Sportsbook Glossary | Sports Betting Terms | Gambling Information | Betting Words

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Sports Betting Glossary

A

Accountant: A term used by some players for bookmaker (bookie).

Action: A wager or bet; having action means having a bet. In baseball, action has a special meaning: It means the bet counts even if there is a change in starting pitchers. If there is a pitching bettor with action gets the new odds.

Across the Board: a method of wagering on a horse to win, place and show.

Added Game: For sports betting, a game not part of Las Vegas regular rotation posted as an accommodation to customers.

Against The Spread: There are two ways of betting sides: the moneyline and against the spread. To bet against the spread is to make a wager that will be decided by adding points to one team or the other after the game is played.

Agent: A middleman who places players into a sports book for a commission.

Air Move: When a sportsbook changes the line on a game not in reaction to bets they receive, but rather in response to another book (or books) changing their line.

Alpo: A dog, puppy or underdog, i.e., the team, side or contestant in any given event considered to be the least likely to win.

Angles: Using past game results to predict future results. The assumption is that specific situations that have historically delivered winning results will deliver winning results in the future when the situation arises again. Specifically, an Angle is a more narrow subset of a System.

Arbitrage: To arbitrage is to make a combination of bets so that if one bet loses another wins. There is an implication of having an edge, at no or low risk. The second bet hedges the first. Arbitrage can also be used as a noun.

ATS: An abbreviation for: against the spread.

B

Back Door Cover: Meaningless points scored to cover the spread, by a team that is likely to lose.

Bad Beat: Tough loss that is not deserved, usually associated with a wager.

Bar: To be barred from betting at a sportsbook is to be told that you’re not allowed to place any more bets there. Some books will bar a player for consistently winning significant amounts; others pride themselves on being willing to take all action.

Barroom Bookie: Your local hometown bookie who offers limited wagering options and limited betting advantages. Often barroom bookies offer no reduced juice and no deposit bonuses. For those bettors who have yet to embrace online sportsbooks, a single barroom bookie is often their only gambling option. Typically a bettor's action is on credit with a barroom bookie, and the private betting is illegal in the U.S.

Beard: A person who makes bets for another person, usually because the sportsbook does not want action from that person.

Beef: A dispute or claim involving a player and his/her bookmaker.

Bet: To risk money on the outcome of an event.

Bet Limit: Maximum bet size accepted by a sportsbook. Typically the sportsbook will accept a limit bet, adjust the line, and then be open to accept more action from the same player.

Bet to Win: In non-team sports, a wager on an individual to win an event. Similar to a future bet, but in this case the bet is placed much closer to the start of the event.

Betting Exchange: A betting exchange is a form of betting available on the Internet in which two parties wanting to bet opposites of a game are brought together to bet against each other. The winner pays a commission to the betting exchange, but that amount is usually less than the juice charged by a conventional sportsbook.

Board: A board is a listing of bets available in a sportsbook.

Bookie: A person who takes bets, typically used to refer to an illegal bookmaker.

Bookmaker: A person or company that accepts bets.

Bonus Hustler or Bonus Whore: A bonus hustler is someone who has opened an offshore betting account for the sole purpose of obtaining bonuses and has no intention to gamble long-term.

B.R: Bankroll

Buck: A $100.00 wager

Buy (Points): In sports betting, a player pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a point spread game.

C

Canadian Line: In sports betting the Canadian line is a combination point spread and money line in hockey.

Chalk: The favorite team, side, contestant or horse in a sports event.

Chalk-Eater/Chalk-Player: In sports gambling this person is someone who usually only plays the favored teams, rarely betting on the underdogs.

Cherry Pick: Betting only those select games on which you think you have a big edge.

Churn: The betting and re-betting of money. With each bet, the money dwindles due to the relentless effect of the juice sportsbooks charge.

Circled: A game on which the book or bookie has placed a lowered maximum bet limit, possibly due to some uncertainties that make the game difficult to predict like injuries, weather conditions, etc.

Clone Joint: A sportsbook that moves its' lines to conform with other sportsbooks.

Cover: To win against the spread (ATS).

Credit Betting: Betting without needing to have up front money on account to place a wager. If you win, you are paid off and if you lose, you are billed. Standard with barroom bookies. Much less common with online sportsbooks. The alternative is Post-up Betting.

D

Data Mining: Data mining involves sorting through a large volume of data (usually statistics), searching for profitable situations to bet on in the future.

Dead Heat: When two or more horses finish in a tie.

Degenerate: A person with a compulsive gambling problem.

Dime: The sum of $1000

Dime Line: Different than the standard 20-cent line, the “dime line” is sometimes offered in baseball by player friendly sportsbooks. The dime line charges only half the juice of standard football/basketball bets. A -200 favorite would usually make the underdog +180 on a 20-cent line, but with the “dime line” the underdog would be +190.

Dog: In sports betting, the team perceived to be most likely to lose.

Dog Player: In sports gambling this term refers to one who mostly plays the underdog.

Dollar: $100, in sports wagering.

Double action: An "if bet" in sports betting that is processed if the precedent bet wins, ties or cancels.

Double Bet: In sports betting a double bet is a wager for twice the size of one's usual wager; also known as "double pop" or "doubling up."

E

Edge: The belief that you have an advantage when placing a bet.

Early Line: The first line posted for a game.

Even Money: Betting a dollar to win a dollar without laying any juice. Even money is also read as EV or as PK.

Exacta or Perfecta: Horse betting terms referring to the method of betting on a horse race in which the first and second place horses are picked to cross the finish line in a specified order.

Exotic Wager: Action other than a straight wager, e.g., teasers, futures, round robins etc.

Exposure: The amount of money the player or book stands to lose on any action.

Extension: The amount of money the book, theoretically, risks losing on an event.

F

Fade: To bet against.

Favorite: The team expected to win.

Field: The field is a group of the entrants whose odds are not individually listed to win an event, usually longshots. These longshots are grouped together so that a bettor wins his field bet if any of the longshots win. Events with a large number of entrants, like golf or NASCAR, most often offer field betting.

Fifty cents: $50.00 of sports betting action.

Figure: For sports betting, Figure is the amount owed to or by a bookmaker.

Final 4: The remaining four teams in the NCAA basketball tournament.

Firing: The wagering of large sums of money, i.e., a player who does so is said to be firing.

First half bet: In sports betting this is a bet placed only on the first half of the game.

Fixed: A slang term referring to the outcome of a race, contest or game that has been illegally pre-determined. No one in the mainstream sports betting world, on either side of a wager, cares for this term.

Flea: A small bettor who wants something for nothing.

Foots: A slang term sometimes used to refer to the game of football.

Form: The expected performance of contestants or teams according to how well they look on paper.

Front Running: Following betting lines on a computer, and betting in the same direction of line moves. If a front runner bets quickly, he can get the original number at a slow sportsbook.

Futures: Bets placed far in advance of the sports event.

G

Gamble: To risk money on the outcome of an event.

Group Matchup: Another “matchup betting” option particularly popular in golf and auto racing events like NASCAR, where you can select how one competitor will finish compared to other competitors in the group.

Getting Down: Sports wagering meaning making a bet.

Grand Salami: A sports betting term meaning the grand total of goals scored in all the hockey games of the day. It can be wagered to go Over/Under.

Gross Win: Winnings before expenses.

H

Half a dollar: $50.00 in sports betting action.

Half time bet: In sports betting this is a bet placed only on the second half of the game.

Handicap: To handicap is to analyze a contest and then to predict the outcome.

Handicapper: A person who analyzes studies and rates sporting events.

Hedge: To bet the opposite of an original bet to offset the possible loss on the original action. Hedge can be used as a noun or a verb.

Handle: The total amount of money taken by sportsbooks from placed bets.

Hook: The half point in a point spread.

Hooked: The loss of a wager by exactly a half point.

Hoops: A slang term referring to the game of basketball.

Hold: The percentage the house wins.

Holding Your Own: The result of breaking even, i.e., neither winning nor losing, during a wager, or series of wagers.

Home Field Advantage: the edge the home team is expected to have as a result of playing on home turf. For example, it would normally be more familiar with the playing area, enjoy greater fan support, and avoid the effects of travel endured by the visiting team.

Hot game: Sports betting term for a game that is drawing a lot of action on one side by knowledgeable handicappers.

Hot Tip: Wagering information/data not yet in the hands of the bookmaker.

I

If Bet: Allows you to link together two or more individual bets, similar to a parlay. However, unlike a parlay, it is not an all or nothing bet. You are basically instructing the sportsbook that "if" the first bet wins, then place a second bet on this other proposition.
If your first bet wins, the sportsbook will place your second bet. If your first bet loses, there will be no second bet. This type of bet is primarily used as a form of money management.

IBF: An abbreviation for International Boxing Federation.

J

Juice: The amount charged by the bookmaker for taking bets.

L

Laying: "Laying odds" means the amount of money you are risking is more than what you will collect for winning. In such situations, the bettor believes the likelihood of his outcome is greater than 50%. "Laying points" means betting the point spread favorite. The opposite of laying is "taking" with the underdog.

Line: Used to even the odds of a particular sporting event. Each team has points either added to its final score or subtracted from its final score, to determine if the bet is a winner.

Longshot: A large underdog who is not expected to win.

Layoff Wager (Bet): A wager made by one bookmaker with another bookmaker to help him to balance his action, and reduce his risk, on a horse, contestant or team.

Limit: The maximum wager accepted by the house, or bookmaker before the odds, points or price will be changed. In a sense it is a cap on the amount the player will be allowed to wager.

Linemaker: The person who establishes the original and subsequent betting lines for an event.

Listed Pitcher (LP): In sports gambling a listed pitcher is a baseball bet which will be placed only if both of the pitchers scheduled to start a game actually start. If they don't, the bet is cancelled.

Lock: an easy winner, or a clear no lose situation.

M

Matchup Betting: A bet based upon one individual competing head-to-head against another individual or a group of individuals (group matchups). The matchup can be literally player against player on the field (like in a tennis match) or the matchup can be an artificial pairing (like a golf matchups, where all players are trying to win the tournament, but players can be artificially "matched up" against each other for betting purposes. Odds for matchup betting are typically posted using a money line.

Maverick Line: Line offered by a sportsbook that is significantly different from the line carried by other sportsbooks. The advantage for the sportsbook is the maverick line will certainly receive a great deal of action, but it will be one-sided action, thus creating exposure to a big win by bettors.

Middle: To win both sides of the same betting proposition. Placing a wager on the favorite team at -2 1/2 with one bookmaker, then taking +3 1/2 with another bookmaker. When the game ends up with the favorite winning by exactly 3 points, the player has middled the game. Middling is a favorite betting method of wise guys.

Money Line: The amount the player must wager to win $100.00, or the amount the player wins on a wager of $100.00. No handicap is given, such as a point spread or run line. The team wagered on just has to win the game. Payoffs are based on true odds rather than fixed odds. The amount the player lays or takes may vary each time.

Move the line: A player pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a point spread game.

MVP: An abbreviation for Most Valuable Player. The leagues give MVP awards to the best of the regular-season, and to the outstanding player in championship games or series.

N

Newspaper Line: The lines which appear in various daily newspapers. These lines are only approximate and can be downright inaccurate and misleading.

Nickel: $500.00, in on a sports gambling wager.

Nickel line: A sports wagering line where the juice is 5%.

No action: A wager in sports betting in which no money is lost nor won.

O

Odds: The likelihood of an outcome occurring, stated in number form. The "straight up" outcome is typically the basis of the wager, without regard to a point spread. Odds are often stated as a moneyline.

Oddsmaker: An individual who creates the opening line, and then possibly later adjusts the line, on a sporting event.

Off or Off the Board: If a game is off or off the board, the sportsbook is no longer taking bets on it. This could be because the game has already started, or if there is a major uncertainty as to the weather conditions or an injury to a key player.

Offshore Sportsbook: A sportsbook accessed online over the Internet that offers several betting advantages due to convenience and competitive lines.

Official Line: The line the bookmaker uses for wagering purposes. The line produced in Las Vegas is quite often referred to as the official line, however, the line that the bookmaker offers the player is actually the official line. Many smart players compare the Las Vegas official line to that of their local bookmaker to ensure they get every possible edge.

Online Sportsbook: A sportsbook that can be accessed online, typically located outside the United States (called Offshore). Offshore sportsbooks offer several advantages over local bookies, chief among them convenience and competitive offerings.

Opening Line: The earliest or first line posted for a particular sporting event.

Out: A bookie (bookmaker). Could also refer to an illegal bookmaker.

Outlaw Line: Term for the earliest line in sports betting. This is an overnight line that only a handful of players are allowed to bet into.

Over/Under Bet: Over/Under is a bet on the combined scores or total points scored by both teams in a game.

Overlay: When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the bettor rather than the house.

P

Parlay: A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the parlay is that there are much higher payoffs than placing each individual bet separately since the difficulty of hitting it is much higher. If any of the bets in the parlay loses, the entire parlay loses.

Parlay Cards: A set of sides, totals, and prop bets printed on a card. The numbers on the parlay card apply only to bets on the card and could be different from bets listed on the board. You usually would need to select at least three items if you want to make a bet on a parlay card.

Pick: Any bet recommended by a handicapper.

Pick'em: When neither team is favored. Also called a "pick" in sports betting terms.

Pleaser: A bet on two or more teams where the line on each team is adjusted against the favor of the player but with a higher payout, just like a parlay, all selections must be correct for the pleaser wager to payoff.

Post-up Betting: Betting from an already funded account. Money is deposited into an account first, then bets can be made from the balance. Standard with online sportsbooks. Much less common with barroom bookies. The alternative is Credit Betting.

Point spread: Used to even the odds of a particular sporting event. Each team has points either added to its score, or subtracted from its score, to determine if the bet is a winner.

Power Ratings: Numbers that handicappers assign to teams to estimate how likely one team is to beat the other and/or by how many points.

Press: In sports betting this means to wager a larger amount than usual.

Proposition Bets or Prop Bets: Additional, more exotic betting options on major sporting events, such as which player will score first.

Public Money: Betting action coming from unsophisticated bettors or squares. Public bettors possess no special information, but rather bet based upon information available in newspapers and TV preview shows.

Push: A tie against the spread. On straight bets the result is "no action." All monies are returned as if the bet had never been made. On parlay cards typically the number of teams in the parlay is lowered by one to account for the push.

Puckline: A puckline for sports wagering is giving odds of a goal spread instead of using a Canadian Line in hockey, where both a goal spread and money line are played.

Puppy: The underdog in an event.

Push: When the contest ends with no winner or loser for wagering purposes.

Q

Quinella, and Quinella Box: Horse betting terms referring to the method of betting on a horse race in which the first and second place horses (two or more) are picked to cross the finish line in any order.

R

Revenge Game: A team playing an opponent who beat the team in their previous matchup - thus the team is "revenging" the loss.

Reverse Teaser: A parlay in which the line is moved to the bettor's disadvantage in exchange for a bigger payoff.

Round Robin: A series of parlays. A three-team Round Robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays.

Runner: A messenger player (beard).

Rundown: An update, often verbal, of the schedule of games and their lines.

Runline: The baseball version of betting against the spread. The runline adds 1.5 runs to the underdog (+1.5) or subtracts 1.5 runs from the favorite (-1.5).

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