Sports Betting Terms
[
Horse Betting Terms]
A
10 Cent Line - The money line difference (10 cents) between what a bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog; see Dime Line
20 Cent Line - The money line difference (20 cents) between what a bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog
Ante Post -
A bet that is placed on a future event. With Ante Post bets you lose
your money if your selection does not take part in the event.
Asian Handicap -
Asian Handicap Betting removes the chances of a draw by
awarding sides a fraction of a goal
start up to three goals - depending on ability. Very popular in the Far East.
B
Backed -
When a bookmaker takes a lot of money on one particular team or participant,
the team has been 'heavily backed'. It is the selection proving very popular
with punters.
Bad Beat- Tough loss
Bank or Bankroll - Your available gambling money.
Banker - Strong bet. Near certainty to win.
Beard - A friend, acquaintance or other contact who is used to
place bets so that the
bookmakers will not know the identity of the actual bettor.
Beef- Dispute
Buck - A $100 wager.
C
Chalk - Preferred team.
Chalk Player - Someone who usually backs the favourite.
Rarely bets on
underdogs. Also known as a Favourite Freddie.
Churn- betting and rebetting money
Circle Game - An event in which the betting is very
limited. This usually occurs
in games that feature key injuries, poor conditions, or
unsubstantiated gossip regarding a team.
Cover - To bet the spread by the required number of points.
To win is "to cover the spread".
D
Dime Bet - A $1000 bet or wager.
Dog - The underdog in any betting situation.
Dog Player - One who mostly backs the underdog.
Dollar Bet - A $100 bet or wager.
Double Bet - A bet or wager twice the usual size. Double stakes.
Drift -
When the price of a selection moves out, because the bookmaker wants to
attract business.
Due For - A team that is "due for" whether it is a win or a loss. Many punters
like to play "due for" situations.
E
Each-Way -
This is a common bet where an equal amount of stake can be placed on a
selection to win an event or be placed. Placings are usually the top three
or four (dependent on the size of the field). The price for the place portion
of the bet is usually 1/4 or 1/5 the odds of an outright win.
Edge - Advantage.
Exotic Wager - Any bet other than a straight bet, e.g. parlays,
teasers, etc.
F
"Foots" - Slang word used sometimes for football.
Future Bet - Bets accepted well in advance.
Futures - Odds posted on the winners of various major sporting
championships well in advance
of the event, including the Super Bowl, the World Series.
G
Getting Down - Making a wager.
Going Down - Losing.
Grand Salami - A slang word for the over/under total for the combined score of all the hockey contests on the schedule for that day
H
Handicapper - One who studies and rates sporting events.
Handle - Total amounts of bets taken.
Hedging - Placing bets on the opposite side to your original bet in order to cut
losses or guarantee winning a minimal amount of money.
Holding Your Own - Neither winning or losing, just breaking even.
Hook - A half point added to football and basketball betting lines.
Hooked - Losing a bet or wager by exactly half a point.
Hot Game - A game which is drawing a lot of action on one side.
I
In running - betting in running is betting on an event in progress.
J
Joint Favourites - Where to favourites exist with equal prices - because the
bookmaker cannot seperate them in terms of ability.
Jolly - Favourite.
Juice - The bookmaker's cut, also known as vigorish.
L
Lay The Points - A wager on a favorite in a pointspread contest
Lay The Price - A wager on a favorite in a moneyline contest
Limit - The maximum amount a bookmaker will allow you to bet
before he changes odds and/or the points.
Line - The listed odds on a game.
Linemaker - The person who establishes the initial and
subsequent betting lines.
Lock - Easy winner- can not lose.
Longshot - A team or horse that is unlikely to win.
"The Man" - Bookmaker.
M
Middles - To win both sides of the same betting proposition;
if you bet the underdog +3 1/2 and the favorite -2 1/2 and the favorite wins by 3,
then the book or game has been middled.
Money Line - A moneyline is offered when no handicap is given, such as a pointspread
or runline, and the odds are not therefore fixed. The favourite and underdog are
given odds to win a game or fight.
N
Neutral Site - Arena, field, or sporting location where neither side has a home field
advantage.
Newspaper Line -
The betting line that often appears in the daily newspapers.
The lines are only an estimate and often inaccurate. Similar to 'tissue'
prices.
Nickel - A $500 bet or wager.
O
Oddsmaker - The same as a linemaker.
Odds On Favorite - A horse, team, or individual favoured by the market so that the odds
are less than even.
Off Lines -
The amount the Las Vegas pointspread differs from the computerized mathematical
line.
Official Line -
The line that the bookmaker uses for betting or wagering purposes. The line which comes
from Vegas is quite often referred to as the official line but the line that
your bookie offers you is actually your "official line". Many smart bettors like to know
the Las Vegas official line so that they can compare to their local bookies in order
to see how badly they are being "faded".
Outlaw Line -
An early line which is not an official line. Sometimes linemakers allow specially
selected bettors to wager into the "outlaw line" before entering the line to the public.
The linemakers respect these individuals and use their input to create a final opening
number. This manipulation process is also known as "ironing" or "flattening" the line.
Outsider -
The opposite to the favourite - usually found at big odds.
Overlay -
An advantage for the bettor in which the price on a given bet is greater than the
real probability of its success. Value.
Over and Under -
A bet or wager for the total score by both teams, which will be more or less than the
total posted by the bookmaker.
P
Parlay -
The number of teams in the parlay must all hit or the parlay loses.
Parlay Cards -
Wagers on a minimum of three and up to fifteen propositions. The greater the number
of picks, the higher the profit.
Past Performance -
Past perfomance of the relevant teams in a forthcoming event.
Percentages -
Bookmakers set their odds according to percentages, the lower the percentage,
the better value the punter is getting.
Permutations -
It is also possible to 'perm' selections. For example, if you have made three
selections (A, B and C) you can 'perm' all the possible doubles.
In this case all the doubles possible are AB, AC, and BC - a total of three
individual bets.
Pick -
Occasionally, there will be no favorite on a game. In this instance the game is said to
be a pick and you can bet the same odds on either team.
Pointspread -
The pointspread is used as a margin to handicap the favourite.
and give points to the underdog.
Post Time -
The scheduled starting time.
Press -
To bet bigger.
Price -
The odds or pointspread.
Proposition Bet -
A wager on a particular aspect of the game - eg how many touchdowns will be made.
Punter -
The term used for someone who has a bet.
Puppy- Underdog
Push -
If the result of a game is exactly on the pointspread or is a tie in the case of
betting a moneyline, or if the exact score of the game matches exactly the bookmaker's
game total, then the game is a "Push" or "No Action" and all wagers are
returned to the betting account.
R
Round Robin -
A form of parlay betting in which your wager is on combinations of team wager.
Run Line -
A line used when wagering on baseball.
S
Scalper- Someone who plays both sides of the same game at different prices
to lock in a profit. Arbitrage.
Score -
To make a big win.
Scouts -
Individuals who study team plays and report to handicappers.
Scratch -
To call off a wager.
Side -
When one side of a wager wins and the other side ties.
Smart Money -
Sides that are bet on by the more knowledgeable handicappers.
Sport Player -
Someone who waits for what he thinks is an unusually strong bet or wager.
Stake - Money staked on bet or wager - money you put up or risk.
The Store - The Bookmaker
Steam -
When a betting line starts to move quite rapidly. The majority of "steam games" do not
necessarily reflect the "right side," but are games that the mass of bettors somehow
decide to key in on.
Sucker Bet -
A bet that is very disadvantageous to the player.
T
Taking -
Betting or wagering on the underdog.
Tapped Out- Broke or bust.
Totals-
Total combined units of score.
Tout -
Someone who sells his betting opinions.
V
Value -
Getting the best odds on a bet. Bookmaker offering better than
the true odds as the punter has them.
Virgorish -
Bookmaker's commission.
W
Wager -
Any Bet.
Wise Guy -
A top gambler.
Wood -
Laying points.
World Series - MLB championship; The final seven games of the baseball playoffs between the two league champions to determine the world champion.
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