Sports Betting Terminology

ATS- against the spread

10 Cent Line - The money line difference (10 cents) between what a bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog

20 Cent Line - The money line difference (20 cents) between what a bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog

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

Dime - $1000

Dime Line - Slang used to designate the 10 cent money line.

Dog - Underdog

Dollar - $100

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

Firing - Betting a lot. A player who is "firing" is wagering large sums

Futures - Wagers made, or lines/odds posted on an event or outcome taking place in the future. For example, betting on who will be next year's World Series champs.

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

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

Juice - Bookmaker's commission, most often refers to the 11 to 10 football bettors lay on straight wagers. Also known as vigorish.

Laying Points - A wager on a favorite in a pointspread contest

Line - Moneyline, odds, or pointspread

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.

Moneyline - The amount you must bet to win 100 or the amount you win if you bet 100

Nickel - $500

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

Parlay - A bet with two or more teams where all the teams must win for the bettor to be successful

Pick or Pick'em - A game where neither team is favored

Pointspread - The handicap, or head start, which the favorite gives to the underdog for betting purposes

Press - To bet a larger amount than usual

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

Round Robin - A series of parlays. A three-team round robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays

SU - Straight up win, winner of a contest regardless of spread

Score - To win a lot of money

Scratch - Withdraw; cancel

Sharp - Wise guy, seasoned, successful bettor

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

Steam - When a betting line starts to move quite rapidly because many bettors are playing on one side of the game

Straight Bet - A single wager on a selected side or over/under

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

Total - The line on a given contest, representing the combined number of points/goals scored by the two teams

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.

Wise Guy - Established and successful sports bettor

Types of Betting

Straight Bets
The team wagered on must win by the point spread given at the time of the wager. For straight wagers, the odds are $1.10 to win $1.00. Games that tie are considered a push and money is re-deposited back into your account. The point spread may fluctuate at any time.

Example: A bettor wagers $110.00 on Dallas -3 to beat Arizona. If Dallas wins by more than 3, the player wins $100.00, meaning the total payout, including the initial bet, is $210.00. If Dallas only wins by 3 points, then the game is considered a push and all money is returned to the bettor. If the Dallas wins by less than 3 points or lose outright, the wager is lost.

Totals O/U
Betting whether the combined score of both teams will be over or under a given "total." All totals lay $1.10 to win $1.00 unless it is otherwise indicated.

Example: The player lays $110.00 on the UNDER in the same Dallas-Arizona game mentioned above. If the total for the game is 40 and the score is 27-20 (47 total), the bettor pockets $100 plus the original $110 wager. If the score is 20-19 or any other figure UNDER the total of 40, the bet is lost. A 20-20 final is a push and the bet is refunded.

Money Line Wagers

Moneyline wagering is simply betting on the contest based on a given price rather than a pointspread. The team wagered on simply has to win the game. Money line is more common for betting hockey and baseball.

In hockey, there is also a Puck Line, which is simply wagering on the contest based on a pointspread and a moneyline combined. The team wagered on must win by the pointspread.

Example: A Posted Money Line on a hockey game might read:

Philadelphia -155 at New York Rangers +135

A bettor has two choices: Bet the Flyers -155 and if they win, the bettor wagered $155 to win $100. Bet the Islanders and if they win, the bettor pockets $135 for betting $100.

Or for a puck line, you might see
Philadelphia -1.5 +130 at New York Islanders +1.5 -150

A bettor has two choices here as well. Betting the Flyers would mean that if the Flyers win by 2 goals or more, you win $130 (+130) on a $100 wager. Conversely, playing on the Islanders and they either win or lose by just one goal, bettor would pocket $100 for betting $150 (-150).

Parlays (aka multiples or combos)

This is a bet of 2 or more teams, but all teams wagered on in a parlay must win. Canadian sports lotteries such as Sport Select's Pro-Line is an example of a parlay. If there is a tie or push among the selections, the parlay bet reverts down to the next lowest number for payoff. In the case of a 2-team parlay, if one game is a push, the bet becomes a straight one-team wager. You may not play a parlay where games are connected. You would not be permitted, for example to play a first-half score OVER with the full-score OVER because one id connected to the other.

Teasers

A Teaser is a bet of two or more teams in one wager where the point spread is adjusted in your favor. The number of teams selected and the number of points selected dictates your payout odds.

Futures

Wagering in mid-season on who will win the league championship is a futures bet. There are typically preseason odds for individual teams and the likelihood they will win their division or conference.

Props (aka Exotics)

Propositions or exotic bets typically involve specific events within a game. For example, betting on the number of points a basketball player will score in a game or picking the scorer of the first goal or touchdown are props