Action
A wager of any kind.
Book
An establishment that accepts wagers on
the outcome of horseracing and sporting events.
Bookie
Person who takes clients bets.
Bankroll
Your available gambling money.
Beard
A friend, acquaintance or other contact who is used to place
bets so that the
bookmakers will not know the identity of the actual bettor.
Many top handicappers and persons occupying sensitive positions
use this method of wagering.
Buck
A $100 wager.
Buy Points
Buy Points means that you can move the pointspread so that you
give away less points with the favorite or get more points with
the underdog, for both football and basketball. To do this you
must pay an extra 10% for each ½ point you buy in your favor.
For the NFL and NCAA football, you will pay an additional 15%
to buy on or off of 3 points - also know as Key Points. And
if you buy through 3 points, you will pay an additional 20%.
NOTE: There are NO Key Points for basketball. You pay a flat
10% for each 1/2 point you buy. An example of how to buy off
of 3 points: the Kansas City Chiefs (-3) are 3 point favorites.
To buy 1/2 point and make them a 2.5 point favorite, you would
need to lay $125 to win $100.
Buy Point Table (Football Key
Points)
|
Buy 1/2 point
to 3 |
|
100/125 |
|
Buy 1/2 point
off 3 |
|
100/125 |
|
Buy 1 point to
3 |
|
100/135 |
|
Buy 1 point off
3 |
|
100/135 |
|
Buy 1/2 point
any other |
|
100/120 |
|
Buy 1 point any
other |
|
100/130 |
Canadian Line
A combination point line and moneyline
in hockey.
Chalk
The favored team.
Chalk Player
Someone who usually only plays the favored teams. Rarely bets
on underdogs. Also known as Favorite Freddie.
Circle Game
A game in which the betting action is severely limited. Usually
occurs in those games that feature key injuries, inclement weather,
or unsubstantiated rumors regarding a team. Most bookies "circle"
all Ivy League Games.
Cover
To bet the spread by the required number of points. If such
occurs you have "covered the spread".
Dime Bet
A $1000 wager.
Dog
The underdog in any betting proposition.
Dog Player
One who mostly plays the underdog.
Dollar Bet
A $100 wager.
Double Bet
A wager for twice the size of one's usual wager.
Due For
A team that is "due for" whether it is
a win or a loss; many bettors like to play "due for" situations.
East Coast Line
Mainly used in hockey, which has a split-goal
line e.g. - NY Rangers (1 - 1 ½) favorite over the Vancouver
Canucks as opposed to goal spread plus moneyline (-1/2 -180).
Edge
Advantage.
Even Money
A wager in which no virgorish or juice
is laid.
Exotic Wager
Any bet other than a straight bet, i.e.,
parlays, teasers, if bets, reverses, round robin, round robin
box reverses, etc.
Fixed
Point shaving. Never say to a client that a game is fixed!
Future Bet
Bets accepted well in advance.
Futures
Odds posted on the winners of various
major sport championships in advance of the event, including
the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Stanley Cup and the NBA
championship.
Getting Down
Making a wager.
Going Down
Losing.
Handicapper
One who studies and rates sporting events.
Handle
Total amounts of bets taken.
Hedging
Placing bets on the opposite side in order to cut losses or
guarantee winning a
minimal amount of money.
Holding Your Own
Neither winning or losing, just breaking even.
Hook
A half point added to football and basketball betting lines.
Hooked
Losing a wager by exactly one-half a point.
Hot Game
A game which is drawing a lot of action on one side by knowledgeable
handicappers.
Juice
The bookmaker's commission, also known as vigorish.
Laying The Points
Betting on the favorite
Limit
The maximum amount a bookmaker will allow you to bet before
he changes odds
and/or the points. Also the "cap" on what you can personally
wager.
Line
The listed odds on a game ( points or money line ).
Linemaker
The person who establishes the original and subsequent betting
lines.
Lock
Easy winner, can not lose.
Longshot
A team or horse that is unlikely to win.
"The Man"
Bookie.
Middles
To win both sides of the same betting proposition; betting the
favorite team at -1.5 with one bookmaker and then taking +3.5
with another bookmaker; the game ends up with the favorite winning
by exactly 3 points, you have then "middle the game"; a favorite
betting method of "Wise Guys".
Money Lline
A money line is offered when no handicap is given, such as a
point spread or run line, and the odds are not therefore fixed.
Payouts are then based on true odds rather than fixed odds.
The favorite and underdog are given odds to win a game or fight.
The minus sign (e.g.-130) always indicates the favorite and
the amount you must bet to win $100. The plus sign (e.g.+110)
always indicates the underdog and the amount you win for every
$100 bet. Therefore based on the above money line, you bet $130
to win $100 on the favorite. For the underdog, you win $110
for every $100 bet.
Newspaper Line
The betting line which quite often appears in the daily newspapers.
The lines are only approximate and quiet often totally inaccurate
and misleading.
Nickel
A $500 wager.
Oddsmaker
The same as a line maker.
Odds On Favorite
A horse, team or individual so favored by the public that the
odds are less than
even.
Off The Board
A game on which the bookmaker will not accept action.
Off Lines
The amount the Las Vegas point spread differs from our computerized
mathematical
line.
Official Line
The line that the bookmaker uses for wagering purposes. The
line which comes from Las Vegas is quite often referred to as
the official line; however, the line that your bookie offers
you is actually your "official line". Many smart bettors like
to know the Las Vegas official line so that they can compare
to their local bookies in order to determine how badly they
are being "faded".
Outlaw Line
An early line which is not an official line. Quite often line
makers allow specially
selected bettors to wager into the "outlaw line" before entering
the line to the public.
The winemakers respect these individuals and use their input
to create a final opening
number. This process is also called "ironing" or "flattening"
the line.
Overplay
An advantage for the bettor in which the price on a given wager
is greater than the
real probability of its success.
Over & Under
A wager for the total score by both teams will more or less
than the total posted by the sports book.
Parlay
The number of teams in the parlay must all hit or the parlay
loses. 2-team parlay pay 13-5 odds. 3-team parlay pay 5-1 odds.
4-team parlays pay 8-1 odds.
Parlay Cards
Wagers on a minimum of 3 and up to 15
propositions; the more you pick, the higher the payoff.
Past Performance
What has occurred previously to the forthcoming games.
Pick
Occasionally, there will be no favorite on a game. In this instance
the game is said to be a pick and you can bet 10/11 (bet $110
to win $100) on either team.
Pick'em Game
Neither team is favored. Take your pick and lay
11 to 10.
Point spread
The point spread - also called "the line" - is used as a margin
to handicap the favorite team. The odds maker - also called
the handicapper - "gives" points (or goals) to the underdog
- for betting purposes only. The bettor must take either the
favorite or the underdog. The favorite is always indicated by
a minus sign (e.g. -8.5) and the underdog by a plus sign (e.g.+8.5).
For betting purposes, the outcome of the game is determined
by taking the actual game score and finding the difference between
the scores of the two teams playing (called the point spread
or just the "spread").
For example - The Green Bay Packers are 8 point favorites over
the Miami Dolphins (an 8 point spread shown as -8 beside Green
Bay on our "lines" page). If the final score is Green Bay 20
Miami 13, then the actual game score "spread" is 7 points (20
minus 13). In our example if you took Miami (called the "dog"),
you would win the bet since Green Bay had to win by 9 points
or more to "cover the spread." Green Bay needed 2 more points
to "cover" since if the game landed right on the "spread" of
8 points it would be called a "push" (similar in concept to
a tie in Moneyline wagering, which is also called a push) and
it would be "no action" (no bet and money held in your account
to cover the wager is released back into your available balance).
If the "spread" is put in at a half point (eg. -8.5 for the
favorite Green Bay) by the Sportsbook handicappers then there
can be no "push." In this case, there is "action" at any final
game score point spread. In a point spread, you must wager $11
to win $10 ($21 is returned to the winner). 10/11 is the standard
for point spread bets on most sports.
Post Time
The Schedule starting time.
Press
To bet a larger amount than usual.
Price
The odds or pointspread.
Proposition Bet
A wager on a particular aspect of the game such as how many
field goals will be made.
Puckline
Hockey combines both a handicap/spread
and odds. This is called the Puckline. Sample line:
|
Boston |
|
+1 (-110) |
|
Detroit |
|
-1.5 (-110) |
The favorites are the Detroit Red Wings, who are giving the
Boston Bruins 1.5 goals. To win the bet, Detroit would have
to win the game by 2 goals. When placing this bet you are getting
even money, which means that for every $110 you wager, you will
win $100. If you are betting on Boston, you will receive a 1.0
goal handicap, meaning that if Detroit wins by 1 goal the game
is a push. If the game ends in a tie or Boston wins, then you
win the bet. The odds again are at -110.
Push
If the result of a game lands exactly on the pointspread or
is a tie in the case of betting a moneyline, or if the exact
score of the game matches exactly the Sportsbook's posted game
total (Total), then the game is a "Push" or "No Action" and
all wagers are released back to the Available Account Balance
.
Round Robin
A form of parlay betting in which we wager various combining
team wagers. A 3-team robin is team 1 to 2, 1 to 3, and 2 to
3. 4-team robin is team 1 to 2, 1 to 3, 1 to 4, 2 to 3, 2 to
4, and 3 to 4. 5-team, etc.
Run Line
A line used when wagering on baseball.
Scouts
Person(s) who study team plays and/or practice and report findings
to handicappers.
Smart Money
Sides that are bet on by the more knowledgeable
handicappers.
Sport Player
A person who waits for what he thinks
is an unusually strong wager.
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.
Score
To make a big win.
Scratch
To call off a wager.
Side
When one side of a wager wins and the other side ties.
Smart Money
Sides that are bet on by the more knowledgeable handicappers.
Sport Player
A person who waits for what he thinks is an unusually strong
wager.
Star
Rating.
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.
The Store
Bookie.
Sucker Bet
A bet that is very disadvantageous to the player such as a public
opinion game.
Taking
Wagering on the underdog; taking the odds.
Totals
Total combined point/runs/goals scored
in a game; In baseball, if either of the two listed starting
pitchers don't go the bet is automatically cancelled.
Tout
Someone who sells his opinions on sports or horse wagers.
Value
Getting the best odds on a betting proposition; the highest
possible edge.
Virgornish
The commission paid to the bookmaker.
Wager
Any Bet.
Wise Guy
A sophisticated gambler.
Wood
Laying points.
|
