Sports Betting Slang
Being an avid gambler doesn’t simply come down to consistently wagering money on whatever events are currently available. Sports betting, in particular, involves statistics, analysis, and strategy.
To say that there is a fair amount of slang and jargon that surrounds the world of sports betting would be a massive understatement. No matter how casual of a sports fan you are, it is really useful to understand what these words and phrases mean. To help understand the gambling lingo and betting slang, we’ve defined the most common gambling phrases used in sports betting. Action The act of placing a bet or having an active wager on a. Sports Betting Lingo - Bettors Slang Bookmakers and bettors have had their own 'Lingo' or 'Slang' for many years. Much of this slang came about as a means to hide their activities from the law.
At the same time, there’s also a ton of slang and terms unique to sports fans, that it can be a bit overwhelming for someone who just entered this vast world. However, you don’t need a degree in “sportsology” to understand this unique language.
To help you find your footing and ensure you always know what’s going on, we’ve put together this glossary of sports betting terms. Whenever you run across a new and unfamiliar term, simply look it up on this page.
A
Accumulator — A wager that combines multiple bets, where you have to win every individual bet for the wager to be successful.
Across the Board —Placing a bet on a horse race, which includes both the winner, as well as the horses that place (2nd) and show (3rd).
Action — A wager on any sports event.
Added Game — A game that’s not included within the standard Las Vegas rotation. This is typically a rescheduled game, and a bookmaker may offer odds after a request from a bettor.
Against the Spread (ATS) — Taking the point spread into account when referring to a result of a sports event. Signals taking or laying points, as opposed to taking an entire game.
Alternate Lines — Bets which include an adjusted point spread or total, and therefore offer better odds and more options, than the standard bets. Alternate lines serve the purpose of providing bettors with more choices. Common examples are Alternate Handicaps and Alternate Totals.
American Odds —Odds expressed through relative returns per 100 units wagered. A minus (−) here indicates that you lay that amount to win $100. On the other hand, a plus (+) indicates how much you’ll win for every $100 you wager.
Ante-post — Placing wagers on a horse race well in advance.
Arbitrage — Buying and selling the same game and leveraging the price discrepancies between different markets to guarantee a profit.
B
Bankroll — The money you’re prepared to wager; your gambling funds.
Backdoor Cover — A term that refers to a situation when a team barely covers the point spread in the final minutes of a game. This usually happens when the game itself is a total blowout, but a particular spread or line is still in play.
Bad Beat — A wager you placed that loses out of the blue.
Bookmaker — A person who licensed and assigned the job of creating betting lines and accepting wagers.
Beard —An individual who places a wager in place of another person; sometimes also referred to as “the runner.”
Book — Short for bookmaker/bookie or a sportsbook. The term encompasses both the person as well as the game house.
Buying Points — The practice of altering set lines and adjusting the odds accordingly. Although it isn’t exactly commonplace, some bookies and sportsbooks will accommodate your request to increase/decrease a handicap and bet on different odds.
Bonus Chasing — Creating new accounts in an attempt to abuse a welcome bonus, typically a no-deposit bonus at an online casino.
C
Chalk — The favorite; In any sports event, “chalk” is the side that’s heavily favored, and will probably win.
Circle Game —A game that offers lower than standard betting limits, primary as a result of player injuries or poor weather.
Closing Line — The very last line, available minutes before the sports event begins.
Cover — A winning bet that covers the point spread. For example, if you bet on a basketball match with a −5 line on one team, and they win by 7, you have covered the spread and won the wager.
D
Dead Heat — When two horses finish the race neck and neck, and it’s impossible to determine the winner, even with the use of photo-finish technology.
Dime — A $1,000 bet.
Dog —Underdog, a team expected to lose.
Dollar — Sports betting slang for a $100 bet.
Draw — A game which falls on the spread, in which case there is no winner. In these cases, all bets on said game are typically refunded. Some people also refer to a draw as “push.”
E
Edge — An advantage, whether for the player or the house (casino, sportsbook), regardless of how big or small. For instance, a “house edge” is a percentage expression of how much more likely the house is to win over the player.
Even Money — A bet with 50/50 odds. The potential profit from such bets is equal to the amount of money you wager.
Exotic — Complex wager, that’s typically more difficult to win, but will also pay much more if it does. Any wager that isn’t a straight bet. An exotic wager can also be a combination of several straight bets.
Exposure — Shows how much money a sportsbook stand to lose on a particular event.
F
Favorite — The objectively superior/better team; one that is most likely to win a game or sports event. The odds roughly represent how much the said team is favored over the underdog.
Fifty Cents — Following the same logic of the “dollar,” fifty cents would be $50.
Figure — The money someone owes or is owed to by a bookie.
Final Four — The top four teams in a basketball tournament.
Fixed — An event whose outcome isn’t determined by who the better team is, but rather one team deliberately loses. Also known as throwing the game.
Futures/Future Bets — Bets placed well in advance, typically on an outcome which will be revealed several months in the future. An example would be betting on a Super Bowl winner during the season.
G
Get Down — Place a bet.
Grand Salami — A total number of goals scored across all hockey days played that day. You can typically bet on the number to go Over or Under what the sportsbook offers.
H
Halftime Bet — A distinct bet, which becomes available during a halftime break. In this instance, the second half is considered to be an isolated event you can bet on. The result of the first half doesn’t impact the bet since you’re not betting on the total.
Handicapper — An individual betting on a team to win the entire event.
Handle — Handle can mean one of two things:
1) The total amount of money taken by the book regarding one sports event.
2) The amount of money wagered.
Hedging — Protecting your original bet by wagering on the opposing side. This is typically done to ensure profit or minimize potential losses. Bettors most commonly hedge futures bets, but hedging can be applied to individual games as well through real-time wagering.
High Roller — A gambler who plays high stakes games.
Hook — Half of a point.
Hot Game — A game that manages to attract the attention of a considerable number of bettors.
I
In-game Wagering — Placing bets in real-time. Most sportsbooks even stream the game, so you can wager depending on what’s going on at any given moment.
J
Juice — The commission a bookmaker earns on a losing bet. Also referred to as “vigorish.”
K
Key Numbers — The key numbers represent standard margins of defeat. They are commonly used in football, where the games often end with a team winning by a multiple of three or seven.
L
Laying the Points — Giving up points by betting on the favorite.
Laying the Price — Accepting lower odds, and consequently a lower potential payout, by wagering on the favorite.
Layoff — A term which denotes a specific bet, made by the house (sportsbook or bookmaker), in an attempt to reduce its liability.
Limit — The maximum amount of money you can wager on a single game or event, before a bookmaker adjust the odds or points.
Lines — Odds you can bet on.
Linemaker — The individual responsible for establishing and adjusting the betting lines. Oddsmaker.
Listed Pitchers — A specific baseball bet which is only accepted if both of the scheduled pitchers start the game. If they don’t, for whatever reason, the bet is automatically canceled.
Lock — A safe bet; one where the difference in skill between the two teams is so vast, that it would be a shock if the favorite didn’t win convincingly.
Longshot — Similar to underdog; a team or an individual athlete with slim chances of winning.
M
Middle — A rare occasion when there’s a possibility, although very slim, that bets on both sides of the game might win. This is due to a point spread, where one team might have a line of +11.5 while the other has a line of −8.5. If the second team wins by 9–11 points, betting on either side is a win. “Middling” can be leveraged in any game with a point spread or totals, but it’s most common in NFL.
Money Line — A straight bet on the winner of a game. Typically used in soccer, hockey, and baseball, where it wouldn’t make sense to exclusively offer a spread since there are so few goals or runs.
Move the Line — On any point spread game, sportsbooks and bookmakers might allow you to “buy” half a point or more in your favor, for an agreed upon price.
Mush —An individual who’s considered bad luck by the local sports gambling community.
N
Nickel — You’ll typically hear a bookie call a $500 dollar wager a “nickel.”
O
Off the Board — Any game or sports event that you cannot bet on. Sportsbook will typically close off all bets on games where there’s uncertainty regarding the weather or if it isn’t clear whether a player is injured or will participate.
Over/Under — Total; the estimated number of goals/points/runs for any particular game. You can bet over or under the amount predetermined by the sportsbook. Both teams contribute towards the total. If they score more than the given number together, the over wins.
P
Parlay — A combined wager where you bet on several teams, whether it’s against the spread or on the money line. You must win all individual bets for the parlay to pay out. Naturally, the odds increase with each team you add to the parlay.
Pick ’em — Any game or event when the teams are so equally matched that there isn’t even a slight favorite. There is no point spread. Whoever wins the game is considered the spread winner as well.
Point Spread — The number of points that represents just how much one team is favored over another.
Push — A game that ends in a draw. Any sports event that ends without a winner. In any sport where a spread is offered, the “push” occurs when the favorite wins by the exact spread.
Prop Bet — Any exotic wager that’s not typically offered by a sportsbook on every event. For instance, in a Champions League soccer game, you can bet on which player will score, the number of corners, who’ll get a yellow card, etc. Super Bowl is one of the events which offers a wide range of prop bets you can wager on.
R
Run Line — The equivalent of Alternative Line, only in money line sports like hockey and baseball. In essence, it works as a handicap, where runs/goals are subtracted from the favorite or added to the underdog. With a run line of +1, a favorite would have to win by at least 2 runs. On the other hand, a wager on the underdog is successful whether they win or lose by less than 2 runs.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that both baseball and hockey are low-scoring games. Hence, run lines are often high-risk wagers.
Runner — Anyone who places a wager on behalf of another individual.
S
Steam Move — An abrupt, consistent line movement across the sports betting marketplace.
T
Teaser — A unique bet which allows you to adjust the point spread or total of a sports event. However, by altering the spread you’re also lowering the odds.
Tout — An experienced bettor who sells their tips, advice, picks, and experience to other gamblers.
U
Underdog —The objectively weaker team, expected by the vast majority of the sports betting community to lose a game.
V
Sports Betting Slang
Vigorish (Vig) — Term that refers to a commission a bookie or bookmaker takes. Vigorish is often called “juice” as well. The standard bookie commission is 10 percent.
W
Wager — Any type of bet.
Welch — Refusing to pay off a losing bet.
Action: Having a wager on a game.
ATS ('against the [point] spread'): If a team is 5-2 ATS, it means it has a 5-2 record against the point spread, or more commonly referred to simply as the 'spread.'
Backdoor cover: When a team scores points at the end of a game to cover the spread unexpectedly.
Bad beat: Losing a bet you should have won. It's especially used when the betting result is decided late in the game to change the side that covers the spread. Also used in poker, such as when a player way ahead in the expected win percentage loses on the river (last card).
Beard: Someone who places a wager for another person (aka 'runner').
Book: Short for sportsbook or bookmaker; person or establishment that takes bets from customers.
Bookie: A person who accepts bets illegally and charges vig.
Buying points: Some bookies or sportsbooks will allow customers to alter the set line and then adjust odds. For example, a bettor might decide he wants to have his team as a 3-point underdog instead of the set line of 2.5. He has then 'bought' half a point, and the odds of his bet will be changed.
Chalk: The favorite in the game. People said to be 'chalk' bettors typically bet the favorite.
Circle game: A game for which the betting limits are lowered, usually because of injuries and/or weather.
Closing line: The final line before the game or event begins.
Consensus pick: Derived from data accumulated from a variety of sportsbooks in PickCenter. The pick, and its percentage, provides insight as to what side the public is taking in a game.
Cover: The betting result on a point-spread wager. For a favorite to cover, it has to win by more than the spread; an underdog covers by winning outright or losing by less than the spread.
Dime: Jargon for a $1,000 bet. If you bet 'three dimes,' that means a $3,000 wager.
'Dog: Short for underdog.
Dollar: Jargon for a $100 bet. Usually used with bookies; if you bet 'five dollars,' that means a $500 wager.
Edge: An advantage. Sports bettors might feel they have an edge on a book if they think its lines aren't accurate.
Even money: Odds that are considered 50-50. You put up $1 to win $1.
Exotic: Any wager other than a straight bet or parlay; can also be called a 'prop' or 'proposition wager.'
Favorite: The expected straight-up winner in a game or event. Depending on the sport, the favorite will lay either odds or points. For example, in a football game, if a team is a 2.5-point favorite, it will have to win by three points or more to be an ATS winner.
Fixed: A participant in a particular game who alters the result of that game or match to a completely or partially predetermined result. The participant did not play honestly or fairly because of an undue outside influence.
Futures bet: A long-term wager that typically relates to a team's season-long success. Common futures bets include betting a team to win a championship at the outset of a season, or betting whether the team will win or lose more games than a set line at the start of the season.
Halftime bet: A bet made after the first half ended and before the second half begins (football and basketball primarily). The oddsmaker generally starts with half of the game side/total and adjusts based on what happened in the first half.
Sports Betting Websites
Handicapper: A person trying to predict the winners of an event.
Handle: The amount of money taken by a book on an event or the total amount of money wagered.
Hedging: Betting the opposing side of your original bet, to either ensure some profit or minimize potential loss. This is typically done with futures bets, but can also be done on individual games with halftime bets or in-game wagering.
High roller: A high-stakes gambler.
Hook: A half-point. If a team is a 7.5-point favorite, it is said to be 'laying seven and a hook.'
In-game wagering: A service offered by books in which bettors can place multiple bets in real time, as the game is occurring.
Juice: The commission the bookie or bookmaker takes. Standard is 10 percent. Also called the 'vig/vigorish.'
Layoff: Money bet by a sportsbook with another sportsbook or bookmaker to reduce that book's liability.
Limit: The maximum bet taken by a book. If a book has a $10,000 limit, it'll take that bet but the book will then decide whether it's going to adjust the line before the bettor can bet again.
Lock: A guaranteed win in the eyes of the person who made the wager.
Middle: When a line moves, a bettor can try to 'middle' a wager and win both sides with minimal risk. Suppose a bettor bets one team as a 2.5-point favorite, then the line moves to 3.5 points. She can then bet the opposite team at 3.5 and hope the favorite wins by three points. She would then win both sides of the bet.
Money line (noun), money-line (modifier): A bet in which your team only needs to win. The point spread is replaced by odds.
Mush: A bettor or gambler who is considered to be bad luck.
Nickel: Jargon for a $500 bet. Usually used with bookies; if you bet 'a nickel,' that means a $500 wager.
Oddsmaker (also linemaker): The person who sets the odds. Some people use it synonymous with 'bookmaker' and often the same person will perform the role at a given book, but it can be separate if the oddsmaker is just setting the lines for the people who will eventually book the bets.
Off the board: When a book or bookie has taken a bet down and is no longer accepting action or wagers on the game. This can happen if there is a late injury or some uncertainty regarding who will be participating.
Over/under: A term that can be used to describe the total combined points in a game (the Ravens-Steelers over/under is 40 points) or the number of games a team will win in a season (the Broncos' over/under win total is 11.5). Also used in prop bets.
Parlay: A wager in which multiple teams are bet, either against the spread or on the money line. For the wager to win (or pay out), all of them must cover/win. The more teams you bet, the greater the odds.
Pick 'em: A game with no favorite or underdog. The point spread is zero, and the winner of the game is also the spread winner.
Point spread (or just 'spread'): The number of points by which the supposed better team is favored over the underdog.
Proposition (or prop) bet: A special or exotic wager that's not normally on the betting board, such as which team will score first or how many yards a player will gain. Sometimes called a 'game within a game.' These are especially popular on major events, with the Super Bowl being the ultimate prop betting event.
Push: When a result lands on the betting number and all wagers are refunded. For example, a 3-point favorite wins by exactly three points. Return on investment (ROI): In PickCenter, ROI is the amount (according to numberFire) that a bettor should expect to get back on a spread pick.
Runner: Someone who makes bets for another person (aka 'beard').
Sharp: A professional, sophisticated sports bettor.
Spread: Short for point spread.
Square: A casual gambler. Someone who typically isn't using sophisticated reasoning to make a wager.
Steam: When a line is moving unusually fast. It can be a result of a group or syndicate of bettors all getting their bets in at the same time. It can also occur when a respected handicapper gives a bet his followers all jump on, or based on people reacting to news such as an injury or weather conditions.
Straight up: The expected outright winner of the money line in an event or game, not contingent on the point spread.
Sports Betting Terms And Phrases
Teaser: Betting multiple teams and adjusting the point spread in all the games in the bettor's favor. All games have to be picked correctly to win the wager.
Total: The perceived expected point, run or goal total in a game. For example, in a football game, if the total is 41 points, bettors can bet 'over' or 'under' on that perceived total.
Tout (service): a person (or group of people) who either sells or gives away picks on games or events.
Underdog: The team that is expected to lose straight up. You can either bet that the team will lose by less than the predicted amount (ATS), or get better than even-money odds that it will win the game outright. For example, if a team is a 2-1 underdog, you can bet $100 that the team will win. If it wins, you win $200 plus receive your original $100 wager back.
Vig/vigorish: The commission the bookie or bookmaker takes; also called the 'juice.' Standard is 10 percent.
Wager: A bet.
Welch: To not pay off a losing bet.
Football Betting Lingo
Wiseguy: A professional bettor. Another term for a 'sharp.'