Paddy Power has opened up with the following odds:

Matt 4-1

Gethin 6-1

John 6-1

Letitia 6-1

Kenny 8-1

Willie 9-1

Kelly 10-1

Brian 10-1

Alesha 12-1

Kate 12-1

Gabby 12-1

Dominic 14-1

Penny 14-1

Stephanie 20-1


I spot a slight gender imbalance.

Willie 9-1

I'm sorry, I really don't see that!

Is it 'cos he's a 'sportsman'?

Put some money on Gabby at 12-1

i know this is gonna sound stupid, but how do you know whos favourite? i dont get what the figures mean

Special odds from Skybet:
Celeb quit voluntarily mid series (after live shows start) (6/4)
Winning couple represent UK at Eurovision Dance Contest 2008 (2/1)
Celeb cry live on launch show (tears during past VT don t count) (3/1)
Celeb break Q Wilson s record for lowest score of 8 on launch night (6/1)
Celeb and pro dancer meet on show and marry by end 2008 (16/1)
Couple get perfect 40 on launch show (40/1)

I won't attempt to explain odds because I don't think I fully understand them! But in that list Matt is the favourite, Stephanie the outsider.

Okay, thanks! haha
Theyre confusing but easy once you know i think lol

You can think of odds as an indication of probability (of winning Strictly in this case).

To simplify, let's pretend for a moment that the bookmaker doesn't make any profit. A charity bookmaker (as if).

Matt is 4:1 which as a ratio is the same as 80:20.

In other words, Matt has a 80% chance of losing and a 20% chance of winning (according to the betting market).

Willie is 9:1 which as a ratio is the same as 90:10.

In other words, Willie has a 90% chance of losing and a 10% chance of winning.

If Richard Hammond, say, was taking part he would perhaps have odds of around 1:3 (described as 3:1 on) which as a ratio is the same as 25:75.

In other words, Richard would have a 25% chance of losing and a 75% chance of winning.

Now of course the bookies have to make a profit so the actual probabilities of winning are lower than this....but can be calculated fairly easily.

Ooooh right!
Thats makes it alot easier to understand! Thankyou so much!

Some change since yesterday...

Letitia Dean 4/1

Gethin Jones 5/1

Matt Di'Angelo 7/1

Kelly Brook 8/1

John Barnes 8/1

Alesha Dixon 9/1

Kenny Logan 10/1

Penny Lancaster 10/1

Gabby Logan 11/1

Kate Garraway 11/1

Brian Capron 11/1

Dominic Littlewood 16/1

Stephanie Beacham 28/1

Willie Thorne 28/1

http://www.skybet.com/skybet?action=GoEvEv&id=10931641

Slighty diffrent at William Hill:

John Barnes 5/1

Matt D' Angelo 6/1

Kelly Brook 7/1

Gethin Jones 7/1

Alesha Dixon 7/1

Letitia Dean 8/1

Gabby Logan 8/1

Kenny Logan 9/1

Willie Thorne 12/1

Kate Garraway 12/1

Dom Littlewood 12/1

Brian Capron 12/1

Penny Lancaster 14/1

Stephanie Beacham 20/1

i dont think they can do bettings yet - the show hasnt even started so we dont know the competiton...

1st elimination latest (Skybet)...

Willie Thorne 11/10

Brian Capron 5/2

Dominic Littlewood 7/2

Kenny Logan 9/1

John Barnes 10/1

Gethin Jones 20/1

Matt Di'Angelo 33/1

Will last year's winning pro be first out this time?

You can bet on almost anything these days.

I reckon if I wanted to have a flutter on the off-chance that Gordon Brown emerges from downing street on Monday wearing nought but his under pants, and then proceeds to skip his way down the Mall on his way to request the Queen for a dissolution of Parliament, robustly shouting 'VOTE FOR ME - I'VE NOTHING TO HIDE' as he went on his merry way, I'd be offered excellent odds.

Am surprised Stephanie Beacham is so low in the betting - she is probably one of the more entertaining personalities amidst a lot of blandness.

Any one who remembers her from Dynasty - her character had some great bitchy catfights with Joan Collins - knows what a trooper she is! She won't win but I hope she stays around for a few weeks.

Think Kenny will go first

There is another one we can bet onAny catfights

Only joking

Ladbrokes 'win' market latest....

Kelly Brook 4/1

Gabby Logan 5/1

Matt D'Angelo 6/1

Alesha Dixon 7/1

Gethin Jones 7/1

John Barnes 10/1

Kenny Logan 10/1

Letitia Dean 10/1

Brian Capron 12/1

Kate Garraway 14/1

Penny Lancaster 14/1

Dominic Littlewood 20/1

Stephanie Beacham 25/1

Willie Thorne 40/1

Enemoniada, don't know if you can help. I know a little about probability and stats, but I'm not really much of a gambler. What are the odds based on do you know, bearing in mind there is no data to go on as such? Is it how people are actually placing bets?

I'm sure the odds will start to change once the series starts anyway.

I think Stephanie will surprise people and those odds are too long . I also think Brian wil do OK as will Dominic because their partners are very good at getting the best out of their celeb .

I think Kelly will NOT do as well as we think .

Can anyone remember how the betting before the series started last year compared with the results?

Matt tumbles as the 'glamour' girls shorten following Saturdays's show...

Alesha Dixon 3/1

Gabby Logan 4/1

Kelly Brook 5/1

Gethin Jones 6/1

Penny Lancaster 7/1

John Barnes 10/1

Matt D'Angelo 12/1

Dominic Littlewood 14/1

Kenny Logan 16/1

Kate Garraway 20/1

Letitia Dean 20/1

Stephanie Beacham 40/1

Willie Thorne 66/1

(Ladbrokes)

I'm surprised John's odds haven't changed since he topped the leaderboard on Saturday . You can still get him at 14-1 with some bookies.
Looking at oddschecker, Dominic and Gethin are the only males whose odds are shortening with most bookies. Letitia has dropped significantly, from being the favourite with some to being an outsider. So has Kate, presumably because of her injury.

How good were the odds at predicting things last year?

Here is last year's thread- I think there is another one somewhere as well- SCD Betting

The initial odds were way off but once everyone had danced once it got quite accurate, although not over the "shock" exits of Ray and Spoony.