List of sports betting terms

Below is a list of sports betting and gambling terms:

Accumulator: A cumulative bet where the bettor designates a selection in several races or events and bets on the first one; if he wins, the winnings become his bet on the next; and so on (also see fold bets).

Action: A wager of any kind and the total amount of money being wagered on any game. In baseball betting, this means placing a bet regardless of the listed pitchers.

Across the Board: Where (particularly US horse racing) win, place and show pools are offered, this is a bet of equal stakes on each outcome.

Action: A bet or wager of any kind is deemed Action if valid. Different rules apply in different sports in determining if a bet is action or no action (e.g. baseball bets are action when the game gets beyond 41/2 innings).

Ajax: UK Slang term for Betting Tax.

Also Ran: Any selection not finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th in a race or event.

Ante-Post: Ante-post prices are those on major sporting events, usually prior to the day of the event itself. In return for the chance of better odds, punters risk the fact that stakes are not returned if their selection pulls out.

Any To Come (ATC): Term used to describe when the whole or part of returns from one wager are automatically reinvested on a subsequent bet.

ATS: "Against the Spread". The outcome of using a point spread. Ex. The Ravens were a -7.5 favorite to win and actually won the game by 8. This means they won "against the spread".

Arbitrage: Where a variation in odds available allows a punter to back both sides and guarantee a win.

Bankroll: The total amount of money the bettor plans to gamble with.

Bet: Any wager that is risked on the outcome of any sporting event or any event for that matter.

Blind Bet: A bet made by a racetrack bookmaker to draw other bookmakers' attention away from his sizeable betting on another horse- and thus to avoid a shortening of the odds on the other horse.

Book: A bookmaker's tally of amounts bet on each competitor, and odds necessary to assure him of profit.

Bookmaker: A person or company who accepts bets from the public, usually on racing or sports events (also known as a "bookie").

Buck: A $100 bet.

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

Chalk: A team or player that is favored to win.

Chalk Player: A player who mostly wagers on favored teams and rarely bets on underdogs.

Circled Game: A game where the maximum bet is reduced and cannot be included in parlays or teasers. Betting action is limited due to uncertainties of key injuries, weather conditions or rumors regarding a team.

Client: Purchaser of betting information from horseman or other tipster.

Clocker: Person who times workouts, usually for betting information.

Close: Final odds on a horse (e.g. "closed at 5 to 1"). Confusingly equates to "Starting Price" in the UK.

Cover: To win a bet against the point spread.

Daily Double: A horse racing wager where a player must pick the horses to win in each of two designated races.

Dead Heat: When two horses finish in a tie.

Dime bet: A $1000 wager.

Dog: The team or player predicted to likely lose a game or matchup. The dog always has a + sign on lines and point spreads. Also known as the underdog.

Dog Player: A bettor who usually bets on underdogs.

Dollar Bet: A $100 wager.

Double Action: An "if bet" that is processed if the precedent bet wins, ties or cancels.

Edge: An advantage.

Even Money: A wager on which neither side lays any juice or vigorish. The odds are even for both teams.

Exacta: The first two horses to place in a race.

Exotic Wager: A bet such as first half, second half, futures, run lines or money line wagers.

Exposure: The amount of money the bookmaker will risk losing on a game or race.

Favorite: The team or player expected to win an event. The odds reflect the extent to which the choice is favored.

First Half Wager: A bet placed on only the first half of a game.

Form Player A bettor who makes selections from past-performance records.

Furlong: A unit of distance used in horse racing equal to 1/8 of a mile or 220 yards.

Futures: Odds posted on an event or outcome taking place some time in the future, such as the Super Bowl, World Series, the Stanley Cup and the NBA Championship.

Goliath: A multiple consisting of 247 bets (28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 4-folds, 56 5-folds, 28 6-folds, 8 7-folds and 1 8-fold) involving 8 selections in different events.

Gross Win: The amount of winnings before subtracting the expenses.

Grand Salami: The grand total of goals scored in all hockey games of the day. It can be wagered to go Over or Under the total.

Half Time Bet: A bet placed only on the second half of the game. ( Includes Overtime).

Handicapper: One who handicaps, studies, rates and wagers on sporting events or horse races.

Handicapping: Studying and predicting the outcome of sporting events.

Handle: The total amount of bets taken.

Hedging: Placing a bet on the opposite side in order to cut losses or guarantee a profit from the same previous wager.

Hold: The percentage the house wins.

Hook: A half-point in point spreads.

Hot Game: A game that draws a significant amount of action on one side by professional handicappers.

In the Money: Describes the horses in a race that finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd (and sometimes 4th) or the horses on which money will be paid to bettors, depending on the place terms.

Joint Favourites (jt-fav) When bookmakers cannot separate two horses or teams for favouritism, they are made joint favourites.

Jolly The favourite.

Juice: The bookmaker's commission, also known as vigorish.

Laying points: Betting the favorite by giving up points.

Laying the price: Betting on the favorite by laying money line odds.

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

Lines: The current odds or point spread on any particular sporting event.

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

Listed Pitchers: When betting on baseball, a wager placed that pitchers scheduled to start a game, actually start. If they don't, the bet is voided.

Lock: A sure winner.

Longshot: A team or horse unlikely to win or have a chance at winning. (e.g. 100 to 1)

Middle: To win both sides of the same betting proposition. Betting the favorite team at -2 1/2 with one sportsbook and then taking +3 1/2 with another one. The game ends up with the favorite winning by exactly 3 points, you have then "middle the game". A favorite betting method of "wise guys".

Moneyline: Odds expressed in terms of money. The amount you must bet to win 100 in favorites or the amount you win on underdogs. Whenever there is a (-) minus you lay that amount to win a hundred dollars, where there is a plus (+) you receive that amount for every hundred dollars wagered.

Morning Line: Forecast of probable odds

Move The Line: A player pays an additional price to receive a half-point or more in his favor on a pointspread.

Mutuel Pool: Total amount bet to win, place or show in a race. Also total amount bet on daily double, exacta, quinella, etc...

Nickel: A $500 wager.

Nickel Line: A line where the juice is 5%.

No Action: A bet in which no money is won or lost. A cancelled or voided wager.

Odds: Odds are the bookmaker's view of the chance of a competitor winning (adjusted to include a profit).

Odds-Against: Where the odds are greater than evens (e.g. "5 to 2").

Odds Compiler The person working for the bookmaker who sets the odds following research and his own feelings.

Off the Board: A game on which bets are no longer accepted.

Off-Track: Betting conducted away from the track.

Official Lines: The line that the sports books use for wagering purposes.

Overlay: When the odds of a given propositon are more in favor of the bettor than the house.

Over/Under: The combined scores of both teams competing in a game being wagered on. Betting whether the total score will be over or under the expected posted total.

Pari-Mutuel: A means of gambling on races in which all bets are pooled and winners are paid according to size of pool and the number of other winners. Often shortened in US to mutuel.

Parlay: A single bet including two or more teams in which all teams must win or cover for the bettor to win and receive higher payouts.

Perfecta: In horse racing, a wager in which the player selects the two horses in a race to finish in 1st and 2nd places in exact order.

Pick'em Game: A game which neither team or betting option is the favorite. Also called a "pick".

Place: A horse racing wager in which a horse finishes first or second.

Pleasers: A pleaser is a group of NFL side straight bets combined into one bet.

Pointspread: A form of handicapping in which oddsmakers predict how many points one team needs against another in order to even out the public betting on a particular game.

Press: To bet or wager a larger amount than usual.

Price: The odds or pointspread.

Push: A pointspread that ties or combined scores of the two teams that tie the total.

Proposition Bet: A wager on a particular aspect of a game, such as how many touchdowns will be scored, etc.

Quinella: In horse racing, a wager in which the player selects the two horses in a race to finish in 1st and 2nd places in any order.

Reverse: 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 three or more teams in 2-team parlays.

Run Down: A line update. All the lines for a specific date, sport, time, etc.

Run Line: In baseball, a spread used instead of a moneyline. Usually set at 1½ either way.

Scratch: In horse racing, a horse that has been withdrawn from a race before the start. Wagers on this horse are voided.

Show: A horse racing bet in which you collect if the horse finishes first, second or third.

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

Sided: When one side of a betting proposition wins and opposite side ties.

Single: A bet on a single result or outcome.

Single Action: An "if bet" that is processed only if the precedent bet wins.

Spread: An abbreviated form or another word for a point spread.

Square: Unsophisticated or unknowlegable gambler.

Straight Bet: A bet on one team or player.

Taking the points: Betting on the underdog and taking the advantage in the point spread.

Taking the price: Betting an underdog and accepting money odds.

Teaser: A bet on two or more teams where the line on each team is adjusted in the favor of the bettor by a fixed number of additional points. Like a parlay bet, all selections must be correct for the teaser to win.

Ticket: Any Wager.

Total: The combined number of points scored by both teams during a game, including overtime.

Totals Bet: A bet in which the bettor speculates that the total score of both teams will be more or less than the line posted.

Trifecta: A horse racing bet in which a player selects three horses in one race to finish first, second and third in exact order.

Under: A bet in which the total points scored by two teams will be under a certain amount.

Underdog: The team perceived to likely end up losing. The team given points in a pointspread.

Value: Getting the best available odds on a betting proposition.

Vigorish: The commission paid to the sportsbooks.

Wager: Any bet.

Win: The term used to describe a 1st place finish.

Winning Margin: A bet to predict the winning margin of one team over another.

Wise Guy: A well-informed and knowledgeable handicapper or bettor.

With the Field: Having one horse linked with all the other horses in an event. It can apply to forecasts or in doubles.