Question 1

What is hold percentage in sports betting?

Accepted Answer

Hold percentage (also called overround or margin) is the built-in profit a sportsbook expects from a market. It is calculated by adding the implied probabilities of all outcomes - the amount above 100% is the hold. For standard -110/-110 lines, the hold is 4.55%. A lower hold means better value for bettors.

Question 2

How do I find the lowest hold markets?

Accepted Answer

Compare the same market across multiple sportsbooks. The book with odds closest to the true probability (lowest combined implied probability) has the lowest hold. Betting exchanges typically have the lowest hold (1-2%), followed by sharp books (2-4%), while recreational books can have holds of 5-8% or more.

Question 3

What is the difference between hold and vig?

Accepted Answer

Hold and vig are related but slightly different concepts. Vig (vigorish/juice) refers to the commission on a specific bet, typically seen in the -110 odds. Hold refers to the total margin the sportsbook builds into a market across all outcomes. For a two-way market, they are essentially the same thing, but for markets with 3+ outcomes, the hold is the total overround across all options.

Question 4

Why does hold matter for my betting?

Accepted Answer

A lower hold means you need a smaller edge to be profitable. With a 4.5% hold, you need to win more than 52.4% of standard spread bets. With a 2% hold, you only need 51%. Over thousands of bets, this difference is enormous. Line shopping across books to find the best odds effectively reduces the hold you pay.

Sport	Typical Hold	Range
NFL	4.5%	3-6%
NBA	4.5%	3-6%
MLB	4.0%	3-5%
NHL	5.0%	4-6%
Soccer	6.0%	4-8%
Tennis	5.5%	4-7%
MMA/Boxing	6.0%	5-8%
College FB	5.0%	4-7%

Hold Calculator

Typical Hold by Sport

What is Hold?

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Calculators