long odds
Improbable betting scenario
Long odds describe a bet or outcome considered unlikely to succeed.
In gambling, long odds mean a high potential payout precisely because the chance of winning is slim.
The phrase extends to any situation where success seems improbable: Against long odds, the underdog team won the championship.
The opposite is short odds—likely outcomes with smaller payoffs.
- unlikelyNot apt to happen
- improbableNot likely true
- million to oneVanishingly small probability
- one in a millionExtraordinarily rare or special
- fat chanceSarcastic denial of possibility
snowball's chance · longshot · dark horse · wild card · outside chance · Cinderella · come from behind · hail mary · moonshot · off chance · windfall · underdog · parlay · upset · gamble · pipe dream · jackpot · betting
- risk phrasestake a chance, take a gamble, risk it all, go for broke, roll the dice
- gambling oddsprobability, house edge, expected value, EV, payout
- long shotslongshot, dark horse, underdog, slim chance, outside chance
- math expressionsdo the math, add up, crunch numbers, number crunching, number cruncher