SPORTSBOOK VIG (JUICE) EXPLAINED

The vig is how sportsbooks make money. Understanding it is the difference between being a bettor who thinks they're getting fair odds and one who knows exactly how much they're paying for the privilege.

By the PuckLineBetting.com editorial team · Updated March 2026

WHAT IS THE VIG?

Vigorish (vig), also called juice, is the commission built into every bet you place. It's the sportsbook's price for facilitating the wager and their primary source of revenue.

The easiest way to see the vig: a fair coin flip should be +100 on both sides (50/50). Instead, sportsbooks price it at -110/-110. That extra 10 on each side is the vig. You're paying a tax on every bet — and over thousands of bets, it adds up.

In puck line betting, the vig is distributed unevenly. A typical puck line might be -180/+155 — the combined implied probability exceeds 100%, and the difference is the sportsbook's cut.

HOW SPORTSBOOKS MAKE MONEY

Sportsbooks don't need to predict winners. They need to manage risk. Their business model works in three steps:

Set odds with a built-in margin — ensuring the combined implied probabilities exceed 100%.
Attract balanced action — ideally, equal money on both sides so they profit from the vig regardless of the outcome.
Manage liability — adjust odds when too much money comes in on one side, or hedge with other books.

In practice, sportsbooks don't always get balanced action. But the vig provides a cushion — even if they take slightly more on the losing side, the built-in margin often covers the exposure.

CALCULATING THE VIG

VIG FORMULA

Vig = (IP_A + IP_B) − 100%

Where IP_A and IP_B are the implied probabilities of each side.

Example: Puck line at -180/+155
IP_A = 180 ÷ 280 = 64.29%
IP_B = 100 ÷ 255 = 39.22%
Combined = 103.51%
Vig = 3.51%

NO-VIG (FAIR) ODDS

Fair Prob = IP_side ÷ (IP_A + IP_B)

Example: For -180 side: 64.29% ÷ 103.51% = 62.11% true probability.
For +155 side: 39.22% ÷ 103.51% = 37.89% true probability.
Now both sides sum to exactly 100%.

VIG ACROSS DIFFERENT MARKETS

Market	Side A	Side B	Combined	Vig
Standard (-110/-110)	-110 (52.38%)	-110 (52.38%)	104.76%	4.76%
Puck line (-180/+155)	-180 (64.29%)	+155 (39.22%)	103.51%	3.51%
Heavy fav (-250/+210)	-250 (71.43%)	+210 (32.26%)	103.69%	3.69%
Pick'em (-105/-105)	-105 (51.22%)	-105 (51.22%)	102.44%	2.44%

HOW VIG AFFECTS YOUR PROFITABILITY

The vig is a constant drag on your returns. At standard -110/-110 pricing, you need a 52.4% win rate just to break even. That may sound close to 50/50, but over thousands of bets, it's a significant hurdle.

Consider this: if you bet $100 on 1,000 bets at -110 odds and win exactly 50%, you'd lose $4,545. That's the cost of the vig over a large sample. To overcome it, you need an edge — either through superior analysis or by finding reduced-juice sportsbooks.

Strategies to Minimize Vig Impact

Shop for the best odds — compare odds across multiple sportsbooks. Even a 5-cent difference matters over hundreds of bets.
Use reduced-juice books — some sportsbooks offer -105 or even -102 lines, cutting your vig in half.
Focus on +EV bets only — calculate expected value before every wager. The vig makes most bets −EV by default.
Bet into opening lines — early lines often have softer vig because the market hasn't fully priced in all information. This ties into closing line value strategy.

THE BOTTOM LINE ON VIG

Every dollar you pay in vig is a dollar you can't earn in profit. Use our puck line calculator to check the implied probability on both sides of any bet and see exactly how much vig you're paying. The best bettors don't just find winners — they find value after accounting for the vig.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS VIG (JUICE) IN SPORTS BETTING?

Vig (short for vigorish, also called juice) is the commission a sportsbook charges on every bet. It's built into the odds so that the combined implied probabilities of both sides exceed 100%. The excess is the sportsbook's guaranteed profit margin.

HOW DO YOU CALCULATE THE VIG ON A BET?

Convert both sides' odds to implied probability, sum them, then subtract 100%. For example, -110/-110 odds imply 52.38% + 52.38% = 104.76%. The vig is 4.76%. You can also calculate the no-vig (fair) probability by dividing each side's implied probability by the total.

HOW DOES THE VIG AFFECT LONG-TERM PROFITABILITY?

The vig means you need to win more than 50% of even-odds bets to break even. At standard -110 juice, you need a 52.4% win rate. Over thousands of bets, even a small vig compounds into significant costs — which is why finding reduced-juice sportsbooks and positive expected value bets is critical.