Terms and Descriptions

Sports Betting Glossary

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Alternative Line

Bad Beat

Early Cash Out

ATS

Stands for “Against the Spread.” Used when citing a team’s point spread in football or basketball.

Asian Handicap

A system devised for soccer betting due to the number of games that tie. Asian handicaps are set in full, half, or quarter goal increments, and the chosen side must win by a certain amount of goals for the bet to payout.

Arbitrage

A betting strategy that involves betting on both sides of a game separately to ensure a profit on at least one bet.

American Odds

Also known as U.S. odds. This system displays odds in the hundreds and thousands with a plus (+) or minus (-) rather than fractions. If a team is a 3/1 underdog, in American odds, that would be displayed as +300.

Alternative Line

Different point spread or totals options from the standard line to provide players with more variety of bets.

Agent

An individual who refers customers to a sportsbook for commission.

Action

Can refer simply to a bet.

Across the Board

A bet on a horse to win, place, and show. The bettor collects in three ways: 1) if the horse wins; 2) if second, two ways (place, show); 3) and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets. This strategy includes three bets.

Accumulator

An accumulator is a common terminology in the European betting market. Accumulators are also known as “parlays” and refer to multiple individual bets tied together for a larger payout. All games in an accumulator must win in order for the bet to pay.

Bad Beat

When a game ends in an improbable manner causing you to lose.

Back Door Cover

A last-second “cover” you place due to a change in the state of the game.

Chalk Eater

An individual who only bets on the favorite team.

Chalk

The favored team in a game.

Cash Out

The act of withdrawing your winnings from your account.

Dog

The underdog.

Dime

$1,000 in betting lingo.

Degenerate

A condescending term to refer to people who are addicted to gambling.

Decimal Odds

Also referred to as “European odds.” Odds are shown in decimal form rather than the American hundreds and thousands format.

Exposure

Also known as liability. Refers to the maximum amount a sportsbook can lose on a single match.

Expected Value (EV)

A type of measurement to gauge expected wins or losses over time.

Exotic

Also known as a prop bet. Refers to any wager other than a straight bet or parlay.

Exacta

A type of bet in horse racing where you pick both the first and second place horses.

Even Money

A wager that gives the bettor back his or her original investment.

European Odds

Also known as decimal odds. European odds display odds in either decimal or fraction form.

Edge

A perceived advantage a bettor may have over a sportsbook.

Early Cash Out

A special feature on select online sportsbooks where you can take out a certain amount of money before the match is finished.

Futures

A type of bet that focuses on a long-term result, for example, who will win the league or how many wins a team may get throughout the season.

Fractional Odds

Alternatively to American or European odds, players have the option to display odds in fractions instead.

Flat

The most basic odd of -110 on either side of a bet.

First-Quarter Line

A set of odds restricted to the first quarter of a game specifically.

First-Half Line

A set of odds restricted to the first half of a game specifically.

Favorite

The team expected to win.

Grand Salami

Betting on the over / under odds for every single game on the day’s schedule.

Giving the Points

Betting on the team that is statistically most favored to win.

Getting Down

Placing a bet.

Hook

The half-point in point spreads (0.5). Having a hook eliminates any chances of a push (where the player gets their money back).

Home Field/Home Court Advantage

A perceived advantage given to the team that is playing in their own home arena or stadium.

Hold

The amount of profit the sportsbooks make after paying out all players.

High Roller

An individual who bets with a large amount of money.

Hedge

Wagering on the opposite team of an already existing bet to ensure you will win at least one of the two bets.

Heater

When a team is on a winning streak.

Handle

The total amount of money wagered at a sportsbook on a certain sport, a single game, or overall.

Handicapper

An individual who studies statistics and circumstances of a match in order to predict the outcome.

Halftime Line

Also known as a second-half line. A set of odds is shown at the end of the first half of a game so bettors can bet on the second half.

In the Money

When your bet hasn’t closed yet but all the terms are met for a win.

In-Play / In-Game / In-Running

A live game. Sportsbooks allow you to bet on live games while they adjust odds to match the current state of the match.

Juice

The cost of making a bet which goes to the sportsbook.

Key Numbers

Depending on the sport, points spread are based on certain key numbers. Since the scoring increments in football are 3, 5, 6, 7, and 10, point spreads are based on these numbers.

Long Shot

A bet that doesn’t have a realistic chance to win.

Lock

When a bet is perceived as “easy” or “can’t-lose”.

Live Odds

Odds that change as the match is being played.

Live Betting

Also known as In-Play / In-Game / In-Running. Betting on a match as it’s live.

Lines

The odds of a game. Also known as price.

Linemaker

Also known as an oddmaker. An individual who sets the betting odds.

Line Movement

A sportsbook may adjust certain odds due to external circumstance, injury, and other influencing factors.

Limit

The maximum amount of money that is accepted by a sportsbook for a particular bet.

Liability

Also known as exposure. The amount of money a sportsbook will allow itself to lose on a bet.

Layoff

The act of a sportsbook betting with another sportsbook to reduce its liability.

Laying the Price / Points

Betting on a favorite.

Mush

A bettor who is superstitiously perceived to bring bad luck.

Moose

A last-second loss that happened unpredictably.

Moneyline

Moneyline is the most basic bet one can make. Moneyline bets are predicting which team will win flat out.

Money Management

Also known as bankroll management. A strategy to manage and delegate money in your sportsbook account to maximize betting power.

Middle / Middling

Making a specific bet on the same match that allows the bettors to win both at the same time. For example, if a bettor placed a bet for Lakers -4 and Warriors +7 and the Lakers won by 2, then both bets would payout.

Matchup Page

A page that covers all statistics of a certain match between two teams.

Matador

Also known as “back door cover”. When you make a cover late in the match.

Novelty Odds

Odds on events that are not sports, such as TV award shows or politics.

Nickel

$500 in betting terms.

Newbie / Noob

An individual who is new to betting.

Nap

The best or most likely to win the bet of the day.

Over / Under

Also known as a totals bet. A popular odd where the bettor predicts whether the final score of a match will be over or under the projected total.

Overlay

When the odds favor the bettor rather than the house.

Over

An odd where the bettor is betting above the projected total

Out

A location bettors can place a bet at.

Opening Line

The odds shown at the start of a match.

Off the Board (OTB)

A game that has been called off and sportsbooks are no longer accepting bets for.

Oddsmaker

An individual who sets the sports betting odds.

Odds-on Favorite

A heavyily favorited team that has a price higher than even money.

Push

When your bet results in a tie and the money is refunded to you.

Puppy / Pup

The underdog.

Punter

A sports bettor, more commonly an individual who recklessly gambles.

Puck Line

The hockey version of the point spread.

Public / Public Money

Used to refer to casual gamblers.

Prop Bet / Props

A prop bet is a unique type of bet outside of point spreads and over/under. Prop bets can include almost every other type of bet, such as player points, half-time points, etc.

Professional Handicapper

An individual who bets on sports for a living.

Print Sheet

A sheet where necessary information is printed on for a certain match.

Price

The odds of a game.

Point Spread

Also known simply as the spread. A point spread is created by the sportsbook as a handicap to a certain team. Sportsbooks adjust the point spread to create an equal betting field between two teams.

Pick ‘Em

A game where both teams are evenly matched, allowing the bettor to pick the outright winner for profitable odds no matter which side they pick.

Payout

The money that is earned from a winning bet.

Past Post / Past Posting

A bet that is made after the start of an event.

Parlay

Also known as an accumulator. A parlay is when the bettor wagers a single amount on multiple bets. Every bet has to win in order for the parlay to payout.

Quarter Lines

Odds that are confined to a specific quarter of a match.

Runner

Also known as a beard. Someone who places a bet for another person.

Run Line

Baseball’s version of the point spread.

Round Robin

A ticket that has more than one parlay on it.

ROI (Return On Investment)

A way of calculating the gain and loss of a player’s betting history.

Redeemed Juice

A common promotion among sportsbooks where the vig is shorter than the standard rate.

Sweat / Sweating

A match that is close until the last second of the game.

Superfecta

A horse racing bet where the bettor picks the first, second, third, and fourth-placed horses.

Sucker Bet

A bet that has a low chance of winning.

Straight Up

When you bet on a team to win.

Straight Bet

A single bet (as opposed to a parlay or accumulator).

Stake

The money that is wagered on a bet.

Square

Also known as a newbie or noob. Someone who is new to sports betting.

Spread

The shortened term for point spread.

Sportsbook

A place, either physical or online, that accepts money from bettors to place bets on and then subsequently hand out payouts.

Soft Line

Odds that seem valuable to a bettor.

Sharp Money / Sharp Action

Wagers placed by a sharp individual.

Sharp

An individual who is seen as cunning in terms of sports betting.

Score

A big win.

Scamdicapper

An individual who constantly discusses unrealistic win percentages and predictions.

Scalper

Also known as arbitrage. A strategy that involves betting on both sides of a match with different odds to ensure profit.

Trifecta

A horse race bet where the bettor has to accurately predict the first, second, and third place horses.

Trends

Short and long-term patterns and statistics of an event.

Tout

A service that sells predictions to bettors.

Total

A number set by the sportsbook where the players predict whether a match’s points, goals, or runs will be over or under that number.

Tilt

When you react to losses by losing control and placing more irrational bets.

Teaser

A type of bet where you can customize the point spread.

Tapped Out

When you run out of money.

Taking The Points

The act of betting on an underdog.

Uniforms

Referees in a match.

Underlay

When the odds of a match favor the sportsbook. Opposite of overlay.

Underdog

The team that is not the favorite.

Under

Betting below the total assigned by the sportsbook.

Vig / Vigorish

Also known as juice. The commission kept by the sportsbook.

Value

An overlay.

Wise Guy

A professional or sharp bettor.

Wager

A bet.

X-Sport Prop

Also known as a cross-sport prop. When a bet includes results from two different sports.

Yankee Tax

When sportsbooks add additional juice to a popular match, under the assumption the match will attract a lot of attention.

Zebras

Referees of a match.