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| | | Wagering glossary
Table of contents
Wagering Terminology
10 Cent
Line - The money line difference (10 cents) between what a bettor would
lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog; see Dime
Line
20 Cent Line - The money line difference (20 cents) between
what a bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the
underdog
Across The Board - A method of wagering on a horse to win,
place and show
Action - A wager of any kind
Bad Beat - Tough
Loss
Beard - Messenger bettor
Buck - $100
Chalk -
Favorite
Circled Game - Game where action is limited due to
uncertainties about weather, injuries, etc.
Cover - Win by more
than the pointspread
Dead Heat - When two horses finish in a
tie
Dime - $1000
Dime Line - Slang used to designate the 10
cent money line. The money line difference (10 cents) between what a
bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog; see 10
Cent Line.
Dog - Underdog
Dollar - $100
Double Header
- Two separate baseball games played on the same day for the same two
teams
Edge - Advantage
Even Money - A wager on which neither
side lays any odds or vigorish
Exotic Bet - Action other than a
straight bet or parlay
Exposure - The amount of money one actually
stands to lose on a game or race
Favorite - The contestant in any
given contest that is considered the most talented, or has the best chance
to win the contest
Final Four - Final four teams in the NCAA
basketball tournament
Firing - Betting a lot. A player who is
"firing" is wagering large sums
"Foots" - Slang word used sometimes
for football
Futures - Wagers made, or lines/odds posted on an
event or outcome taking place some time in the future, e.g. betting during
the season on the SuperBowl winner.
Get Down - Make a
bet
Grand Slam - The four major tennis tournaments: Wimbledon,
Australian Open, French Open, U.S. Open. Also the four major golf
tournaments: The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship
(Professional Golf Association). Also in baseball, a homerun with the
bases loaded, scoring four runs.
Grand Salami - A slang word for
the over/under total for the combined score of all the hockey contests on
the schedule for that day
Halftime Line - A line on only the first
half, or only the second half scoring of a football or basketball
game
Handicapper - One who studies sports and predicts
outcomes
Hedge - Bet the opposite of your original wager in order
to reduce the amount of exposure you have on a game
Hook - Half
point in pointspreads
"Hoops" - Slang word used to indicate the
game of basketball
Home Field Advantage - Edge the home team is
expected to have as a result of familiarity with the playing area,
favorable demographics and effect of travel on the visiting
team
Hoops - Basketball
Hot Tip - Information the bookmaker
is not yet privy to
IBF - International Boxing
Federation
Juice - Bookmaker's commission, most often refers to the
11 to 10 football bettors lay on straight wagers. Also known as
vigorish.
Lay The Points - A wager on a favorite in a pointspread
contest Lay The Price - A wager on a favorite in a moneyline
contest
Limit - Maximum bet accepted by the house before the price
will be changed
Line - The moneyline, odds, or pointspread of any
given contest
Listed Pitcher (LP) - The pitcher or pitchers listed
by Las Vegas oddsmakers as probable starting pitchers for a scheduled
baseball game
Lock - Easy Winner
Longshot - Large
underdog
Middle - To win both sides of a game. For example, if you
bet the underdog +3 1/2 and the favorite -2 1/2 and the favorite wins by
3, you've middled the book. The book has been middled.
MLB - Major
League Baseball
Moneyline - The amount you must bet to win 100 or
the amount you win if you bet 100
MVP - Most Valuable Player.
Leagues give MVP Awards to the best regular-season and to the outstanding
player in championship games or series
NBA - National Basketball
Association
NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic
Association
Neutral Site - Arena, court or field where neither side
has a home field advantage
NFL - National Football
League
NHL - National Hockey League
Nickel - $500
NIT
- National Invitational Tournament
Off The Board - Game where no
bets are being accepted
Over/Under - A bet on whether the combined
total of the points/goals scored by the two teams will exceed or be less
than a specified number
Overlay - When the odds on a proposition
are in favor of the bettor rather than the house
Overtime - The
continuance of a contest that is tied at the end of regulation time until
a winner is determined or the maximum number of overtime periods have
expired
Parlay - A bet with two or more teams where all the teams
must win for the bettor to be successful
Past Post - To make a bet
after an event has started
Penny Line - A money line that is
adjusted in increments of a penny, or one cent at a time
Pick or
Pick'em - A game where neither team is favored
Player - Bettor,
gambler
Pointspread - The handicap, or head start, which the
favorite gives to the underdog for betting purposes
Press - To bet
a larger amount than usual
Price - The moneyline odds on the
favorite of a given match
"Pucks" - A slang word used to indicate
the game of hockey
Puppy - Underdog
Push - A tie between the
bettor and the bookmaker that is the result of the score of an event
falling exactly on the pointspread number, or the total points
number
Rain Out - A contest that has been canceled because of bad
weather
Round Robin - A series of parlays. A three-team round robin
consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team
parlays
Rundown - Line update
Runner - Messenger bettor; see
beard
Ryder Cup - A golf tournament between American and European
golfers that is staged every two years
Scalper - One who attempts
to profit from the differences in odds from book to book by betting both
sides of the same game at different prices
Score - To win a lot of
money
Scratch - Withdraw; cancel
Sharp - Wise
guy
Side - To win one side and tie the other. For example, if you
lay -2 1/2 and take 3 on the same game and the favorite wins by 3 you have
sided the book. The book has been sided.
Side Bet/Side Wager - A
wager on a particular team, or side, to win a contest
Soft Line - A
wagering line that is not current with the true posted line. A line that
has been adjusted or moved as a result of action and does not reflect the
true line as posted.
Spread - An abbreviated form of
pointspread
Stanley Cup - NHL Championship
Steam - When a
betting line starts to move quite rapidly. Most "steam games" do not
necessarily reflect the "right side", but are games that the mass of
bettors somehow decide to key on
Straight Bet - A single wager on a
selected side or over/under
Sudden Death - An overtime period in
which the first contestant to score is declared the winner of the
contest
Superbowl - NFL Championship game
Take A Price - A
wager on the underdog in a moneyline contest
Take The Points - A
wager on the underdog in a pointspread contest
Teaser - A bet on 2
or more teams where the line on each team is adjusted in the favor of the
bettor. Like a Parlay, all selections must be correct for the teaser to
win
The Big Dance - The 64 team, post season college basketball
championship tournament
Toss Up - Game where the line is close to
pick-em
Total - The line on a given contest, representing the
combined number of points/goals scored by the two teams; see
over/under
Tout Service - A business that sells opinions on
sporting events
Underdog - The contestant in any given contest that
is considered the least talented, or has the least chance to win the
contest
Underlay - When the odds on a proposition are in favor of
the house
Value - An overlay
Vigorish - Bookmaker's
commission, most often refers to the 11 to 10 football bettors lay on
straight wagers. Also known as juice.
WBA - World Boxing
Association
WBC - World Boxing Council
Wise Guy -
Established and successful sports bettor
WNBA - Womens National
Basketball Association
World Series - MLB championship; The final
seven games of the baseball playoffs between the two league champions to
determine the world champion
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