Glossary of Sports Betting Terms

Sports Betting Glossary
  • Accumulator – bet on two or more events where bets are reinvested on subsequent wager
  • Across the board – wagering on a horse to win, place, and show
  • Action – number of bets placed on a certain event
  • Against the spread – taking points instead of betting the point spread
  • Banker – bet most likely to win in parlay
  • Beard – person wagering for bettor in order to conceal identity
  • Book – place that accepts bets on sporting events
  • Bookmaker – person who accepts bets on sporting events
  • Canadian line – combination of point spread and money line in hockey
  • Chalk – favorite team, athlete, or horse
  • Chalk player – person who bets favorites and not the underdogs
  • Circled game – game with lowered limits or restricted betting options because of injuries
  • Cover – beat the point spread by required number of points
  • Dime line – line with juice of 10 percent
  • Dog player – person who bets the underdogs
  • Double bet – wagering twice a person's usual bet
  • Edge – bookmaker’s or bettor’s advantage
  • Even money – bet on outcome with no odds
  • Exotic – bets other than straight bets or parlays
  • Exposure – maximum amount a sportsbook can lose on a game
  • Favorite – team or horse expected to win
  • Futures – bets on events to take place in the future
  • Grand Salami – total of goals scored in all of one day's hockey games
  • Handicapping – predictions as to the outcome of a sporting event
  • Handle – total amount of money bet on an event or series of events
  • Hedge – betting both sides to cut losses or guarantee minimum winnings
  • Juice – bookie's commission
  • Laying points – betting the favorite by forfeiting points
  • Lines – odds
  • Linemaker – person who sets all betting lines
  • Lock – easy winner
  • Longshot – least likely to win
  • Middle – winning both sides of the same sporting event
  • Moneyline – wager with no point spread
  • Move the line – betting more to move points in the bettor's favor
  • Nickel line – line with 5% juice
  • Off the board – no action from the bookmaker
  • Outlaw line – overnight line with few betting possibilities
  • Over/under – bet on combined total of points scored by a team over or under a chosen number
  • Parlay – bet on two or more events where bets are reinvested on subsequent wager
  • Pick 'em – game with no favorite team
  • Point spread – points given to the underdog for betting purposes
  • Press – bet higher than usual
  • Prop bet – special bet on unusual events, such as political races or music contests
  • Push – no winner or loser
  • Round Robin – group of three or more teams in dual parlays
  • Rundown – all lines for a sporting event
  • Runner – person who places another's bet
  • Sharp – professional gambler
  • Single action – bet processed if prior bet wins
  • Spread – point spread
  • Square – new bettor
  • Straight bet – wager on one team, athlete, or horse
  • Taking points – betting the underdog in the point spread
  • Taking price – betting underdog for money odds
  • Ticket – proof of wager
  • Totals bet – bet on total score by both teams going over or under the line
  • Underdog – team most likely to lose
  • Value – best possible odds
  • Vig – bookmaker's commission on losing bets