Across the Board
Betting on a horse to win, place or show. |
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Action
A wager or bet. In baseball – placing a bet, irrelevant who pitches. |
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Action Points
The bettor is paid for every point the selected team covers or will be charged for every point the team doesn’t cover. |
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Added Game
An additional game not part of the regular Las Vegas rotation. |
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AFC
American Football Conference. |
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Apprentice
A jockey who has not ridden a certain number of winning horses in a set time period. |
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ATS
Against the spread. |
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Bad Beat
Tough loss. |
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Beard
When another person places bets on behalf of another, to hide the bettor’s true identity. |
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Board
The location where the odds, pools and other betting information is displayed. |
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Bomb
A winning horse running at very high odds. |
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Book
An establishment which accepts wagers on the results of horse racing and sports matches. |
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Bookie
A person who accepts sports wagers. |
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BR
Bankroll |
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Box
A combination bet where all options are covered. |
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Breeder’s Cup
One of the Triple Crown races – the Thoroughbred year-end championship, consisting of seven horses. |
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Buck
A bet of $100. |
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Buying Points
A player pays extra to get half a point or more in his favor on a point spread game. |
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Call
Running position of horses in a race. |
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Canadian Line
Combination point spread line and money line (hockey). |
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Chalk
A favorite. |
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Chalk Player
A player who only wagers on the favorites and rarely on the underdogs. |
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Circle Game
A game with limited betting action. |
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Cover
Winning the game by more than the required number of points. |
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Daily Double
A horse racing bet where a player wagers on the horses to win in two consecutive races. |
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Dead Heat
When two or more horses finish in a tie. |
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Dime
$1,000 |
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Distaff
Female horse. |
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Dog
The team or player least likely to win, the underdog. |
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Dog Player
A person who mostly plays on the underdog. |
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Dollar
$100 |
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Double Action
An “if bet” that is processed if the bet wins, ties or cancels. |
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Double Bet
A wager for double one’s usual wager. |
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Double Header
Two separate games played by the same teams on the same day. |
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Earn
Hold percentage. |
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Edge
An advantage. |
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Even Money
A wager which has no juce. |
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Exacta
When the first two horses of a race are selected to come in as first and second, in the exact order. |
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Exotic Bet
Anything besides a straight bet. |
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False Favorite
A horse which holds the title as the favorite even though there are other horses in the race that outclass it. |
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Favorite
Team or player that is most likely to win the game; or a team or player whose odds are in their favor. |
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Field Horse
Two or more horses running as a single betting unit. |
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Fifty Cents
$50 |
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Final Four
The four teams in the NCAA basketball championships. |
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First Half Bet
A bet placed on the first half of a game. |
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Four Majors
Prestigious golfing events: The Masters, The US Open, PGA in the US and the British Open. |
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Furlong
Eighth of a mile – used to indicate distances in horse racing. |
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Futures
Odds posted on future games, events or tournaments. |
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Getting Down
Making a bet. |
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Grand Slam
The four important tennis tournaments: The Australian Open, The French Open, Wimbledon and The US Open. |
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Grand Salami
The total number of goals scored in a day’s hockey games. |
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Half Time Bet
A bet placed on the second half of a game, including extra time. |
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Handicapper
A person who rates and bets on sporting events. |
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Handle
Total amount of bets taken. |
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Hedge
Placing bets on the opposite side in order to guarantee a win. |
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Holding your Own
Neither winning nor losing, but just breaking even. |
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Home Team
A team playing on home ground. |
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Hook
A half point added to football and basketball betting lines. |
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Hoops
Basketball. |
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Hot Game
A game which is drawing a lot of betting action on one side. |
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IBF
International Boxing Federation. |
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In the Money
A horse that finishes first, second or third. |
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Inquiry
Reviewing a race to see if rules might have been broken. |
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ITW
Intertrack wagering. |
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Juice
A bookies commission on losing a bet. |
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Laying the Points
Wagering on a favorite by giving up points. |
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Laying the Price
Wagering on a favorite by laying money odds. |
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Limit
The maximum allowed to bet before the odds are changed. |
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Line
The current odds or point spread on a race or match. |
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Linemaker
A person who establishes the betting lines. |
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Lock
A sure win. |
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Longshot
An unlikely win. |
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Middle
To win both sides of the same bet. |
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MLB
Major League Basketball. |
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Money Line
Odds in terms of money – referred to the amount a player wagers to win $100. |
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Move the Line
A player pays more to receive half a point or more in his favor on a point spread. |
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MVP
Most valuable player. |
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NBA
National Basketball Association. |
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NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association. |
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Newspaper Line
A betting line posted in the daily newspapers – often misleading and inaccurate. |
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NFC
National Football Conference. |
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NFL
National Football League. |
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NHL
National Hockey League. |
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Nickel
$500 |
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Nickel Line
A line where the juice is 5%. |
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NIT
National Invitational Tournament. |
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NL
No line |
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No Action
A bet where no money has been won or lost. |
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Odds Maker
A person who establishes the betting lines. |
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Off the Board
A game which has already started and the bookie will not accept wagers. |
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One
$100 |
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On the Nose
Betting on a horse to win in first place. |
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OTB
Off-track betting. |
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Outlaw Line
An overnight line, not used by casinos or establishments based offshore. |
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Out
An illegal bookmaker. |
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Over/Under
A bet which guesses the total amount of points scored in a match to be above or below a certain total. |
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Overlay
When the odds are in the bettor’s favor, and not he sportsbook. |
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Parlay
A bet between two or more group teams. As the number of groups increase so does the chance of winning more money. To win the parlay, all the chosen teams must win. |
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Past Post
To make a bet after the start of an event. |
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PGA
Professional Golfers Association. |
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Photo
A very close finishing result, requiring the use of finish line cameras to make the call. |
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Pick
When neither team is favored. |
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Place
Bet for a horse to come in first or second place. |
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Place Bet
Bet for a horse to come in first or second place. |
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Point Spread
Used to even the odds of an event. Each team has points added subtracted from their score to determine if the bet is a winner. |
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Post Position
A number used to identify a horse for betting purposes. |
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PPG
Points per game. |
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Press
To wager more than usual. |
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Price
Odds or pointspread. |
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Puppy
The underdog. |
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Push
When neither side wins, and all wagers are returned to the players. |
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Rundown
All the lines for a specific date or event. |
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Runline
A line used for baseball betting, instead of a money line. |
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Scalper
A bettor who tries to profit from a match by betting on both sides at different prices from different sports books. |
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Scout
A person who studies the teams’ actions and reports to the handicapper. |
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Show
Wager on a horse to come in third. |
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Single
A straight bet. |
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Square
Unsophisticated gambler. |
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Stanley Cup
Championship of Hockey. |
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Steam
Heavy activity on one side of the game, but not necessarily the winning side. |
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Store
A bookie or sports wagering establishment. |
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Superbowl
Winners of the AFC and NFC meet to determine the NFL championship. |
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Taking
Betting on the underdog. |
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Tapped Out
Broke, no more betting money. |
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Totals
Total combined points, runs etc in a game. |
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Tout
Someone who sells their expertise on sporting events. |
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Underdog
The team or player likely to lose. |
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Value
The best possible edge. |
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Vigorish
A bookmaker’s commission on losing a bet. Also juice. |
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WBA
World Boxing Association. |
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WBC
World Boxing Council. |
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Win
A horse racing wager which collects if the horse finishes first. |
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World Series
Championship of MLB. |
