What are no-vig odds? The vig explained, and how to remove it
A sportsbook price includes a margin for the book, called the vig or juice. Strip it out and you get the no-vig price: the market’s best estimate of how likely each side really is. It is the yardstick for every other number on vigged.
Where the vig hides
Take a spread priced −110 on both sides. Each −110 implies a 52.38% chance of winning, so the two sides add up to 104.76%. A real coin flip adds up to 100%. The extra 4.76% is the book’s overround: on balanced action the book keeps about 4.5% of everything wagered, whoever wins.
implied(−110) = 110 / (110 + 100) = 52.38% → 52.38% + 52.38% = 104.76%
The same thing happens on every two-way market. Because the implied probabilities always add up to more than 100%, no single price tells you the true odds. You have to remove the margin first.
How to remove the vig
- Convert each side’s American odds to an implied probability.
- Add them up. The amount over 100% is the overround.
- Scale the probabilities back down so they sum to exactly 100%.
- Convert each no-vig probability back to odds if you want a no-vig price.
De-vig methods
Step 3 can be done in more than one way. They differ in how much of the margin they take off each side:
- Multiplicative (proportional): divide each probability by the total. Simple, accurate for spreads and totals near even money, and the most accurate on US-league moneylines at retail books.
- Additive: subtract half the overround from each side. Takes the same number of points off both sides.
- Power: raise each probability to the power k that makes them sum to 100%. Takes relatively more margin off the longshot, matching the favorite–longshot bias sharp books build into moneylines.
- Shin: a model of a book protecting itself against better-informed bettors. In a two-way market it gives exactly the same answer as additive.
For −150 / +130 the four methods give the favorite a no-vig price between −138 and −140. On a heavy favorite the gap grows: for −300 / +250, multiplicative says the dog is a +263 shot while power says +279. That gap is the difference between a bet looking +EV or not, which is why vigged only flags an edge if it holds under the most cautious method. Which method is most accurate depends on the market and the book: we scored each one against 725,000 results in de-vig methods compared.
No-vig calculator
| Side | Price | Implied | No-vig % | No-vig odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side A | −150 | 60.00% | 58.40% | −140 |
| Side B | +130 | 43.48% | 41.60% | +140 |
- Hold (vig)
- 3.48%
- Implied total
- 103.48%
Enter a price to see its expected value against this no-vig price.
One book or many?
De-vigging a single soft book only tells you what that book thinks. A better no-vig price pools sharp sources — books that take big bets and move first, and exchanges with real depth — and weights them by how fresh and liquid each price is. That is what the NO-VIG column on vigged does. The full recipe, with every weight and threshold, is on How no-vig odds work.
What the no-vig price is for
- Spotting value. A price better than the no-vig price is positive expected value. See how to find +EV bets.
- Comparing books. The gap between a book’s price and the no-vig price is what that book charges you on that bet.
- Grading your bets. Comparing your price with the no-vig price at kick-off is closing line value.
You can see the live no-vig price for every game on the boards, and the bets currently beating it on the +EV edges page.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 2Remove the vig from a −110 / −110 market. What is the no-vig price of each side?
Frequently asked questions
What does no-vig mean in sports betting?
No-vig means the bookmaker’s margin (the vig or juice) has been removed from a price. The no-vig odds are an estimate of the true chance of each side, so the probabilities of all outcomes add up to exactly 100%.
How do you calculate no-vig odds?
Convert both sides of a two-way line to implied probabilities, then scale them so they add up to 100%. The simplest way divides each probability by their sum. For −150 / +130 that gives about 58.0% and 42.0%, or no-vig odds of −138 / +138.
Does the de-vig method matter?
On spreads and totals near even money, hardly: every method gives almost the same no-vig price. On moneylines with a clear favorite it does. Tested on 725,000 results, power was most accurate on sharp moneylines and soccer 1X2, and multiplicative on US-league moneylines at retail books. Our de-vig methods guide has the full results.
Is the no-vig price the true probability?
No. It is an estimate of what the market believes. It is most reliable when it comes from sharp, high-limit books or deep exchanges and when several sources agree, and least reliable when it rests on one soft or stale price.
What is a typical vig?
A standard −110 / −110 spread has an overround of about 4.8% (a theoretical hold of about 4.5%). Main-market lines at sharp books can be under 3%, while props and futures often carry 10% or more.
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