FairPlay shows the same cricket rate in three views: decimal, Indian rate and ₹100 returns. The views describe the same price, not three different outcomes. This guide shows the arithmetic, explains implied probability and book percentage, and outlines when FairPlay markets close or are suspended.
The three rate views
A decimal rate is the total return for each ₹1 staked, including the original stake. An Indian rate is the profit for each ₹100 staked, with the stake kept separate. ₹100 returns show the complete amount returned from a ₹100 stake, including that stake.
The basic conversions are:
- Indian rate = (decimal rate − 1) × 100
- ₹100 return = decimal rate × 100
- Implied probability = 1 ÷ decimal rate, expressed as a percentage
This treatment of decimal odds as total return, and of odds as an implied probability, is also described by Action Network's odds calculator. The probability is what the displayed price implies; it is not a promise that an outcome will happen.
| Decimal rate | Indian rate | ₹100 return | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.85 | 85 | ₹185 | 54.05% |
| 1.90 | 90 | ₹190 | 52.63% |
| 2.10 | 110 | ₹210 | 47.62% |
A worked conversion
Suppose a cricket selection is displayed at 1.85. A ₹1 stake has a total return of ₹1.85. The profit is ₹0.85, so the Indian rate is 85. On a ₹100 stake, the total return is ₹185 (₹100 stake plus ₹85 profit). The implied probability is 1 ÷ 1.85 = 0.5405, or 54.05% when rounded to two decimal places.
The same method works in reverse. If the Indian rate is 90, divide 90 by 100 and add 1: 1 + 0.90 = 1.90. A ₹100 return of ₹210 means 210 ÷ 100 = 2.10 in decimal form.
Rounding can make a displayed percentage differ by a small fraction from the unrounded calculation. The rate itself remains the starting point for the calculation.
Implied probability is not a prediction
The formula 1 ÷ decimal rate translates a price into a percentage. It does not say that FairPlay is offering a certainty, or that the percentage is a measured frequency for one match. FairPlay's model estimates are statistical views of past results, not tips or guarantees.
It is also important to read a market as a whole. If a two-way market displayed a perfectly fair 50% chance for each side, both sides would have decimal rate 2.00, because 1 ÷ 2.00 = 50%.
Book percentage and house margin
A book percentage is the sum of the implied probabilities for all outcomes in a market. In a perfectly fair two-way book, the total is 100%: 50% + 50%.
A house margin, also called an overround in general betting explanations, is the amount by which that total is above 100%. Sporting Life describes overround as a profit margin built into the prices and demonstrates it by adding the implied probabilities for each possible outcome.
Here is a simple two-way worked example. Start with a fair 50/50 estimate, then apply a small margin symmetrically for illustration:
| Side | Decimal rate | Implied probability |
|---|---|---|
| Side A | 1.90 | 52.63% |
| Side B | 1.90 | 52.63% |
| Book percentage | 105.26% |
The 5.26 percentage points above 100% is the overround in this example. The two implied probabilities do not describe a claim that both sides together have a 105.26% chance. They show that the prices include a margin. Removing or analysing that margin is a separate calculation; the displayed implied probabilities should not be mistaken for margin-free probabilities.
FairPlay's rates are produced by adding a disclosed house margin to model estimates using the power method. Under this policy, the less likely side receives slightly more margin. The written margin policy is versioned for each market type, and every published rate is stored as its own version. These controls help keep the pricing process traceable; they do not turn a rate into a tip or guarantee.
For more detail on how to read the presentation of FairPlay rates, see FairPlay cricket betting rates. This article explains the maths and terminology only, not which side to choose.
How FairPlay sets rates in-house
FairPlay uses an in-house pricing engine for its own cricket rates. Sportmonks supplies cricket data such as fixtures, scores and line-ups; it is not an odds source.
The model is a team-rating model of the Elo kind. There is one rating for each team within each format group: T20, ODI and Test. That separation matters because a team's past results in one format are not simply treated as its record in another. The model estimates are then converted into market rates by the margin policy described above.
A rate is therefore a model-and-policy output, not a statement that a match result is known in advance. FairPlay publishes each rate as its own version, so the displayed number can be treated as a time-specific record of the rate shown.
The broader prediction methodology page is the relevant FairPlay reference for the modelling approach. It should not be read as a promise of accuracy or as betting advice.
When markets close or are suspended
Toss markets close 45 minutes before the scheduled start. Other market status changes can occur when the fixture details change. FairPlay suspends markets when fixture details change, and markets close when play starts or when the result is known.
Suspension means the market is temporarily unavailable while the relevant information is checked or updated. It is not a revised probability and it is not a signal about which outcome is preferable. A changing start time, venue detail or line-up information can be a reason for a market to be suspended under these rules.
Always read the live status shown for the specific fixture. A rate visible earlier is not necessarily available after a closure or suspension, and a refreshed rate can be a new stored version.
Key points
- Decimal rate is total return per ₹1, including the stake.
- Indian rate is profit per ₹100, excluding the returned stake.
- ₹100 returns are total return on ₹100, including the stake.
- Implied probability is 1 ÷ decimal rate.
- The book percentage is the sum of all implied probabilities; any amount above 100% is the overround or house margin.
- FairPlay uses in-house team ratings by format, the power-method margin policy and versioned published rates.
- Toss markets close 45 minutes before scheduled start; markets can be suspended when fixture details change and close when play starts or the result is known.
Sources: Action Network — Betting Odds Calculator; Sporting Life — What is a Betting Overround?
This article was written by the FairPlay Editorial Desk with AI assistance, using the sources listed above. It was reviewed by Shalini Singh of the FairPlay editorial team before publication. To report an error, see our Editorial Policy.