Betting Terms

• 10 Cent/20 Cent Line
  The money line difference (10/20 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

• Buck
  $100

• Bookie
  A person or business that sets the line on sports events and takes bets. Also known as the book, the store, the man or sportsbook

• Chalk
  Favorite

• Circled Game
  Game where action is limited due to uncertainties about weather, injuries, etc.

• Cover
  Win by more than the point spread

• Dime
  $1000

• Dime Line
  Term used to designate the 10 cent money line.

• Dog
  Underdog

• Dollar
  $100

• Double Header
  Two seperate games played on the same day between the same teams

• Edge
  Advantage

• Even Money
  A wager on which neither side lays any odds or juice

• Exotic Bet
  Any action other then a straight bet or parlay

• Exposure
  The amount of money one actually stands to lose on a bet

• Favorite
  The contestant in any given contest that is considered the most likely to win the contest

• Firing
  Betting alot. A player who is 'firing' is wagering large sums

• Futures
  Wagers made, o lines posted on an event or outcome taking place sometime in the future.

• Grand Salami
  The total over/under for all games in one league in one day

• Halftime Line
  A line on only the first or second half of a 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

• Hot Tip
  Information the bookie is not yet privy to

• Juice
  Sportsbook's commision. Most often refers to the 11 to 10 bettors lay on striaght wagers. Also know as vigorish

• Lay the Points
  A wager on a favorite in a pointspread contest

• Lay the Price
  A wager on a favorite in a money line contest

• Line
  The money line, odds or pointspread of any given contest

• Listed Pitcher
  The pitcher(s) listed by las vegas odds makers as probable starting pitcher(s) for a scheduled baseball game

• Lock
  Easy Winner

• Longshot
  Large Underdog

• Middle
  To win both sides of a game

• Moneyline
  The amount you must bet to win 100 on a favorite or the amount you win if you bet 100 on an underdog

• Nickel
  $500

• Off The Board
  Game where no wagers are being accepted

• Over/Under
  A Wager on whether the combined total of the points scored by both teams in a given contest will exceed or be less than the specifed number

• Overlay
  When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the bettor rather than the house

• Parlay
  A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. Parlays pay much better odds than placing each individual bet seperately since the difficulty of hitting them is much higher. Standard payoffs on a two team parlay are 13/5; while a three-team parlay pays 6/1; and four-team pays 10/1

• Past Post
  To make a wager 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/Pick'em
  A game where neither team is favored

• Player
  Bettor, Gambler

• Pleaser
  Different than a teaser, a pleaser moves the pointspread against your favor. However, similar to a parlay, a pleaser actually pays odds

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

• Press
  To bet a larger amount than usual

• Price
  The moneyline odds on the favorite of a given match

• Push
  A tie between the bettor and the sportsbook that is the result of the score of an event falling exactly on the pointspread or total points number

• Round Robin
  A series of parlays. A three-team round robin consists of three two team parlays involving three teams.

• Rundown
  Line update

• Scratch
  Withdraw, cancel

• Side
  To win one side and push the other

• Side Bet
  A wager on a particular team or side to win a contest

• Soft Line
  A 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
  Pointspread

• Steam
  When a betting line starts to move rapidly. Such movement reflects large amounts being bet on one side

• Straight Bet
  A straight bet is the most common type of sports bet. It involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straigh-up on the money line or to go over/under the total

• Take the Points
  A wager on the underdog in a pointspread contest

• Take a Price
  A wager on the underdog in a moneyline contest

• Teaser
  Similar to a parlay, a teaser bet is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers. The difference between a teaser and a parlay is that the point spread is adjusted to your advantage on each individual wager. In exchange for the points, you get less of a return on your bet compared to a parlay. For example, a 6-point teaser would move the line on a 7-point favorite from -7 to -1, meaning the team would have to cover 6 less points. Each of the individual wagers must win or the bet is a loss

• Toss Up
  Game where the line is close to a pick-em

• Total
  The line on a given contest, representing the combined number of points/goals scored by both teams.

• 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
  Sportsbook's commision. Also know as Juice