Sports Betting Glossary

General Terms

Action: A bet or wager.
Against the Spread (ATS): The result of a bet including the point spread.
Bad Beat: A bet that looks like a winner most of the game and loses in the end. Usually by a close score.
Bankroll: The amount of money available for betting.
Beard: A “middle-man” who places a bet for someone else. Also known as “runner”.
Betting Line: The point spread, money line, or total that a bet must cover to win.
Bookmaker: A place where a person can make a wager (also called bookie).
Buck: A bet of $100
Buying Points: A player paying an additional amount to receive half a point or more in his favor on a point spread game.
Chalk: The favorite in a particular game. Opposite of underdog.
Contrarian: A person who “fades the public” or bets “against the grain”. Takes the opposite of the majority of bettors.
Cover: The act of winning a point spread bet.
Dime: A bet of $1000
Dime Line: A line where the “juice” is 10%.
Dog: Also known as “underdog”. The team/player not expected to win the game/match.
Double Bet: A wager for twice the size of one’s usual wager.
Edge: The advantage a bettor has before placing a wager.
Even Money: A wager that pays out exactly the amount you bet. No “juice”.
Exotic: Any wager other than a straight bet or parlay. Sometimes called a “prop bet” .
Exposure: The maximum amount of money a sportsbook stands to lose on a game.
Favorite: The team/player expected to win a game/match.
Field: In “prop bets” the field refers to an accumulation of all the teams or players that are not specifically listed.
First Half Bet: A bet placed only on the first half of the game.
Future Bet: A bet on events that will happen further in the future. Such as who will win a division or a championship well in advance.
Grand Salami: The over/under total for how many points/goals/runs will be scored across all games in a specific league.
Handicapper: A person who studies, researches, and wagers on sporting events.
Handle: The total amount of money wagered on a game.
Hedge: Betting opposite of a previous bet to guarantee winning at least a small amount of money, or cutting losses.
Hook: A half-point in the spread.
In-Play: Bet Bets made after a game started.
Juice: The bookmaker’s commission on a losing bet. Also known as “vigorish” or “vig”.
Laying Points: Betting the favorite by giving up points.
Limit: The most money a sportsbook will take on a single event.
Linemaker: The person who established the betting lines for a sportsbook.
Longshot: A team or horse perceived to be unlikely to win. A large “underdog”.
Middle: When you bet on both sides of a game and have an opportunity to win both bets.
Moneyline: A bet made if a team will win or lose outright with no point spread.
Move the Line: A player pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a point spread game.
Nickel: A bet of $500.
Odds: The likelihood of the outcome occurring.
Outlaw Line: The earliest line in sports betting. An overnight line.
Over/Under: Also known as the total. This refers to the total amounts of points/goals/runs that will be scored in a game.
Parlay: A bet with two or more teams in which all teams must win or cover for the bettor to win and receive a higher payout.
Pick’em: When neither team is favored. The spread is a line of 0.
Point Spread: The predicted scoring differential between two opponents set by a sportsbook.
Press: To wager a larger amount than usual.
Prop Bet: A bet on something other than the outcome of a game. Such as passing yards, or points scored by an individual player.
Public Betting %: The percentage of public bettors on a particular bet. Used to “fade the public”.
Puckline: A term for the “spread” in a hockey game. Almost always 1.5.
Puppy: Slang term for “underdog”.
Push: When neither team covers the spread, no one wins the bet and all bets are refunded.
Reverse-Line: Movement Betting line movement that contradicts the public betting percentages. This indicates that “sharp” money is taking the opposite of the public.
ROI “Return On Investment”: A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of a bet.
Round Robin: A series of three or more teams in 2-team parlays.
Runline: Same as the “puckline” in hockey, the “runline” refers to baseball. Almost always 1.5 as well.
Runner: A person who places bets for another person. Also known as “beard”.
Scouts: People who wait for what they consider an unusually strong wager.
Sharp: A professional sports bettor.
Sides: The names of the two teams playing. The underdog and the favorite.
Square: A beginner sports bettor. Opposite of a “sharp”.
Steam Move: When a line starts to move rapidly. Usually do to heavy betting on one side.
Taking the Points: Betting an underdog against the spread.
Taking the Price: Betting the underdog and accepting money odds.
Teaser: A type of parlay in which you adjust the point spread or total of each individual play. Results in lower pay off.
Ticket: A sports wager.
Total: The combined amount of runs, points or goals scored by both teams during a game.
Tout: A person who sells their picks or their sports betting expertise to others.
Units: A standard monetary measurement of how much you typically bet.
Vigorish: The bookmaker’s commission on a losing bet. Also known as “vig” or “juice”.
Wager: A bet placed at a sportsbook.
Wiseguy: A well-informed handicapper.

Nascar Terms

Win Outright: The winner of the race.
Pole Position: The most favorable position at the start of a race. Typically on the inside of the front row.
Fastest Lap Time: Quickest time around the track in one lap.
Podium Finish: Placing first, second, or third in the race.
Driver Matchups: Head-to-head results between two racers to see who finishes better.
Prop Bets: A bet on something other than the winner or the race.

Golf Terms

Outright Winner: The golfer who wins the event.
Round Leader: The golfer who leads after a particular round of the event.
Place Betting: Allows individuals to bet on a golfer finishing within the Top 5, Top 10, or Top 20 of an event.
Tournament Group: Betting on which player will achieve the highest placing at the end of the tournament from the group named.
2-Ball & 3-Ball Betting: Betting on which player will achieve the lowest score (from the stated players) over 18 holes.
Ryder Cup: Golf event between USA golfers and European golfers.
Top 3,5,10,25: Betting on a particular player to finish in either the top 3, 5, 10, or 25 at the end of the event.

Boxing Terms

Winner: The fighter who is victorious in the fight.
Method of Victory: How the fighter won the match (TKO, split decision, etc.).
Total Rounds: The amount of rounds in a match.
Prop Bets: A bet on something other than the winner of the match.