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Published: 05.05.2024

What are sports betting terms

A handy glossary of the most commonly used sports betting terms can improve your wagering experience. Your guide to the most common sports betting terms, with examples · Action – A bet or wager. · Against the Spread – The result of a game that. Graded Bet: A wager that bookmakers officially mark as a winner, a loser, or a push, once a competition has ended. Winnings, or push refunds. An alphabetical listing of sports betting terms with definitions, including favorites, against the spread, over/under, totals, underdogs. Prop Bet – A bet on something other than the outcome of a game. Common prop bets include an over/under on points scored, passing yards, or.
Photo: what are sports betting terms

1 = home win, X = draw, 2 = away win. Bet Types. There are many different types of horse racing bets that. Flat Betting – Simply put, this is a betting system where all wagers are the same. A bettor doesn't change the wager amount based on wins, losses, or any other. This sports betting what are sports betting terms is often used interchangeably with point spreading, as it allows you to attribute a goals or points disadvantage or a. American sports betting odds, those used by BetMGM, are displayed as plus or minus odds, e.g., + or Plus odds represent the amount you'd win on a $

Sports Betting Terms Explained

Sports betting is a thrilling world that requires a good understanding of its terminology. To navigate this realm successfully, one must familiarize themselves with key terms. Here, we break down some of the essential phrases every aspiring sports bettor needs to know.

Key Terminology

Term Definition
1. Point Spread The predicted margin by which the favorite team is expected to win. Bettors can place bets on whether a team will win by more or fewer points than the spread.
2. Moneyline A straightforward bet where one chooses the team they believe will win the game. The odds determine the potential payout based on the probability of the team winning.
3. Over/Under (Totals) This bet focuses on the combined score of both teams. The bettor predicts whether the total points scored in the game will be over or under a specified number set by oddsmakers.
4. Parlay A combination of multiple bets on a single ticket. To win a parlay, all individual bets within it must be correct. While riskier, parlays offer higher payouts.

In Closing

Understanding sports betting terms is crucial for anyone looking to engage in this exciting activity. By mastering these key terms, one can make more informed decisions and enhance their overall betting experience.

Sports Betting Terms, Glossary

What is the lingo for sports betting? Live betting -- Another term for in-game wagering. Lock -- A guaranteed win in the eyes of the person who made the wager. Money line -- A bet in which the point spread is replaced by odds, so a favorite needs only to win the game, while an underdog must win it outright.

What is slang for $1000? grand. The word grand is used in US and UK slang to mean a thousand dollars or a thousand pounds. There are several theories where this term came from, including the possibility that it refers to $1,000 being a grand (“large”) sum of money.

What are things gamblers say? Here is our list of the 15 most common gambling idioms and phrases you need to make sense out of the chatter.

  • “Ace in the hole” ...
  • “All bets are off” ...
  • “Bet/betting the farm” ...
  • “Down to the wire” ...
  • “Hit the jackpot” ...
  • “In the cards” ...
  • “Luck of the draw” ...
  • “No dice”

What is a bad gambler called? Compulsive gamblers — or pathological gamblers — have a severe addiction. They cannot resist the urge to gamble, no matter the consequences, and often experience uncontrollable cravings to continue the activity.

Sports Betting Terms: Gambling 101 Glossary

Same-game parlay -- A specific type of parlay in which bettors can string together multiple types of bets from the same game. For example, a person could bet on the spread, total and player props. It can be a result of a group of bettors all getting their bets in at the same time. It can also occur when a respected handicapper recommends a bet to their followers, or when people react to news such as a key injury or a change in weather.

Teaser -- A bet that adjusts the point spread in the bettor's favor in exchange for having to pick multiple winners to win the wager. The odds are less favorable than on a parlay. For example, in a football game, if the total is 41 points, bettors can bet "over" or "under" on that perceived total.

You can either bet that the team will lose by less than the predicted amount ATS , or get better than even-money odds that it will win the game outright. Some bettors scale up to multiple units when highly confident about a wager or scale down to a fraction of a unit when especially cautious. Win total -- A futures line on a team finishing the season with more or fewer than a certain number of victories.

Skip to main content Skip to navigation. How to talk like a sports bettor: a guide to betting terminology. White's 42 lifts Bulls to play-in rematch with Heat. Atlanta Hawks. Outplayed at half, Sixers get 'nasty' to seal 7-seed. Miami Heat. Matthews blanked in finale as quest for 70 denied. Tampa Bay Lightning. What are sports betting terms Klay on Dubs' vote of confidence: 'It means a lot'.

Golden State Warriors. Olsen, nation's No. Iowa Hawkeyes. Sark: Considered Alabama for 'about 60 seconds'. Texas Longhorns. Philadelphia 76ers. Many sportsbooks offer several teaser options, and the juice is often higher on teasers than most other bets. Against the Spread ATS : Making a bet against the points spread where you are either taking the favorite laying points or taking the underdog taking points.

Bad Beat: When a bet looks like a winner, but a low-probability outcome turns into a losing wager. Bankroll: The total amount of money you have to bet with. Bankroll Management: Managing your bankroll in smart, structured ways. Photo: what are sports betting terms Buying Points: Paying a fee to adjust a line. For instance, if you want to bet on a Confidence Pools: A variant of a winner pool where you still pick the winner of each game in the pool.

However, you order those selections, so each has a different value. Cover: A bet wins when the spread is covered. For example, if a team is a 3-point favorite and wins by four points, they cover. Draw: Another word for a push. For example, if a team is a 3-point favorite and wins by three, bets on the favorite and the underdog end in a draw, meaning there is no winner. In these instances, bets on both sides are refunded.

Edge: Having an advantage on a bet. An example of having an edge on a bet would be if injury news breaks on a starting quarterback that casts doubt on their ability to play. For example, using the Jets vs. According to your model, betting on Baltimore as a Favorite: The side of a contest favored to win.

Favorites are priced with a negative number, such as -3 against the spread or on the money line. Field: In some prop or futures bets, a field bet accumulates all the unlisted options for that given bet. In that scenario, a sportsbook may offer a Buffalo vs. A field bet in this scenario would be betting on the rest of the AFC.

Future: Bets that are made weeks in advance of a future event. Examples of futures bets are betting on who will win their division or the Super Bowl before the season starts. Handle: The amount of money a sportsbook takes on a given event.

Handicapping: The process of predicting outcomes of teams and players in sports. Hedging: Placing a bet on the other side of your original bet to mitigate loss or guarantee a profit. That would guarantee a profit regardless of which team covers on Sunday Night Football. Hook: The extra half-point on the spread or total bets. A line with a hook means one side will win, and there will be no push.

On opening day, the Washington Commanders are The half-point in that line is the hook. Juice: A sportsbook fee or cut for a given bet, also called the vig or vigorish. Key Numbers: In spread betting, key numbers are the most common margins that games end in. In the NFL, three and seven points are the two primary key numbers.

Six, 10 and 14 are the other five most common winning margins in the sport. Laying the Points: When you bet on a favorite, you lay the points. Accumulator: A parlay bet in North America, accumulator wagers consist of two or more selections and each side must win or push to create a winning ticket. Action: Any live wagering option or the total amount wagered on a specific event.

Bookmakers accept action on all posted betting odds. Across the board: Three horse racing bets that cover a horse to win, place and show. Added game: Appear on betting boards after main lists are posted. What is the best sport to bet on They are common in college football and mainly appear due to public demand. An added game may also be a postponed match, like a rainout in baseball, from the previous day.

AET odds: After extra time AET odds are posted primarily on soccer matches when extra time is added at the end of regulation time due to in-game stoppages. AET odds are offered as live betting options. Alternate lines : Odds that are higher or lower than the main posted line. Common with point spread and game total betting in basketball and football.

American moneylines posted at are the same as 1. Ante-post: Futures odds on horse and greyhound races that are posted at least one day prior to a race. Ante-post odds are common on Triple Crown races like the Kentucky Derby. Arbitrage: Often shortened to ARB, arbitrage wagering is a betting style where all possible outcomes of a single game are covered.

ARB betting options are rare and arise when sportsbooks have varying opinions on the proper odds for a match. Asian handicap: Most common in soccer, Asian handicap odds start at 0. Bettors may have a choice between Las Vegas as a Australian Open: First of four women's and men's Grand Slam tennis tournaments that are played over two weeks in mid-January.

If Baltimore is up , as a point favorite, Cleveland bettors earn a backdoor cover if the Browns score a late touchdown to make the final score in favor of the Ravens. Bad Beat: Players experience a bad beat when a wager is on the verge of winning but then becomes a losing ticket. A bad beat will often occur when points are scored late in a match.

Players who bet on game totals, point spreads and money lines will experience a bad beat from time to time. Bankroll : Money set aside, or deposited into an account, that is used for betting. Bankroll Management : Much like managing a personal bank account, bettors should practice proper bankroll management. Setting wagering limits, shopping for the best odds value, plus only wagering what one can afford to lose, are keys to properly managing a sports betting budget.

Beard: A bet runner who places wagers for professional bettors so they can conceal their identity from bookmakers. Belmont Stakes: Third jewel in the Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing. Bet: Any wager involving money wagered at a sportsbook, casino, racebook or poker room. An exchange posts bets with two sides and the betting option remains listed until both sides are bet on.

Betting exchanges profit by taking a small commission juice from winning tickets. Betting strategy: Various plans that bettors use to get a leg-up on bookmakers. Primary betting strategies should include proper bankroll management and performing extensive research prior to placing wagers.

Bookmaker: A licensed individual who sets daily betting odds and accepts bets. What are sports betting terms Also known as a linemaker. The series is run at a variety of race tracks. Buy points : Bettors can buy points, using alternate point spreads and game totals, to gain a more favorable line. Juice attached to the odds increases with each point purchased. Chalk: Another term for favorite. Los Angeles is the chalk side if the Lakers are a -3 point favorite over the Houston Rockets.

Circled game: Matches that have set betting maximums, which are capped at low amounts. Games are usually circled when bookmakers face unknowns such as player injuries, weather or rumors that surface prior to a match. Opening odds and prop options are often circled as well. Closing line: The final betting odds posted prior to the start of a competition.

Co-favorite: Two or more sides with identical odds to win. Common with futures odds, bookmakers may post co-favorites to win the NBA Finals championship. Combine: A series of fitness tests that help scouts from professional teams evaluate amateur athletes. Commission: Another term for vigorish and juice, commission is the bookmakers take on any bet.

It is also the amount a betting exchange takes from winning wagers. Correct score: Bettors are offered a list of possible final scores on a match. In soccer, players can bet on a match ending as low as or as high as plus all scores in between. The most likely result is the favorite and the least likely result is the underdog.

New England winning over Miami means the Patriots would cover a point spread. Dog: Short for underdog, a dog is perceived as the least likely side to win and is tagged with plus pricing. Bettors often double their bet when they feel one side is vastly superior to another. Double result: A single betting option that combines the score of a game at halftime and the score at the end of the same game.

Double-header: Two games that are played back-to-back on the same day. Most common in baseball, a double-header will often take place if a game from the previous day was rained out. Draw: Any contest where the final score ends in a tie. In most instances, a draw is graded as a PUSH and original bet amounts are returned.

Drift: Betting odds that grow longer after the opening line is posted. Each-way: Common in horse racing, each-way betting takes a single amount and splits it on a horse to finish first or second. Both bets pay if the horse finishes first while just one bet pays if the horse finishes second.

The return on a first place win is always higher than the return on a second place win. Edge: Gaining an advantage through extensive research or having insights that are not publicly known. Even money: Odds that return the exact amount of the original bet. Exotic Bet: Betting options beyond point spreads, moneylines and game totals. Proposition bets, specials and parlays are the most common types of exotic bets.

Exposure: Amount of money a bettor or bookmaker stands to lose on any given wager. Favorite: Any side priced with a negative number. Two Final Four games are played prior to the National Championship game. First half bet: A wager that focused on the result of the first half in sports like basketball, soccer and football. The most popular first half betting odds are spread, moneyline and game total options.

A variety of team and player props are also offered as first half bets. Fixed odds : When a wager is placed, and a bookmaker accepts it, the line becomes fixed odds. Also a term for moneyline odds. French Open : Second of four women's and men's Grand Slam tennis tournaments that are played over two weeks in late May and early June. Futures bet : A wager placed on an event that will take place in the near or distant future.

Futures are also offered in soccer, major horse races, plus golf and tennis tournaments. If a baseball game total is set at 7. Graded Bet: A wager that bookmakers officially mark as a winner, a loser, or a push, once a competition has ended. Winnings, or push refunds, are paid out after a bet has been graded.

If there are seven games on the NFL schedule, the line may be set at