sportsbooks and prediction markets and shows you where they disagree. Free account · no card.
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FAQ
What is the vig in betting?
The vig — also called the juice, the hold or the overround — is the sportsbook’s built-in edge. Add up the implied probability of every outcome in a market: a fair market totals 100%, and anything above that is the margin.
What is a good hold?
A standard -110 / -110 spread or total carries 4.76%. Under about 3% is sharp, and over about 8% is expensive. Futures, same-game parlays and long-shot props usually carry far more.
Do I pay the vig even when I win?
Yes. It is not a separate charge — it is in the price. A winning bet at a shortened price simply pays you less than a fair market would have.
Does a lower hold mean better value?
It means a cheaper market, not a good bet. A 2% hold on a price you have no opinion about is still a losing proposition long term. Low hold plus a genuine edge is what you want.