Sports Betting Glossary
Our diehard commitment to our readers is to provide them with all the information they could ever need to be fully rounded, educated and successful sports bettors. With this mission statement always reverberating in the back of our minds, we thought we'd throw together a list of the most popular sports betting terms that any and all self respecting punters should have in their vocabulary. The result is an exhaustive sports betting glossary of common and not so common betting terms used in land-based and online betting communities all over the world.
For your own betterment, it is advisable that you review all of the terms included in our sports betting glossary. An ignorant bettor is a losing bettor, and if we can help you be more profitable, well, we've done our job!
Sports Gambling Terminology
Sports Betting Glossary : Angles, AOPR, ATS...The sports betting community has a vocabulary all its own. Becoming familiar with the terms of sports betting has multiple advantages. Without understanding the appropriate terms, you could be passing up certain profitable wagers because you don't understand them. You might also place a wager that you don't completely understand. It is also best to know all possible sports gambling terminology when researching games on which to wager. In today's internet age, there are so many communities where you can talk with other sports bettors. Without understanding common betting vernacular, you simply won't be able to communicate with your peers.
Here's a definitive list of the most popular terms in the sports betting world. Educating yourself with this betting lingo (if you weren't already down with the lingo!) will increase your chances of becoming a successful bettor.
Angles: trend of teams of tendencies in certain situations
AOPR: An acronym for Average Opponent Power Rating. The AOPR measures the strength of the opponent of a specific team.
ATS: An acronym for Against The Spread. When you place a wager on the pointspread, you are betting against the spread.
Sports Betting Glossary : Bad Beat, Bet, Bookmaker...Bad Beat: Losing a bet that seemed to be a solid win. This loss is usually difficult to accept because loss due to a fluke play or a late or meaningless score.
Beard: Someone placing wagers on behalf of someone else.
Bet: Risking money on a specific outcome of a sports event.
Bet Limit: The amount of money allowed on a specific wager by a sportsbook.
Book: Another term for bookmaker or sportsbook.
Bookie: Another term for bookmaker or sportsbooks.
Bookmaker: Another term for a sportsbook
Buck: $100
Sports Betting Glossary : Chalk, Cover...Chalk: The team that is the favorite to win a game.
Circled: A game that is being played a team or teams with important injuries, suspensions or is being played in inclement weather.
Cover: The winning team against the spread
Sports Betting Glossary : Dime, Dog...Dime: $1,000
Dime Line: Common in baseball, the difference between the odds is 10 (Detroit -130; Pittsburgh +120)
Dog: Another term for the underdog or the team not expected to win.
Sports Betting Glossary : Edge, Exotic...Early Money: Money that is wagered as soon as the odds are released.
Edge: Having a particular advantage against the sportsbooks.
Even Money: When the odds are even, a bettor will win the same amount that they risk.
Exotic: Bets other than moneyline and pointspread wagers such as parlays, teasers, etc.
Sports Betting Glossary : Fade, Franklin...Fade: To bet the opposite of another bettor.
Favorite: The team the sportsbook expects to win or cover the spread.
First Half Bet: A wager placed on the outcome of first half of a game.
Franklin: $100
Sports Betting Glossary : Gamble...Gamble: Risking money on a specific outcome of a sports event.
Sports Betting Glossary : Handicap, Hook...Halftime Bet: A bet placed at halftime on the second half of the game.
Handicap: The evaluate of a game or event to determine which side on which to wager.
Handicapper: A sports bettor or person that analyzes games for betting reasons.
Handle: The total amount of money that is wagered at a sportsbook.
Hook: A half point.
Sports Betting Glossary : If Bet...If Bet: A bet that is placed on two separate wager but only occurs if the first outcome wins.
Sports Betting Glossary : Juice...Juice: The amount of money added to losing bets and collected by sportsbooks.
Sports Betting Glossary : Laying, Longshot...Laying: Giving points or odds when betting on the favorite.
Linesmaker: The person at a sportsbook that is responsible for setting the pointspread and odds.
Longshot: A huge underdog that is unlikely to cover or win.
Sports Betting Glossary : Middle, Money Line...Middle: Betting on two sides of a wager after a line movement with the possibility of hitting both wagers.
Money Line: Betting on odds for a team to win the game.
Sports Betting Glossary : Odds, Over/Under...Odds: The sportsbook opinion what team will win a game. Typical odds are the pointspread or moneyline.
Oddsmaker: The person at a sportsbook that is responsible for setting the pointspread and odds.
Off The Board: A game, where due to a particular reason, a sportsbook isn't accepting wagers.
Opening Line: The odds and pointspreads that are initially released by the sportsbook.
Online Sportsbook: An online establishment that accepts wagers on sporting events.
Over: A bet that the total score of a game will go over a set number.
Over/Under: The pointspread of what the total number of points that will be scored between both teams.
Sports Betting Glossary : Parlay, Price, Push...Parlay: A single bet comprising of two or more wagers with increasing odds depending on the number of wagers. All wagers must win for the bet to be a winner.
Parlay Card: A card that a bettor fills out where one can place a single wager that two or more outcomes will occur. The odds depend on the number of outcomes picked.
Past Post: Placing a bet on the outcome of a game after the game has begun.
Pick: A game when neither team is considered the favorite or underdog.
Press: In an attempt to recoup losses, a sports bettor begins wagering more than usual.
Point spread: Is the amount of points that is assigned to a favorite to win the game by. The favorite must win by more than the pointspread to win. The underdog wins if the favorite doesn't win by more than the pointspread.
Price: Refering to a game, series or season, it is the odds that a specific outcome will occur.
Prop Bets: Bets that do not have anything to do with the outcome of the game. Typical prop bets are rushing yards for runningbacks, what teams scores first, etc.
Puck Line: pointspread for a hockey game.
Puppy: Another term for the underdog or the team not expected to win.
Push: When a bet falls exactly on the pointspread cancelling the bet. No money changes hands.
Sports Betting Glossary : Revenge, Rundown...Revenge: A game when one of the teams lost the previous game to the other team.
Reverse: A exotic wager where a bettor bets two separate if bets with the same two teams. A winning wager occurs when both bets win. The cost of loss depends on if one or both teams lose.
Rundown: The day's list all the games, odds and pointspreads.
Run Line: The pointspread for a baseball game.
Sports Betting Glossary : Sharp, Steam...Sharp: An intelligent or professional bettor.
Shill: A person that markets a particular service or sportsbook without acknowledging the fact that they are compensated for the promotion.
Smart Money: The money that is wagered by sharps.
Sportsbook: An establishment that accepts wagers on sporting events.
Square: Opposite of a sharp; an ignorant bettor that typically will maintain a losing betting record.
Steam: The abrupt flood of money coming in on one side or total of a game which causes a sportsbook to rapidly adjust the line.
Stiff: A deadbeat bettor that doesn't pay his betting debt.
Straight Up: The winning team of a game without regard to the pointspread. It can also refer to betting a team on the money line.
Syndicate: In an attempt to beat sportsbooks, a group of bettors pool their money and efforts together.
Systems: A method of placing wagers on sporting event following a particular formula.
Sports Betting Glossary : Teaser, Total...Teaser: A single wager on two pointspreads or totals where the bettor is allowed to move the line a predetermined amount in their favor. Losing teasers usually have higher juice associated with them.
Total: The pointspread of what the total number of points that will be scored between both teams.
Trends: A historic record how a team reacts in a specific situation. An example is that a team is 1-2 as the road favorite against the spread.
Sports Betting Glossary : Under, Upset...Under: A bet that the total scored by both teams will be under a particular number.
Underdog: The team that is not expected to win the game.
Upset: When a favorite is beaten by the underdog.
Sports Betting Glossary : Vigorish...Vigorish: Another term for juice or the amount of money added to losing bets and collected by sportsbooks. Also known as the vig.
Sports Betting Glossary : Wager, Wiseguy...Wager: Risking money on a specific outcome of a sports event.
Wiseguy: An intelligent or professional bettor.