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