Sports
Action: A bet or series of bets placed by a player or total amount of bets on a game
Accumulator: Parlay wager
Added Game: A game that is rescheduled to a new date OR in college football and basketball these are games that are smaller schools and these have smaller limits.
Alternative Line: A line that is not the primary line for a Full Game or Half
American Odds: They can be expressed as base 100 (-110), decimal (1.91), or fractional (10/11). All express a wager at 110 to win 100
Arbitrage: A betting style where both sides of a wager are bet, usually using multiple sportsbooks
Asian Handicap: Most common in soccer, Asian Handicap odds start at .25. The wager is “split” into two wagers Even and -.5. Example is Line of Madrid -.25 -165 for $200 breaks into Madrid Even 165 100 and Madrid -.5 165 100.
ATS (Against the Spread): Betting based on the spread, rather than outright wins.
Backdoor Cover: When a team unexpectedly covers the spread late in a game.
Bad Beat: Losing a bet in a painful or unlucky way.
Bankroll (Balance): The total amount of money a bettor has allocated for wagering.
Beard: A gambler who is betting for someone else
Board: Used to describe available betting options.
Book: Short for sportsbook
Bookmaker: A person accepting bets.
Buy Points: Bettors can buy points to gain a more favorable line. The buy changes the odds of the wager.
CFP: College Football Playoffs
Cashout: Books offer a payout before the wager is complete
Chalk: The heavy favorite expected to win.
Circled Game: A game with reduced betting limits
Closing Line: The final line when the event begins
Commission: Used two ways, sometime the juice is called a commission but this is not common. More often commission is paid to affiliates.
Correct Score Wagering: Betting on the exact final score of an event
Cover: The betting result on a point spread. The under dog covers if they win outright or lose by less than the spread.
Credit Player: Players that have a credit line to play against. They either settle every Monday or when they reach a settle amount.
Decimal Odds: 1.91 is if you bet $1 and win, you will receive 1.91 which is your $1 plus .91 cents profit.
Dime: Slang for a $1,000 bet.
Dime Line: when the total juice on a game is -10cents, -105/-105 or -130/+120.
Dog: Slang for the underdog, a team expected to lose.
Double Action: In a wager called a Reverse, this means win OR tie
Double Result: A single betting option that combines two results.
Double Header: A baseball term where teams play two games in one day
Draw: A game that ends in a tie. In a two way line this is graded as a push but in a three way line the Draw wins
Even Money: Bets with odds of exactly 1to 1 or +100/-100
Exposure: Amount of risk (money that can be lost) to the bookmaker
Extra Innings: Baseball games that are tied after the scheduled number of innings and play extra time
Fade: To bet against a specific bettor or team.
Favorite: Team expected to win
Figure: Balance
First Half Bet: A wager on the first half of a football, basketball or soccer game.
First inning or 1st 3 Innings or 1st 5 Innings are all bets on a period of time in a baseball game.
First/Last/Anytime Scorer: These are pregame Prop Bets on players to score the first goal, last goal, or scores at anytime in a game.
Fractional odds: 10/11 equals -110 , 1/5 = -500, 3/1 = +300
Futures Bet: A long term wager usually on the results for a full season
Game Total: The number of Runs, Points, or goals scored in a game. It can be for a period of time like a half or for the full game. It can also be for one team or another
Golden Goal: Sudden death where next score wins
Grade: Determining the winning and losing wagers
Grand Salami: A wager on the total number of goals, runs or points in all games of a single sport on any given day
Halftime Bet: A bet made on the results of a football or basketball game after halftime
Handicapper: A player who uses data to predict a winner
Handle: The total money wagered on an event.
Hedge: Placing bets on opposite outcomes to limit risk or lock in profit.
Hold: The amount won by the house
Hold Percentage: Win (or loss) divided by total action
Home Field Advantage: A team that is playing at their home stadium
Hook: Half-point on a betting line. Any line with a half-point is said to have a hook
If-Bet: An if Bet is a conditional wager, If A occurs then B is a bet. Single Action is Win only, Double Action is Win or Tie
In-game wagering: Live Wagering
Inning: In baseball, the game is divided into Innings
Juice/Vig: Bookmaker's commission (usually around 10%).
Laying Points: Betting on the favorite by giving up points (used in games with spreads).
Listed Pitchers: The starting Pitchers in a baseball game
Lock: A supposed guaranteed win.
Line: Usually considered the Point Spread but can also mean the Money line if there is no point spread
March Madness: College Basketball that can include Conference Tournaments or ONLY the NCAA basketball championship.
Middle: Cashing tickets on both sides of the same game
Moneyline: Straight-up wager on who wins without a point spread.
No Action: All wagers cancelled on an event
Odds Boost: An increased payout offered by a book usually as a promotion
Off the Board: A book has stopped taking wagers on a game commonly caused due to injury announcement.
Open Game: Games are available at full betting limits.
Over/Under: Another term for the Total
Overtime: When a Basketball, Football, or hockey game is tied and has to play longer to determine winner
Parlay: Single wager combining multiple events, all of which must win.
Pick'em: Game without a clear favorite; odds are roughly even (-110/-110)
Pitching Change: When a baseball team changes the starting pitcher
Point Spread: A value (number of points) that theoretically make two teams equal.
Props: Wagers that are focused on a player or a stat.
Puck Line: A spread in a hockey game
Push: Tie, bet amount is returned.
Reduced Game: A game where the limits are significantly lower than normal.
Required Length of Play: The amount of time that must be played for a game to be declared official for wagering purposes.
Reverses: A pair of If-Bets, A if B and B if A
Risk: The amount of money that would be lost if the wager losses.
Rotation Number: A number assigned by bookmakers to every betting option on the board
Run Line: In baseball, a betting line can be expressed as a number of runs
Same-Game Parlay: A type of parlay where a bettor can string together multiple types of bets for the same game.
Sharp: Professional or experienced bettor who often moves lines.
Short Game: Usually used for a Baseball game that goes less than the scheduled number of Innings
Square: Inexperienced or casual bettor (non sharp).
Steam: Significant movement in odds due to heavy betting activity.
Teaser: Like parlays but lets you adjust point spreads to your advantage. Football (6,6.5,7) Basketball (4,4.5,5).
Three Way Line: Three options for an event, Player (or team) A, Player B, or Draw. If a draw occurs, all wagers on A & B lose.
Ties Lose: This is a rule for teasers, if a game ends in a net tie (tie based on point spread) then the bet is a loser.
Total: same as Game Total
Underdog:
The team that is expected to lose
Casino
Action: Total amount wagered by a player or the amount wagered on a table
Burn Card: Card discarded face-down in blackjack or poker.
Bust: Black Jack term for getting more than 21
Chase: Betting aggressively to recover losses.
Comps: Complimentary items or services provided based on amount of action
Double Down: Doubling a blackjack wager for exactly one additional card. Usually used when player has a 10 or 11 on two cards
Grind: Playing conservatively, aiming to win small amounts consistently.
High Roller (Whale): Player who bets large amounts.
Hit: Taking an additional card in blackjack.
House Edge: Casino’s statistical advantage in any game.
Martingale: Betting system involving doubling bets after losses.
Marker: Line of credit offered by a casino to players.
Pit Boss: Supervisor managing casino table games.
Progressive Jackpot: a prize that increases each time the game is played without the jackpot being won.
Random Number Generator (RNG): Software ensuring random outcomes, essential for online gaming fairness.
Shoe: Device holding multiple decks of cards, used in blackjack and baccarat.
Tilt: Emotionally driven betting after a loss, usually reckless (chasing).
Toke: Tips given to dealers by players.
Whale: Extremely high-value player who bets significantly large sums (High Roller).
Horses
Win: Finishing first
Place: Finishing 2nd
Show: Finishing 3rd
Exacta: First and Second in order
Quinella: First and Second in any order (also used in Jai Alai)
Trifecta: 1st, 2nd, 3rd in order
Box: When betting a multi horse wager so the chosen picks are bet to cover any order
Daily Double: Betting the winners of two consecutive races
Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6: Picking the winner of the specified number of races
Ante Post: Fixed odds wagering for horse racing
Post Time: Scheduled start of a horse race
Off Time: when the race actually starts
Fixed Odds: A wager made at a pre-determined price
Pari-mutual: Betting where the odds are determined after the race when taxes and house percentage have been removed from the pool and divided among the winners.
Misc
Affiliate: Partner promoting casinos or sportsbooks for commission.
Bonus Hunter: Player exploiting promotional offers
Cashback: Return of a percentage of losses or wagers to incentivize continued play.
Free Play: Promotional funds given to a player (no cash value so it has to be played through at least once know as “One time Roll”
KYC (Know Your Customer): Verification procedure required for compliance.
Per Head: The Per Head business charges based on the services provided a Price Per Active Player (Head).
Reload Bonus: Bonus offered on subsequent deposits, after the initial signup bonus.
Responsible Gambling: Measures and policies aimed at protecting players from harmful gambling behaviors.
Roll-over/Wagering Requirement: Amount needed to wager before winnings can be withdrawn.
Self-Exclusion: Player-requested ban from gambling.
Tout: An individual or site that sells picks (West Coast Picks)
White Label: Gambling platform offered by a third-party, branded specifically for operator use.