The vig is the reason most sports bettors lose money long-term. It’s the sportsbook’s commission on every bet — and if you don’t understand how it works, you’re flying blind.
What is Vig?
Vig (short for vigorish, also called “juice”) is the fee the sportsbook charges for taking your bet. It’s built into the odds, so you never see a separate line item — but it’s always there.
The most common example: -110 odds on both sides of a spread.
At -110, you bet $110 to win $100. If you win, you profit $100. If you lose, you’re out $110. That extra $10 you risk beyond your potential profit is the vig.
How Vig Affects Your Break-Even Rate
In a fair 50/50 coin flip, you’d break even at +100 odds (bet $100, win $100). But sportsbooks don’t offer +100 on standard markets. They offer -110.
At -110 odds, your break-even win rate is:
Break-even % = Risk / (Risk + Profit) = 110 / (110 + 100) = 52.38%
You need to win 52.38% of your bets just to break even. That 2.38% above 50% is the vig’s impact on your required win rate.
| Odds | Break-Even Win Rate | Vig Impact |
|---|---|---|
| -105 | 51.22% | +1.22% |
| -110 | 52.38% | +2.38% |
| -115 | 53.49% | +3.49% |
| -120 | 54.55% | +4.55% |
| -130 | 56.52% | +6.52% |
The worse the odds, the higher your required win rate. At -130, you need to win almost 57% of your bets to break even.
Vig as a Percentage
You can express the vig as a percentage of the total risk:
At -110/-110 (standard spread)
Total implied probability: 52.38% + 52.38% = 104.76%
Vig percentage: 4.76%
This means the book expects to keep about 4.76 cents of every dollar wagered on this market. This total vig percentage across both sides is also known as the sportsbook hold.
At -105/-105 (reduced juice)
Total implied probability: 51.22% + 51.22% = 102.44%
Vig percentage: 2.44%
Half the vig of -110. Over hundreds of bets, this difference is massive.
How Sportsbooks Profit
Sportsbooks don’t need to be right about who wins. They need balanced action on both sides plus the vig.
Example: A market at -110/-110
100 people bet $110 on Side A (total: $11,000)
100 people bet $110 on Side B (total: $11,000)
Total collected: $22,000
Regardless of who wins, the book pays out $21,000 ($11,000 in stakes + $10,000 in winnings). They keep $1,000 — the vig.
In practice, action is never perfectly balanced, so books also rely on accurate line-setting. But the vig is the structural foundation of their business model.
Strategies to Minimize Vig
Line Shop
Different sportsbooks offer different odds on the same event. If one book has -110 and another has -105, you save 2.32% in vig by choosing the -105 book. Over a season, this alone can turn a losing bettor into a break-even one.
Target Reduced Juice Books
Some sportsbooks structurally offer lower vig:
Pinnacle: ~2% vig on major markets
Circa: Low-hold lines on NFL/NBA
BetCRIS: Competitive vig on most sports
Avoid High-Vig Markets
Player props, first scorer bets, and exotic parlays often carry 6-15%+ vig. The vig is highest where the book’s risk is highest and where recreational bettors don’t price-shop.
Use Promos and Boosts
Odds boosts and promotions temporarily reduce or eliminate the vig on specific bets. These are often legitimately +EV.
Key Takeaways
Vig is the sportsbook’s built-in commission on every bet
At -110, you need a 52.4% win rate just to break even
Line shopping and targeting reduced-juice books saves significant money over time
The vig compounds — even a 1% reduction in vig adds up to hundreds of dollars over a season
