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
