Vig (Juice) Calculator

The book prices both sides above their true probabilities, so the sum of implied probabilities exceeds 100%. That excess is the vig. Standard US game lines run about 4.76% vig at -110/-110. Reduced juice books at -105/-105 cut that to 2.44%. Sharp books like Pinnacle often run 2-3% on main game lines.

Props run higher vig by design. Books know prop bettors are less price-sensitive and price accordingly. A player prop at -130/-110 carries about 8-9% vig on the same event where the game line is 4.76%.

The vig per market is also called the hold or overround. The framing differs - hold describes the book's theoretical take, vig describes what the bettor pays - but the arithmetic is identical for a two-way market.

At 4.76% vig with no edge, you expect to lose $4.76 per $100 bet. Over 100 bets at $100 each, that is $476 in expected vig drag. At 2.44% vig, the same 100 bets cost $244. The difference - $232 - stays in your pocket without making a single better pick.

Shopping lines is the cheapest possible vig reduction. If you consistently get -105 instead of -110 by moving to a better-priced book, you save 2.32% per bet before any edge calculation. Compounded over a season of betting, that is a significant structural improvement.

Vig awareness matters most in markets you bet frequently. If you bet totals every day and never check whether reduced juice books offer the same line cheaper, you are systematically overpaying.

Enter the actual prices from the book you are evaluating. -110/-110 is common but not universal. Books sometimes shade a nickel one way to attract money to a specific side.

Compare the same market across two different books by running each separately. The book with lower Vig % is structurally cheaper for your bets, regardless of which side you are taking.

Book A posts a total at -115/-105. Implied probabilities: 53.49% and 51.22%, sum 104.71%, vig = 4.71%.

Book B offers the same total at -105/-105. Implied probabilities: 51.22% and 51.22%, sum 102.44%, vig = 2.44%.

Book B saves you 2.27% vig per market. On $10,000 total wagering volume at $100 per bet across 100 bets, that is $227 in reduced structural drag - before any consideration of edge or pick quality.

Thinking reduced-juice promos eliminate vig entirely. A promo that gives you -105 instead of -110 for one day still carries positive vig - just less of it. The house still extracts margin; you just pay less.

Using implied probability as if it equals fair probability. Implied probability at -110 is 52.38%, but fair probability on a true 50-50 event is 50%. Vig is the gap. Do not use implied probability as your win estimate in EV calculations.

Ignoring vig differences between markets at the same book. A game line at 4.76% and a player prop at 9% at the same book have very different cost structures. Bettors who prefer props are paying nearly double the vig per dollar wagered.