Betting Education
Glossary Of Sports Betting Terms
Every term you'll hear at the counter or in a write up, defined in plain language.
49 terms shown
A
- Action
- A sports wager of any kind. A bet.
- Added Game
- A game not part of the typical menu of wagering offerings, often posted as an accommodation to patrons.
B
- Bonus Bet
- A bonus bet is a token with a number value, which a customer can attach to a selection to place a bet. The difference between a bet placed with a bonus bet token and a regular bet is that with a bonus bet the stake is not included in the winnings. Bonus bets are only given out per terms and conditions and for specific promotions. Available in select states.
- Book
- An establishment that accepts bets on the outcome of sporting events.
- Buy Points
- A player pays an additional price, meaning he lays more money, to receive a half point or more in his favor on a pointspread game.
C
- Cash Out
- A player can take their open straight bet or parlay bet and cash it out before the event has ended. Availability varies by state.
- Chalk
- The favorite.
- Cover
- Winning by more than the pointspread.
D
- Dime
- A $1,000 sports wager.
- Dog
- The team perceived to be most likely to lose. Short for underdog.
F
- Favorite
- The team considered most likely to win an event.
- First Half Bet
- A bet placed on the score in the first half of the game only.
- Future
- Odds that are posted well in advance on the winner of major events, including the pro football championship, the pro basketball championship and the pro baseball championship.
H
- Halftime Bet
- A bet placed on scoring in the second half of a game only.
- Handle
- The total amount of bets taken.
- Hold
- The percentage the house wins.
J
- Juice
- The bookmaker commission, most commonly the 11 to 10 bettors lay on straight pointspread wagers. Also known as vigorish.
L
- Laying The Points Or Price
- Betting the favorite by giving up points.
- Limit
- The maximum amount accepted by the house before the odds or pointspread are changed.
- Line
- The current odds or pointspread on a particular event.
- Listed Pitchers
- A baseball bet placed only if both of the pitchers scheduled to start a game actually start. If they do not, the bet is deemed no action and refunded.
- Longshot
- A team perceived to be unlikely to win.
M
- Middle
- To win both sides of a game. Wagering on the underdog at one pointspread and the favorite at a different pointspread and winning both sides. For example, if the player bets the underdog at plus 4 and a half and the favorite at minus 3 and a half, and the favorite wins by 4, the player has middled the book and won both bets.
- Money Line
- Odds expressed in terms of money. With money odds, whenever there is a minus sign the player lays that amount to win $100. Where there is a plus sign the player wins that amount for every $100 wagered.
N
- Nickel
- A $500 sports wager.
- No Action
- A wager in which no money is lost or won and the original bet amount is refunded.
O
- Off The Board
- A game in which no bets are being accepted.
- Opening Line
- The earliest line posted for a particular sporting event.
- Over
- A sports bet in which the player wagers that the combined point total of two teams will be more than a specified total.
P
- Parlay
- A single bet that links together two or more wagers. To win the bet, the player must win all the wagers in the parlay. If the player loses one wager, the player loses the entire bet. However, if he wins all the wagers in the parlay, the player wins a higher payoff than if the player had placed the bets separately.
- Pick Or Pick Em
- A game when neither team is favored.
- Point Spread
- The margin of points in which the favored team must win by to cover the spread.
- Price
- The odds or point spread.
- Prop Bet
- A bet that focuses on the outcome of events within a given game. Props are often offered on marquee games of great interest. These include Sunday and Monday night pro football games, various high profile college football games, major college bowl games and playoff and championship games. An example of a prop bet is: Which team will score the first touchdown?
- Push
- When the contest ends with no winner or loser for wagering purposes. A tie for wagering purposes.
R
- Round Robin
- A series of parlays.
- Run Line
- In baseball, a spread used instead of the money line.
S
- Sides
- The two teams playing. The underdog and the favorite.
- Sportsbook
- A physical location that accepts sports bets.
- Straight Bet
- An individual wager on a game or event that will be determined by a pointspread or money line.
- Straight Up
- Winning the game without any regard to the pointspread. A money line bet.
T
- Take The Points
- Betting the underdog and receiving its advantage in the pointspread.
- Take The Price
- Betting the underdog and accepting money odds.
- Teaser
- A type of parlay in which the pointspread or total of each individual play is adjusted. The price of moving the pointspread, called teasing, is lower payoff odds on winning wagers.
- Tie
- A wager in which no money is lost or won because the teams scores were equal to the number of points in the given pointspread.
- Total
- The combined amount of runs, points or goals scored by both teams during the game, including overtime.
U
- Under
- The player bets that the total points scored by two teams will be less than a certain figure.
- Underdog
- The team perceived to be most likely to lose. Also known as the dog.
V
- Vigorish
- The bookmaker commission. Also known as juice.