Sports Betting Dictionary
20 cent line – In money
line contests, a twenty cent difference in the money lines between the favorite
and the underdog.
Action - Any wager; The
total amount bet, either from the bettor's point of view or that of the house.
In baseball, placing a bet regardless who pitches.
Added Game - a game not
part of Las Vegas regular rotation posted as an accommodation to customers.
ATS - "Against the spread,"
taking points rather than betting with the spread and laying points.
Beard - a friend or
acquaintance who is used to place bets as to conceal the true identity of the
real bettor.
Bet – Any wager.
Book - an establishment
that accepts bets on the outcome of horse racing and sporting events.
Bookie - a person who
accepts bets.
Buck - Sports betting term
for a $100 wager.
Buy (Points) - a player
pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a
point spread game.
Canadian Line - the
Canadian line is a combination point spread and money line in hockey.
Chalk - The favorite.
Chalk Player - someone who
usually only plays the favored teams, rarely betting on the underdogs.
Circled game - a game in
which the betting action is reduced; usually occurs in added games, games with
injuries, bad weather, propositions, or halves of games. These games cannot be
included in parlays or teasers.
Cover - When a favorite
wins by more than the required number of points.
Dime - $1000 sports betting
wager.
Dime Line - a line where
the juice is 10%.
Dog - the team perceived to
be most likely to lose.
Dog Player - refers to one
who mostly plays the underdog.
Dollar - $100
Double action - An "if bet"
in sports betting that is processed if the precedent bet wins, ties or cancels.
Double Bet - a wager for
twice the size of one's usual wager; also known as "double pop" or "doubling
up."
Double Header – Two
separate games played by the same teams on the same day.
East Coast Line - Mainly
used in hockey, which has a split-goal line e.g. - Philadelphia Flyers (1 - 1
½) favorite over the LA Kings as opposed to goal spread plus moneyline (-1/2
-180).
Edge - A persons Advantage
when it comes to sports betting.
Even Money - a bet whose
odds are 1/1; a wager in which no vigorish or juice is laid.
Exotic - any wager other
than a straight bet or parlay - also called a prop or proposition.
Exposure - The maximum
amount of money a sports book stands to lose on a game.
Favorite - the team
expected to win an event. The quoted odds reflect the extent to which the
choice is favored.
Fifty cents - $50
Figure - the amount owed to
or by a bookmaker
First half bet - a bet
placed only on the first half of the game.
Future - odds are posted in
advance on the winners of various major events including the Super Bowl, the
World Series, the Stanley Cup, and the NBA Championship this is called a Future
bet
Getting Down - making a
bet.
Grand Salami - A sports
betting term meaning the grand total of goals scored in all the hockey games of
the day. It can be wagered to go Over/Under.
Half a dollar - $50
Half time bet - a bet
placed only on the second half of the game.
Handicapper - one who
studies, rates and wagers on sporting events and/or races.
Handicapping - the attempt
to predict the outcome of sporting events.
Handle - the total amount
of bets taken.
Hedging - A sports betting
term that means placing wagers on the opposite side in order to cut losses or
guarantee a minimum amount of winnings.
Holding Your Own - Neither
winning or losing, just breaking even.
Hook - a half point added
to football and basketball betting lines.
Hot game - a game which is
drawing a lot of action on one side by knowledgeable handicappers.
Juice - The bookmaker's
commission on a losing bet, also known as "vigorish."
Laying the points - betting
the favorite by giving up points.
Laying the price - betting
the favorite by laying money odds.
Layoff - money bet by a
house with another bookmaker to reduce its liability.
Limit - the maximum amount
a bookmaker will allow you to bet before he changes the odds and/or the points.
Line - the current odds or
point spread on a particular event.
Linemaker - in the sports
betting industry this is the person who establishes the original and subsequent
betting lines.
Listed Pitchers - a
baseball bet which will be placed only if both of the pitchers scheduled to
start a game actually start. If they don't, the bet is cancelled.
Lock - Easy winner, can not
lose.
Longshot - a team or horse
perceived to be unlikely to win.
Middle - to win both sides
of the same contest in sports betting event. Wagering on the underdog at one
point spread and the favorite at a different point spread and winning both
sides.
Money line - odds expressed
in terms of money. With money odds, whenever there is a minus (-) you lay that
amount to win a hundred dollars, where there is a plus (+) you get that amount
for every hundred dollars wagered.
Move the line - a player
pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a
point spread game.
Newspaper Line - the
betting line which quite often appears in the daily newspapers. The lines are
only approximate and quiet often totally inaccurate and misleading.
Nickel - $500
Nickel line - A sports
wagering line where the juice is 5%.
No action - A wager in
sports betting in which no money is lost nor won.
Odds On Favorite - A horse,
team, or individual so favored by the public that the odds are less than even.
Off the board - a game on
which the bookmaker will not accept action.
Official Line - The line
that the bookmaker uses for wagering purposes. The line which comes from Las
Vegas is quite often referred to as the official line; however, the line that
your bookie offers you is actually your "official line."
One dollar - $100
Outlaw Line - term for the
earliest line in sports betting. This is an overnight line which only a handful
of players are allowed to bet into.
Over - the "over" is a
sports bet in which the bettor guesses that the combined point total of two
teams will be above a specified total.
Overplay - An advantage for
the bettor in which the price on a given wager is greater than the real
probability of its success.
Parlay - a bet with two or
more teams in which all teams must win or cover for the bettor to win and
receive higher payouts
Pick 'em - When neither
team is favored. Also called a "pick" in sports betting terms.
Pointspread - The
pointspread - also called "the line" - is used as a margin to handicap the
favorite team. The oddsmaker - also called the handicapper - "gives" points (or
goals) to the underdog - for betting purposes only. The bettor must take either
the favorite or the underdog. The favorite is always indicated by a minus sign
(e.g. -8.5) and the underdog by a plus sign (e.g.+8.5). For betting purposes,
the outcome of the game is determined by taking the actual game score and
finding the difference between the scores of the two teams playing (called the
pointspread or just the "spread").
Post Time - The Schedule
starting time.
Press - to wager a larger
amount than usual.
Price - Sports betting term
for the odds or point spread.
Prop (Proposition) Bet - a
special wager offered by the sports book on unique and various topics. These
wagers can be on sporting events, politics, and even trial outcomes. 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 whether or not O. J. will be found guilty.
Puckline - giving odds of a
goal spread instead of using a Canadian Line in hockey, where both a goal
spread and money line are played.
Puppy - The underdog
Push - When the contest
ends with no winner or loser for wagering purposes.
Round Robin - a series of
three or more teams in 2-team parlays.
Run down - all the lines
for an specific date, sport, time, etc.
Run line - In baseball a
spread used instead of the money line.
Runner - One who places
bets for another when it comes to sports betting
Scouts - person(s) who
waits for what he thinks is an unusually strong wager. A.K.A. Sports Player.
Sharp - a sophisticated or
professional gambler.
Sides - the names of the
two teams playing: the underdog and the favorite.
Single action - An "if bet"
in sports gambling that is processed only if the precedent bet wins.
Spread - A spread in sports
wagering is the predicted scoring differential between two opponents as quoted
by a sports book. See "point spread."
Square - A novice when it
comes to sports betting.
Steam - when a line starts
to move rapidly. Most "steam games" do not necessarily reflect objective
circumstances, but are games that a mass of bettors are drawn to for some
reason.
Store - A bookie or sports
betting establishment.
Straight bet - a wager on
just one team or horse.
Taking the points - betting
the underdog and its advantage in the point spread.
Taking the price - betting
the underdog and accepting money odds.
Teaser - A teaser is a
special type of parlay in sports betting in which you adjust the point spread
or total of each individual play. The price of moving the point spread
(teasing) is lower pay off odds winning wagers.
Ticket - A sports betting
wager.
Tie - a wager in which no
money is lost nor won because the teams' scores were equal to the number of
points in the given line.
Total - The combined amount
of runs, points or goals scored by both teams during the game, including the
overtime.
Totals Bet - a proposition
bet in which the bettor speculates that the total score by both teams in a game
will be more or less than the line posted by the sports book.
Tout - Someone who sells
their expertise on sports wagering.
Under - an under is a wager
in which the bettor guesses that the total points scored by two teams will be
under a certain figure.
Underdog - The team
perceived to be most likely to lose. Also known as the "dog" .
Value - getting the best
odds on a wagering proposition; the highest possible edge.
Vigorish - The bookmaker's
commission on a losing bet; also known as juice in sports betting
Wise guy
- a well-informed or knowledgeable handicapper or bettor.