Like most sports leagues, sports betting also has its own lingo. For those
uninitiated, gambling jargon can be confusing. Our glossary to sports betting terminology makes familiar phrases,
meanings, and gambling slang simple for any bettor to learn. We'll help you sound like a pro on any online
gambling site.
A
Accumulator:
Similar to a parlay wager. A bettor places simultaneous wagers on two or more games or events,
pressing the winnings from the first onto the second, third, etc. To win this type of bet, all the
individual selections must be won.
Across the Board:
A horse racing bet where win, place, and show outcomes are wagered with equal stakes.
Action:
A bet that is valid and will have a result; in casinos, 'action' refers to the gameplay at tables,
such as blackjack or roulette.
Against the Spread (ATS):
Refers to the outcome of an event/game which takes the point spread into account.
Alternatively, taking points instead of betting with the spread.
Ajax:
A UK term that basically means betting tax. Could be considered like the US term 'vig' or vigorish.
All-In:
In sports betting, this is a wager that includes several events, and all must have action and be
won. Should a game receive no action or be canceled, the wager is refunded. In poker, this refers to a bet
where a player pushes all their chips into play.
Ante-Post:
a bet forecasting the outcome of a future match/event.
Arbitrage:
More of an advanced wagering strategy where a player bets on both sides of a game or event and
has a guaranteed profit due to the difference in odds. This will usually involve placing wagers at different
sportsbooks.
B
Backed:
Another word for a team that has received most of the wagers placed. It could also be considered
the favorite.
Banker:
Refers to the team most expected to win in a series of other wagers which are tied together. As the
strongest wager in a parlay or accumulator, this is the key selection that must win to guarantee any return.
Bar Price:
This could also be considered a 'field' bet. It is the odds quoted for the last specified
selection. For example, 8-1 Bar means every other team or selection has odds of at least 8-1.
Beard:
A US term for someone used by another person to place bets for the identity of the real bettor to
remain hidden.
Beef:
A situation, dispute, or claim involving a player and a bookmaker or other casino employee or dealer.
Money placed on odds over the outcome of a specific activity in a sport.
Bet Limit:
The minimum and maximum amount of money a bettor can wager.
Betting Tax:
This is a tax levied against a bookmaker's turnover, normally seen as a duty imposed on every
pound wagered in the UK. A bettor may either pay the tax with the wager or deduct it from the winnings.
Bettor:
Someone who places a bet or wager (US). In the UK, this is also referred to as a punter.
Book:
The act of quoting odds and accepting bets. Also refers to the accounts handled by a bookmaker and
their tally of amounts wagered on each competitor.
Bookie:
Another shorthand term for the bookmaker.
Bookmaker:
Person licensed to accept wagers on events. May charge and established range of odds on these
events.
Bottle:
UK slang, meaning odds of 2 to 1.
Bridge Jumper:
A US slang term for someone who loves placing large show bets upon odds-on favorites in
horse racing.
Buck:
In the US, a $100 wager. May also be referred to as a 'dollar bet,' or simply a dollar.
Bug:
A Joker card.
Burlington Bertie:
The odds or price of 100 to 30 (10 to 3).
Buy Price:
When placing a wager using a spread or index bet, this is the higher figure quoted. It is the
amount paid by the bettor.
Buy the Rack (US):
A wager which purchases every possible daily double or other combination ticket.
C
Canadian Line:
A combination bet consisting of 26 total wagers with 5 selections in different events, made
up of 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five 4-folds and one 5-fold. Also known as a Super Yankee.
Cap:
When a sportsbook places a limit on the number of rounds of betting.
Carpet:
UK slang for odds of 3 to 1. May also be called Tres or Gimmel.
Century:
Another UK slang term for a 100 wager. A 'Ton.'
Chalk:
The favorite in a wager.
Chalk Player:
Someone who typically wagers on favorites.
Chase:
When a bettor continually makes more wagers to recover their losses.
Circled Game:
A game where the maximum action or bet is limited. This is often due to doubts about key
players, injury questions, bad weather, other rumors going around not yet verified.
Closing Line:
The final list a bookmaker offers prior to game time.
Cold Table:
Refers to a table where players making smart bets are on a losing streak.
Combination Bet:
A selection of any number of teams or horses to finish first and second, in either order.
Correlated Parlay:
A type of wager in which both bets are highly related, to such an extent that if the
first bet wins it greatly increases the chances of the second winning.
Cover:
When a team wins by enough points to ensure a wager victory, they are said to have covered the
spread. The team may also have simply lost the game by less points than the spread suggest they would. To
cover a wager mean the player wins their bet.
Credit Betting:
Wagering with a bookmaker using credit provided.
D
Dead Heat:
Also called a dead hit, when two horses or teams finish in the same exact position. Both win, or
are considered tied for first position.
Deposit Betting:
Betting with money that has been placed or deposited in advance with a bookmaker.
Dime:
Or a dime bet. Also, a $1,000 wager in the US.
Dividend:
Agreed upon payout or return or odds of any established bet.
Dog:
US slang term meaning underdog, or the team not favored to win the game or event.
Dog Player:
US slang term which refers to a player who mainly wagers on underdogs.
Dollar Bet:
A $100 wager.
Double:
This is a twin bet placed on two separate specific events or two parts of the same event. It is a
type of parlay (or accumulator) and requires both events to win. i.e. a two-team parlay.
Double Carpet:
A UK slang term referring to odds of 33 to 1.
Doubling Up:
After a losing bet, when a player increases the amount of their next wager to an amount that
allows them to recoup the lost wager and make an additional profit.
Double or Nothing:
An even money bet that pays exactly the amount wagered.
Down to the Felt:
Term for a bettor that has run out of cash.
Draw:
When teams or competitors finish a game or event evenly. In some sports, this outcome is offered as a
winning, losing, or return of money proposition. In other cases, the return may be divided by the number of
joint winners, reducing the expected payoff.
Drift:
Odds that have become longer, or lengthened, are said to have drifted or to be 'on the drift.'
Dutch:
When a player backs more than one outcome in an event or game. Typically, these wagers are made at
varying stakes or odds to ensure a stable or equal profit regardless of the outcome.
E
Each Way:
This is a UK term for a wager on a team or individual (or horse) to both win and/or place. This
wager is automatically divided in two parts, half and half, but the odds are different for each portion. If
the team or player or horse wins the event outright, you win both wagers, so the potential exists to win
both or just the place wager.
eCOGRA:
Acronym for e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance. eCOGRA is an independent body that
audits online casinos to ensure they offer fair play to bettors.
Edge:
The advantage a bookmaker has on the player.
Eighty-Sixed (86'ed):
Getting banned from a casino.
Encryption:
A security coding feature sportsbooks use to protect gamblers' details online.
Even Money:
An odds bet of 1-1. In other words, a winning wager returns the wager itself, plus an amount
equal to the wager.
Exotic:
Almost any wager that is not a straight bet. This can include a teaser, parlay, or even a
combination type of bet.
Expectation:
The amount a bettor can win on average, depending on a given hand.
F
Favorite:
Generally speaking, the team or individual that has the most money placed on it. The sportsbook
considers this the most likely winner of the event or game.
Field:
This has two meanings; it could refer to all of the players or competitors in an event, or odds
offered on all of the other non-listed players or teams, collectively.
Figure:
The amount of money owed to or by a sportsbook.
Final Four:
The remaining four teams in the NCAA tournament.
First Half Bet:
A wager placed on the first half of a game.
Fixed Game:
An event in which one or more of the players or participants have willfully manipulated (or
attempted to manipulate) the outcome.
Fixed Odds:
A wager in which your odds or dividend are fixed and unchanging, based on the time when your
bet was placed. You are paid what is stated on your ticket, no matter what fluctuations occur later.
Flag:
A wager that includes a total of 23 bets. It is Yankee plus 6 'Single Stakes About' bets in pairs.
Flash (US):
When the odds information changes on the tote board.
Flat Betting:
When a bettor wagers the same amount of money for each hand.
Flea:
A sports bettor who wants to be comped for placing a very small wager. Often considered annoying.
Fold:
May refer to the number of selections in an accumulator or parlay (i.e., a 4-fold means having 4
selections).
Forecast:
This type of wager involves accurately predicting the first and second positions for a given
event and can be a straight, reverse, or permed type of bet (USA, Perfecta or Exacta).
Full Cover:
When a player makes a wager that includes all the doubles, trebles and accumulators for a given
number of selections.
Futures:
A type of bet that is placed to predict a future outcome. Could be used for predicting which team
will win a division or even championship.
G
Getting Down:
Making a bet.
Goliath:
A huge multiple bet that includes 247 total wagers on 8 selections in different events. There are
28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 4-folds, 56 5-folds, 28 6-folds, 8 7-folds and one 8-fold in the Goliath.
Grand:
A 1,000 wager. Also called a Big'un.
Grand Salami:
The over under total of the combined scores of all the hockey games on the board, or schedule
for a given day/night.
Grand Slam:
This is used for the four major tennis or golf tournaments. Tennis has Wimbeldon, Australian
Open, French Open and the US Open. Golf includes the Masters
, British Open, US Open and the PGA Championship. Also, a
Grand Slam is a baseball term for a home run with the bases loaded.
Grid:
A table that displays the possible bets with an online sportsbook.
H
Half Time Bet:
A wager made on the first half of a game.
Half-a-Dollar:
A $50 bet in the US.
Hand:
The cards a player holds in their hands.
Handicap:
The spread of a game or event. Also called the point spread.
Handle:
The total amount of money bet on a particular tournament or group of events.
Hang Cheng:
The Asian equivalent of a point spread.
Hedging:
A type of wager which may be used by a bookie to reduce his losses when receiving a large
imbalance of wagering money on one team. Also called a layoff bet. A player may also hedge by using several
other strategies.
Heinz:
A multiple bet that include 57 wagers through 6 selections in different events. This breaks down
into 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 4-folds, 6 5-folds, and one 6-fold.
Home Field Advantage:
The edge that is normally credited to a team playing at their home park or stadium.
Hook:
A half-point.
Hoops:
Slang term used for the game of basketball.
Hot Game:
A game with a lot of action.
I
IBF:
An abbreviation for the International Boxing Federation.
In and Out Teaser:
When the bettor chooses the favorite, underdog, over, and under of the same game.
In the Red:
The odds-on favorite.
Index Betting:
Simply put, spread betting.
J
Jackpot:
A big cash prize.
Joint Favorites:
When two teams are both considered favorites with the same odds. In this case, the teams
may not be split up.
Jolly:
A bookmaker slang term for favorite (favourite in the UK).
Juice:
The commission charged by the bookmaker, also known as the 'vig' or 'vigorish.'
K
Kite:
A UK slang for a cheque (check).
L
Lay a Bet:
When a bookie accepts a bet, or when a person places a wager on the favorite.
Lay Odds:
To give a bet with odds favorable to the other gambler.
Layer:
Another word for the bookmaker. Also, someone who lays the odds.
A type of odds that refers to the amount wagered to make a $100 profit or the amount that a $100
wager would make. In some cases, the money line can be expressed as per $1.
Morning Odds:
A list or prediction of what the odds be for the following day; usually this comes out very
early in the morning.
Move the Line:
When a bettor pays an extra fee in return an extra half-point or more in their favor on a
point spread game.
a US slang term for a betting line where the juice is 5%.
No Action:
When a wager doesn't win or lose a bettor money.
No Limit:
When a game has no limit on the bet size.
Nosebleed:
Slang used for when stakes are particularly high.
O
Odds:
The line or the chance of a particular team or player winning the game or event. Our
odds guide covers this topic in more detail.
Odds Against:
When the odds are greater than a total of evens (ex. 5 to 2), or when one team in considered
an underdog.
Odds Compiler:
The same as an 'oddsmaker.'
Odds-On:
When the odds are shorter than evens (1 to 1), 4 to 7 for example.
Oddsmaker:
The person who sets the betting line or odds. Generally, this will be someone who works for one
of the major Las Vegas casinos.
Off the Board (US):
A game or event which has been removed from the rotation; no action will be taken.
Off Track:
Wagers made away from the site of the actual event.
On the Nose (US):
A slang term for wagering on a horse to win.
OTB:
An acronym for Off-Track Betting.
Outlaw Line:
This is the earliest line in sports gambling. Only a select few bettors can bet on this
overnight line.
Outsiders:
Contestants or players not expected to win. They are generally offered (if at all, in some
cases) at very long odds.
Over/Under:
a wager in which the player will bet on whether the total number of points scored by the teams
will go over or under the number given.
Overlay:
Generally meaning a good wagering value for the money. When a team or player has a good chance of
victory plus high odds.
P
Parlay:
Also see accumulator. A multiple event in which all the individual
wagers must win for the bet to payoff.
Patent:
A type of multiple bet with 7 wagers involving 3 selections in different events: single wager on
each selection, plus 3 doubles and one treble.
Payoff:
The money a bettor receives after winning.
Payout Percentage:
The amount of money bet that a casino game returns to a player in the form of winnings.
This is usually expressed as a percentage. For instance, a game with a payout percentage of 97% means
theoretically that for every $1 a player bets, 97¢ will be returned to the player. The remaining 3¢ is kept
by the casino as its house edge. Our slots payout percentage guide
covers everything you need to know about this statistic.
Permutations:
All the possible outcomes for the given selections. A way of wagering on every possible
outcome. For example, with three selections, (A, B and C) 'perming' all the doubles means having AB, AC,
and BC as your individual wagers.
Picks:
Wagering or betting selections, perhaps given by an expert.
PK or Pick:
An even money line or evenly matched teams.
Place:
To finish in the top three (most common), four or five in a competitive event. Check specific
sportsbook rules for further details.
Point Spread:
Also, the handicap, or the number of points allocated to the underdog
to level the playing odds with the favorite.
Pot Limit:
A game that has a fixed bet size each round that matches the amount in the pot.
Press a Bet:
To contribute winnings from a previous winning bet onto a new wager.
A game that is tied in relation to the point spread. Typically, this results in the wager being
returned, or dropping that selection from the parlay or combination bet.
Q
Quinella (US):
A wager with the bettor selecting the first and second competitors, regardless of their
finishing order.
R
Re-bet:
Wagering the same amount of money on a bet made in a previous game.
Return:
The total amount of money produced by a (winning) wager. Losing wagers have a negative return.
Rounder:
Also called a Roundabout, this is three wagers made over three different events.
Round Robin:
A bet that involves 10 individual wagers from three selections in different events. Normally,
this will include 3 pairs of 'Single Stakes About,' with 3 doubles and a treble.
Run Down:
All the betting lines for a specific date, time, match, game, etc.
Runline:
A term used in baseball for a spread used instead of a moneyline.
Runner:
A person that places a bet for someone else.
S
Sawdust Joint (US):
Slang term for a lower-class type of casino or gambling center.
Scalper:
Someone who attempts to profit by taking advantage of the differences in odds between different
books; accomplished by placing wagers on both sides of the same game at different odds. See arbitrage.
Score:
In the UK, this means a 20 wager. Also, a US slang term for winning a bet.
Scratch:
A player or horse who pulls out of an event or competition.
Settler:
An expert who works for a bookmaker and calculates all the payouts.
Shoo-In:
A guaranteed winner for an event; might also mean a fixed event.
Shorten:
When the odds of an event are reduced due to heavy betting.
Show:
A third place finish in an event like a horse race.
Shut Out:
When the losing team is held scoreless. Traditionally, this is also when a player is left
standing in line as the betting window closes; they are not able to place a bet due to the time expiring.
Single:
A straight event or a straight-up bet on one selection to win one race or event.
Single States About:
A bet that consists of two wagers on two selections (one single on each selection any
to come 1 single on the other selection reversed).
Six Dollar Combine:
A horse racing wager that involves a two-dollar wager across the board (win, place, and
show).
Smart Money:
Where or how the insider's are putting their money on a particular event or game.
Spot Play:
An almost random manner of selecting bets.
Spread Betting:
When a bet is won or lost according to whether the correct outcome was chosen. Returns and
losses factor into the ultimate victory or defeat.
The Stanley Cup is the championship series and
prize for the NHL.
Steam:
A situation in which betting lines tend to move rapidly. Usually due to increased betting on one
side or the other of an event or game.
Straight (US):
Slang for a bet to win.
Super Bowl:
The Super Bowl is the championship game
played in the NFL.
Super Yankee:
This is a Yankee bet that has 5 selections instead of 4.
Sure Thing:
The team or player that is considered almost a guarantee for winning.
System:
A method of betting which is used by bettors to try and gain an advantage. It is usually
mathematically based.
T
Taking:
When a bet is placed on an underdog. Also called 'taking the points.'
Teaser (US):
A type of wager where several selections are made together, and the spread can be changed in
favor of the wagerer. This will result in reduced odds on each selection, but an overall higher return.
Thick'un:
A large wager.
Tips:
Normally a selection or pick given by an expert; a prediction.
Totals:
A wager placed on whether the total score of both teams will be over or under a particular total.
See over / under.
Tote:
The totalizator system which offers pool betting on racecourses in the UK.
Trebles:
A triple bet or wager on three events. Basically, a form of parlay or accumulator.
Trixie:
A multiple bet which includes 4 bets placed across 3 selections in different events (3 doubles and
1 treble).
True Odds:
The true, or real, odds of an event occurring. The wagering line or odds rarely reflect the true
odds.
Two & Three Balls Betting:
A golfing bet. This involves predicting which player from among a group of two
or three will accomplish the lowest score during a round of 18 holes.
U
Underdog:
The team which is the least favored to win a particular contest or event.
Union Jack:
A type of multiples wager that includes 8 trebles across a total of 9 selections.
V
Value:
Finding the best odds or wagering line on a selection.
Vigorish:
The commission which is paid to, or charged by, the bookmaker.
Vs:
Versus, or against.
W
WBA:
World Boxing Association.
WBC:
World Boxing Council.
Wager:
A bet.
Welch:
Failure to pay a gambling bet or debt.
Win:
The victor of a sporting event, game, or contest. Also, first position in a horse race.
Win Only:
A wager on a particular team or competitor to simply win an event. Also called money line or
straight-up wagering.
Winning Margin:
A type of wager that predicts by how much a certain team or competitor will defeat the
other team or remainder of the field.
Wise Guy:
A very knowledgeable handicapper, punter, or bettor.
WNBA:
Women's National Basketball Association.
World Series:
The championship best of 7-game series of Major League Baseball.
Y
Yankee:
Used to describe a multiples bet that consists of four selections. These wagers are combined into
six doubles, four trebles, and one fourfold, for a total of 11 bets.