Sports Wagering Glossary

A

ACCOUNTANT: Bookmaker.

ACCUMULATOR: (Also, PARLAY) Making simultaneous selections on two or more games with the intent of pressing the winnings of the first win onto the bet of the following game selected, and so on. All the selections made must win for you to win the accumulator.

ACROSS THE BOARD: Taking one team in all of your bets or taking every team available.

ACTION: 

1. 1) A bet or wager of any kind is deemed Action if valid.
2. 2) In baseball, action means the bet is live even if there is a pitching change.
3. 3) For an If Bet, action means the wager continues on to the subsequent component if the precedent bet is a win, tie, no action or if the game is cancelled.

ADDED GAME: A game which is not part of Las Vegas’ regular rotation and is posted as an accommodation to customers.

AFC: American Football Conference (NFL)

AGAINST THE SPREAD (ATS): One of two ways of betting sides. Points are subtracted from the favorite or added to the underdog when the actual game is finished. The new score is then used to determine the outcome for wagering purposes. More specifically, ATS is when a wager is placed on the underdog, thus taking the points rather than taking the favorite and giving up, or laying, points.

AL: American League (MLB)

ALCS: American League Championship Series (MLB)

ALL-IN: With all-in betting there are no refunds given for scratched or withdrawn competitors or teams in an event where a bet is placed. Should an event be cancelled then the amount bet will be refunded.

ALL UP: See ACCUMULATOR.

ALPO: Underdog.

ANGLE: Using information from specific situations in past games in order to predict the outcome of future games.

ANTE POST: See FUTURES.

ARBITRAGE: Hedging a wager on one team by taking advantage of an offsetting line on the other team at another book. This leaves the bettor with a low but usually no-risk payout on the game.

ATS: See AGAINST THE SPREAD. 

B

BACK DOOR COVER: When a team usually out of the game scores meaningless points to cover the spread; a matador.

BACKED: A team on which many bets have been placed.

BAD BEAT: A rough, unexpected, undeserved loss.

BALANCED (ACTION): When the amount of wagers on both sides of an event is even and a bookie does not have to move lines, he can just collect the juice.

BANKER: Highly expected to win. The strongest in a multiple selection in a parlay or accumulator. In permutation bets the banker is a selection that must win to guarantee any returns.

BANKROLL: The funds you have available for wagering.

BEARD: One who places bets for another, usually to disguise the identity of someone the book has banned from doing business with them. Beards are also used, however, by bookmakers and persons in sensitive positions, like policemen or sports players, in order to conceal the identity of the person placing the bet.

BET:

1. A wager or action.
2. To risk something on the outcome of a game.

BET LIMIT: The maximum amount that can be placed on a particular event. Often books, after accepting the bet limit from a client, will adjust the lines in the books’ favor and allow the client to then exceed the limit.

BETTOR: Someone who places or has a bet. A 'Punter' in the UK.

BM: Bookmaker.

BOARD: List of available bets.

BOOK: A person or company that accepts wagers.

BOOKIE: The person who takes the bets from clients.

BOOKMAKER: A person or company that accepts bets against the lines created by linesmakers or oddsmakers; a book.

BOW-WOW: Underdog.

BR: Bankroll.

BRIDGE JUMPER: Someone who specializes in large show bets on odds-on favorites.

BUCK: $100

BUY (POINTS): A player pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a pointspread game.

BUY THE RACK: Purchase every possible daily-double or other combination ticket. 

CANADIAN LINE: A combination Pointspread and Moneyline in hockey.

CHALK: The favorite to win the event.

CHALK PLAYER: Someone who usually only plays the favored teams, rarely betting on the underdogs.

CHERRY PICK: Wagering only on games where a big edge is perceived on the part of the bettor.

CIRCLED GAME: A game with lower than usual betting limits; usually due to injury, inclement weather conditions, or other uncertainty that creates atypical predictive circumstances.

CLOSING LINE: The final list of point spreads offered before game time.

CONCACAF: Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football.

COVER: To win a Pointspread wager by the requisite number of points. To do so is ‘to cover.’

D

DATA MINING: To sift through the data or statistics from previous games looking for an angle to play in the future.

DIME: $1000

DIME LINE: A 10-cent line offered by player-friendly books on baseball in place of the otherwise standard 20-cent line, giving the player an extra $10 on every underdog winning wager.

DIVIDEND: The agreed payout or return on any wager.

DOG: Underdog. The team not favored to win straight up. You will know the underdog as it will have a positive sign or no sign at all in front of the odds given for that team.

DOG PLAYER: One who bets mostly on dogs.

DOLLAR: $100

DOUBLE ACTION: An If Bet that continues if the preceding wager is a win, push (tie), no action, or cancelled.

DOUBLE BET: To ‘Double Pop’ or ‘Double Up’ by placing a wager twice the size of one’s usual wager amount.

DOUBLE HEADER: Two separate games played by the same teams on the same day.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING: An even-money bet; a bet that pays off exactly the amount wagered.

 E

EARLY LINE: The first line posted for a game.

EARN: Percentage hold.

EDGE: An advantage, real or perceived, when it comes to a wager.

EVEN MONEY: A wager that is dollar for dollar, with no juice or vigorish.

EXOTIC: Any wager other than a straight bet or, arguably, parlays. Exotics include Round Robins, Propositions and Teasers, among others.

EXPOSURE: The maximum amount of money a sportsbook stands to lose on a game. 

F

FA CUP: Football Association Challenge Cup. It is the main "knockout" cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and is the oldest football competition in the world, commencing in 1872.

FADE: To bet against.

FAVORITE: The team expected to win. The attached odds show the level of expectation.

FIELD:

1. All of the individual competitors in an event.
2. The group of the entrants whose odds are not individually listed to win an event, usually long shots. They are grouped together so that a bettor wins his field bet if any of the long shots win. Events with a large number of entrants, like golf or NASCAR, most often offer field betting.

FIFA: Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

FIFTY CENTS: $50

FIGURE: What you won or lost last week or the amount in you account; or, an amount owed to or by a bookmaker.

FINAL FOUR: The last four teams playing in the annual March Madness NCAA basketball national championship tournament.

FIRST HALF: The first half of a game. Some games, like baseball and hockey do not have a first or second half as they are divided into different increments such as 9 innings or 3 periods, respectively.

FIRST HALF BET: (1H) A wager on only the first half of a game.

FIXED GAME: A game in which one or more participants willfully manipulate the final outcome of a game.

FLASH: A change of odds information on the tote board.

FORUM: Online discussion board.

FOUR MAJORS: Golf's most prestigious events: the Masters, the US Open, PGA (Professional Golf Association) in the US and the British Open.

FRONT RUNNER: One who follows betting lines on a computer, betting in the same direction of line moves. If a he bets quickly, he can get the better number at a slow sportsbook.

FUTURES: Bets placed, or odds posted, on the outcome of a future event. Futures are usually on major events such as the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup or Kentucky Derby. In return for the chance of better odds, punters risk the fact that stakes are not returned if their selection pulls out or is cancelled. 

G

GAMBLE: To risk something, usually money, on the outcome of a game.

GETTING DOWN: Making a wager or bet.

GRAND SALAMI: The grand total of goals scored in all the hockey games of the day. It can be wagered to go Over/Under.

GRAND SLAM:

1. The four most important tournaments in tennis: the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon.
2. The four major golf tournaments: The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship (Professional Golf Association).
3. In baseball, a homerun with the bases loaded, scoring four runs. 

H

HALF-A-DOLLAR: $50

HALF TIME BET: (2H) A bet placed only on the second half of the game (overtime included).

HANDICAP: (Point)Spread.

HANDICAPPER: One who studies, rates and often wagers on sporting events and/or races, often selling their expertise.

HANDICAPPING: Predicting the outcome of an event/contest.

HANDLE: The total amount of money taken by a book as wagers on an event.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: A bet on the results between 2 or more participants in an event, such as golf or NASCAR, where the wagers are decided not by the outcome of the event but by who does better between the players in the wager.

HEDGE: Placing wagers on both sides of an event in order to arbitrage, which is to cut losses or guarantee winning at least a minimal amount of money on the event.

HOLD: The percentage the house wins.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Edge the home team is expected to have as a result of familiarity with the playing area, favorable demographics and effect of travel on the visiting team.

HOME TEAM: The team playing in its own town.

HOOK: A half point in a Pointspread.

HOOPS: Basketball

HOT GAME: A game which is drawing a lot of action on one side by knowledgeable handicappers.

HOT TIP: Information that should affect the outcome of an event and that the bookie is not yet aware of.

HOUSE: See BOOK.

I

IBF: International Boxing Federation

IF BET: A selection of straight wagers on the same ticket where each leg of the wager is conditional on the outcome of the previous play on the ticket.

IN & OUT TEASER: In and Out Teaser (See also "Teaser" below) - An "in and out teaser" is when the player picks the favorite, underdog, over and under of the same game. For example: Washington +3 1/2, Philly -3 1/2. An in and out teaser would have a player take both Washington and Philly, and tease both, to increase the odds of winning the wager. So, if you teased both teams by 7 points, you would have: Washington +10 1/2, Philly +3 1/2. So long as the spread is covered, your wager will be a win.

INDEX BETTING: Spread betting.

IN THE RED: Odds on. 

J

JUICE: The commission, or vigorish, earned by the bookie on losing wagers.

K

KEY NUMBERS: Numbers that arise often in sports and affect wagering outcomes more than most other numbers, such as a 3 in football because almost 20% of all NFL games end with a 3-point differential.

L

LAYING ODDS: “Laying Odds” means that you are wagering more money than you will win if your wager comes through. In such an instance a bettor believes himself to have a better than 50% chance of winning his bet.

LAYING POINTS: Betting on the Pointspread favorite by giving up points.

LAYING THE PRICE: Laying Odds.

LENGTHEN: The opposite of 'Shorten'. Referred to odds getting longer, that is, more attractive to the bettor.

LIMIT: The maximum amount a bookmaker will allow you to bet before he changes the odds and/or the points.

LINE: The odds or point spread on a particular event for wagering purposes.

LINEMAKER: One who establishes the odds on an event.

LINE QUALITY: A line may be normal, circled or sharp. A line would be circled due to injuries, weather or any other factor that causes the bookmaker to think the line may move drastically. Circled lines or circled games have restrictions on the maximum bet that will be accepted. A line would be sharp if the bookmaker expects the line to remain unchanged and there to be lots of wagering on that event. Sharp lines or sharp games have higher betting limits.

LISTED PITCHERS: A baseball wager that is only placed if the pitchers you have selected as needing to start the game actually throw the first pitches in the game. If the pitcher(s) selected do not start, the wager is graded as No Action.

LOCK: What seems like a guaranteed winner.

LONG ODDS: Longshot, usually 10:1 odds or greater.

LONGSHOT: A team or horse perceived to be unlikely to win.

LPGA: Ladies Professional Golf Association. 

M

MARCH MADNESS: The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.

MARGIN: The amount a competitor in an event finishes in front of another competitor.

MATADOR: See BACK DOOR COVER.

MIDDLE: To win both sides of the same betting proposition; betting the favorite team at -1.5 with one bookmaker and then taking +3.5 with another bookmaker; the game ends up with the favorite winning by exactly 3 points, you have then "middled the game"; a favorite betting method of "Wise Guys".

MIDDLER: A player that bets both sides of the game.

MLB: Major League Baseball

MLS: Major League Soccer

MONEY LINE: Odds expressed in terms of money. With money odds, whenever there is a minus (-), you must lay that amount to win $100, where there is a plus (+), you get that amount for every $100 wagered.

MOVE THE LINE: See BUY (POINTS).

MVP: Most valuable player. 

N

NASCAR: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing

NBA: National Basketball Association

NCAA: National Collegiate Athletic Association

NEUTRAL SITE: Arena, court or field where neither side has a home field advantage.

NFC: National Football Conference.

NFL: National Football League

NHL: National Hockey League

NICKEL: $500

NICKEL LINE: Wagering line where the juice is 5%.

NIT: National Invitational Tournament.

NL: National League (MLB).

NLCS: National League Championship Series.

NO ACTION: A wager where no money is won or lost. 

O

ODDS: The chance, according to a bookmaker, of an outcome occurring.

ODDSMAKER: A person who sets the betting odds and sells them to media outlets without taking action on them.

OFFSHORE: Book that is located or based in a foreign country and not subject to tax or other laws that would normally affect a business and that do almost all of their business via the internet.

OFF THE BOARD: Game or event on which the book will accept no action.

OFFSIDE: When action on an event is not balanced and the outcome could lead to a loss for the book.

ONE DOLLAR: $100

OPENING LINE: The earliest line posted for a particular sporting event.

OUTSIDERS: Competitors not expected to win. Sometimes offered as longshots.

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

OVERTIME (OT): Extension to a tied contest at the end of regulation play that lasts until a winner is determined or maximum overtime periods expire.

OVER/UNDER: (Also, TOTAL) A bet on whether the total points or goals scored by the two teams will be over or under a specified number. 

P

PARLAY:

1. A sport bet with two or more teams in which all teams must win or cover for the bettor to be successful and receive higher payouts.
2. A wager on two or more horse races in which the winnings are carried over to the next race.

PAST POST: Action placed after the start of the event.

PGA: Professional Golfers Association.

PICK, PICK ‘EM or PK: An event where there is no favorite. Evenly matched teams. The money line for a pick is usually not shown and is always set at the standard line for the book for that sport.

PLAYER: Bettor, punter or gambler.

POINT SPREAD: The handicap - points given to an underdog or taken away from a favorite - in order to balance perceived inequalities between the underdog and the favorite. It evens the odds of winning the event once the spread is taken into account in the final score.

POSTPONED: The cancellation and rescheduling of an event for another date for any reason.

PRESS: To wager a larger than usual amount.

PRICE: The odds, line and/or pointspread.

PROPOSITION (PROP) BET: a special line offered by the sports book on unique and various topics. These wagers can be on sporting events, politics, pregnancies, pretty much anything, really. The wagers use the money line format of pay off odds and might included who scores the first touchdown in the super bowl, who will win the next presidential election, or who will Jennifer Aniston marry next.

PUCKS: Hockey.

PUCKLINE: Odds of a goal spread instead of using a Canadian Line in hockey, where both a goal spread and money line are played.

PUPPY: Underdog.

PUNTER: Bettor, player or gambler.

PUSH: For wagering purposes, a tie for whatever reason. 

R

RAINED OUT: Cancelled due to inclement weather conditions.

REFEREE: A person who has authority to make decisions about play in a sport. Officials in some sports are known by a variety of other titles, including umpire, judge or linesman.

RETURN: Total winnings on a bet.

REVERSE:

1. A type of parlay wherein every possible 2-team combination is made into 2-team If Bets, within a set of teams, then those combinations are reversed.
2. In horse racing, to ask for a second exacta wager which specifies two horses in reverse order of the first exacta wager.

ROUND ROBIN: A series of parlays wherein 3 or more teams are combined to make sets of parlays, the variables of which are limited by the book. For example, a 4-team Round Robin wager could consist of either six 2-team parlays or four 3-team parlays. Most books do not allow more than 3-team parlays in Round Robins and the number of teams allowed in a Round Robin are limited as well.

RUN DOWN: The lines for a specific date, time, sport, etc.

RUN LINE: A combination Pointspread and Moneyline in baseball.

RUNNER: See BEARD.

RYDER CUP: A golf tournament involving various matchplay matches in which every two years the top American and European golfers meet at venues alternating between the two continents. It was first competed for in 1927 and, until 1973, when Ireland was included, involved only the US and Great Britain. In 1979 it was expanded to include Europe. 

S

SCORE:

1. Win a lot of money.
2. To gain (1 or more points) in a game or contest.
3. A usually numerical record of a competitive event.

SCOUT:

1. One who waits for what he perceives to be an especially strong wager; sport player.
2. One who studies team plays and/or practices and reports findings to handicappers.

SCRATCH: Withdraw; cancel.

SHARP: Wise guy; professional gambler.

SHORTEN: The opposite of 'Lengthen'. Referred to odds getting shorter, that is, less attractive to the bettor.

SHUTOUT: When a team fails to score during a game or contest.

SIDE: To win one side and tie the other. For example, if you lay -2 1/2 and take 3 on the same game and the favorite wins by 3 you have SIDED the book.

SIDES: The names of the two teams playing; the underdog and the favorite.

SINGLE: A Straight bet on one selection to win one race or event, also known as a straight-up bet.

SINGLE ACTION: An "if bet" in sports gambling that is processed only if the precedent bet wins.

SPORT PLAYER: A person who waits for what he thinks is an unusually strong wager.

SPORTSBOOK: The person, shop or website who accepts bets.

SPREAD:

1. The predicted scoring differential between two opponents as quoted by a sports book.
2. See POINTSPREAD.

STANLEY CUP: Best-of-seven series between the Eastern and Western conference champions in the NHL to determine the NHL Champion.

STANDARD LINE: The line at which a money line, attached or otherwise, is set and is presumed to be at if not shown for a game or a spread. Some books have a 20-cent standard line while some player-friendly books, for some sports, offer a dime line as the standard.

STATISTICS (STATS): The collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data such as number of assists, goals, yards gained, etc., often in an attempt to find an edge.

STORE: A bookie or sportsbook.

STRAIGHT BET: one wager on the outcome of a single event or game as determined by a known set of odds.

STRIPES: Referees; officials.

SUPER BOWL: One football game for the NFL Championship played between the winners of the American and National Football Conferences.

SYSTEM: A method of betting, usually mathematically based, used by a bettor to try to get an advantage by looking for trends from past games in order to more accurately predict the outcome of future games.

 T

TAKING (POINTS): Betting on the underdog and taking the odds or points.

TEASER: A bet involving two or more outcomes in a single wager wherein you adjust the Pointspread in your favor in return for reduced odds.

10-CENT LINE: See DIME LINE.

THEORETICAL HOLD PERCENTAGE:The edge the bookmaker would have if the odds guaranteed him a constant commission regardless of the outcome.

THE SHORT: Underdog.

THREE BALLS BETTING: See TWO & THREE BALLS BETTING.

TICKET: A bet; wager.

TIE: A bet in which no money is lost nor won because the teams' scores were equal to the number of points in the given line.

TIP: Selections and predictions of competitors’ performances for an event from an expert or observer for wagering purposes.

TOSS UP: A game where the teams are very close to even and the lines may as well be even; a pick ‘em.

TOTAL(S):

1. Total combined point/runs/goals scored in a game.
2. In baseball, if either of the two listed starting pitchers does not go, the bet is automatically cancelled.
3. A bet on whether the total points or goals scored by the two teams will be over or under a specified number.

TOUT: One who sells their claimed expertise in sports or horse wagers.

TRENDS: Using the past to predict the future focusing in on only one team.

TRUE ODDS: The real odds of something happening as opposed to what bookies offer.

TWO & THREE BALLS BETTING: A golfing bet that involves predicting which player from either a group of two or three will shoot the lowest score over 18 holes. Usually found under the Golf Props section. 

U

UEFA: Union of European Football Associations

UNDER: A sports bet in which the bettor guesses that the total points scored by two teams will be under a certain figure.

UNDERDOG:

1. The team perceived to be most likely to lose. Also known as the “DOG.”
2. The team that receives a point start in a handicap.

UNDERLAY: When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the house.

UNIFORMS: Referees; officials.

V

VALUE:

1. Getting the best odds on a betting proposition; the highest possible edge.
2. An Overlay.

VIGORISH: See JUICE.

VS: Versus; against. 

W

WAGER: To risk something on the outcome of an event.

WBA: World Boxing Association.

WBC: World Boxing Council.

WIN ONLY: Betting on a competitor to win an event. Also known as 'Straight Out' or 'Money Line' betting.

WISE GUY: A well-informed or knowledgeable handicapper or bettor.

WNBA: Women's National Basketball Association

WOOD: Laying points.

X

X-FACTOR: An unknown or intangible that could affect the outcome of a game but can’t be measured by the senses. Could be a newborn in the family, a death or the effect of crowd noise on adrenaline. 

Z

ZEBRA: Referee; official.