Betting Terms Spread
2 days ago Covering the Spread: Super Bowl LV Prop Betting Preview With JJ Zachariason and Erin Dolan: Which props present the most value for Super Bowl LV? May 14, 2020 Against the spread (ATS) wagering is part of the standard big three betting options, which also includes moneylines and totals. Points spreads are a popular gambling choice in pro and college. Sep 04, 2014 Cover: The betting result on a point-spread wager. For a favorite to cover, it has to win by more than the spread; an underdog covers by winning outright or losing by less than the spread. This is a general term for the amount of bets placed on a side, game or sporting event. ATS (Against the Spread) This refers to betting on one side of the point spread. ATS is the acronym commonly. Spread Betting is a form of betting that involves accurately predicting the outcome of an event. It’s a popular way of making what may be considered a one-sided affair a competitive match. It can be used in horse racing, football and many other sports.
Like many other industries, the sports betting world has its own jargon and many terms, lingo can be confusing. Our Sports Betting 101 Glossary provides a quick and simple definition of often-used terms that you may read on VegasInsider.com or hear at your local sportsbook.
Sports Betting Resources and Terms
Action: Any bet.
Added Game: A matchup that is not part of the daily betting rotation. 'Added Games' are often make-up or rescheduled games that were expected to be played on a previous date. In pro baseball, it's likely Game 2 of an unscheduled double-header from a rainout.
Alternate lines: Some sportsbooks may offer different (or alternate) point spreads that pay different odds for the same game. These provide bettors more options to wager on certain games.
ATS: Against the spread
Arbitrage: Savvy bettors who try to scalp the market by playing both sides of a particular matchup, with hopes of cashing a middle. The hope is to guarantee getting money back regardless of the outcome.
Bankroll: The total amount of money a bettor can spend on a betting app.
Beard: Messenger bettor, used at brick and mortar casinos and sportsbooks if the real bettor wishes to remain anonymous.
Beef: Dispute
Betting Trends: Stats that show the total amount of money wagered on a game
Buck: $100
Buying Points: Paying additional money to move the point-spread in a direction of your preference. Often used in football, bettors will buy 'on' or 'off' key numbers to avoid losing by a point or two.
Chalk: Favorite in a game by a large margin
Chalk Eater:Bettor who is known for betting on the favorites consistently
Churn: The effect of betting and rebetting money, similar to Arbitrage
Circle Game: Game where action is limited due to uncertainties about weather, injuries, etc
Cover: Win by more than the point-spread
Dime: $1,000
Dollar: $100
Dog: Abbreviation for Underdog, team expected to lose the game
Draw: A tie, used often in Soccer and sometimes in Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts
Earn: Practical hold percentage
Edge: Advantage
Even Money: When a selection has no juice or vig involved. A $100 wager will win $100, while normal wagers would make bettors lay $110 to win $100.
Exotic Bet: Action other than a straight bet or parlay, often unusual bets you won't see in many places. Can be listed under prop bets in sportsbooks.
Exposure: The amount of money the house actually stands to lose on a game or a race.
Extension: The amount of money the house theoretically will risk losing on a game or a race.
Favorite: The team in a sports betting matchup that is expected to win. In football and basketball, the favorite gives points while in moneyline sports, the favorite has to lay a higher price in order to cash a ticket.
Figure: Amount owed by or to a bookmaker
Firing: Betting a lot. A player who is 'firing' is wagering large sums
Fractional Odds: Not used commonly in the United States. These are odds used mainly in Europe. Odds are listed in fraction form (1/10) instead of as a moneyline (-100).
Futures: Wagers where bettors can invest in the future outcome of a team to win a particular event, even if it isn't in the near future. Example – bettors often choose a team to win the World Series or Super Bowl and receive higher payouts based on the numbers from the oddsmakers depending on how far out the event is.
Grand Salami: A popular NHL wager where bettors handicap the total number of goals scored in all games for one day. Some sportsbooks may offer alternate versions for home, away, or periods of games during the day. Some sportsbooks may offer a similar bet for runs in Major League Baseball but this is mostly used in hockey.
Gross Win: Win before expenses
Handicapper: One who studies sports and predicts outcomes of teams and players.
Handle: Total amount of bets taken
Hedge: Bet the opposite of your original wager in order to reduce the amount of action you have on a game
Hold: The percentage the house wins
Hook: Half point in point-spreads, as in 'lost by the hook'
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
In-Game Wagering: The ability to bet on a sporting event after the game has already started and until it concludes.Also known as live betting.
juice: Bookmaker's commission, most often refers to the 11 to 10 football bettors lay on straight wagers; vigorish
Key Numbers: Most often heard in pro football, the key numbers are the most common margins of the final outcome. The key numbers in the NFL are 3, 7 and 10 points.
Layoff Bet: A wager made by one bookmaker with another to help balance his action and reduce his potential risk or losses
Limit: Bet the opposite of your original wager in order to reduce the amount of action you have on a game
Line: The betting proposition on a game and/or payoff odds on the bet
Live Betting: See In-Game Wagering. Becoming more popular as most betting apps seem to have this feature now.
Lock: An easy betting win.
Long Shot: Large underdog
L3, L5, L10: Last Three, Last Five, Last 10
Marker: Credit offered at Casinos.
Moneyline: Used often in sports like baseball, hockey and soccer -- these odds are set on the straight up winner of the matchup. There is no point-spread with moneylines. Just pick the winner!
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.
Neutral Site: Arena, court or field where neither side has a home field advantage. For example the Super Bowl most years.
Nickel: $500
Odds: Numbers used to determine the favorite and underdog of a sporting match. Unless the game is a pick 'em, there is always a favorite or underdog.
O/U: Over/Under
Off the Board: Game where bets are no longer being accepted. This often happens when there is unknown about a key player's injury status.
Overlay: When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the bettor rather than the house
Parlay: A bet with two or more teams where all the teams must win for the bettor to be successful. The more events in a parlay, the more money there is to cash in on but the harder it becomes to win the wager.
Past Post: To make a bet after an event has started
Pick or Pick'em: A game where neither team is favored
Point-Spread: A number or line set by oddsmakers to provide an advantage or disadvantage based on the margin of victory or defeat for the teams in the matchup. There is always a favorite (-) and an underdog (+). The most popular type of betting in the United States, mainly used in both football and basketball.
Practical Hold Percentage: The amount won by a bookmaker divided by the total amount booked
Press: To bet a larger amount than usual
Public Dog: When betting trends lean heavily to an underdog
Public Trends: Betting Percentages showing money and ticket count for games
Puppy: Underdog
Push: Tie. The bettor doesn't win or lose money, almost as if the bet didn't happen (Parlays not included).
(ROI): Return on Investment.The amount of money you win on a wager, or your return on your investment or stake.
Reverse-Line Movement: When a line (point-spread) moves in the opposite direction of the betting percentages. Some pundits believe you can follow sharp money with reverse-line movement, especially when the trends and lines differ drastically.
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
Run-Line: A popular pro baseball wager where the favorite (-1.5) must win by two plus runs to win or the underdog (+1.5) must win or lose by less than two runs to win.
Runner: See Beard
Score: To win a lot of money
Scratch: Withdraw or cancel
Sharp bettors: Money wagered by bettors be that a sportsbook operator respects. Sharp money often comes from large wagers placed by professional bettors. It should be noted that not all large wagers are considered Sharp.
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
Steam: When the odds change because of the money wagered on a game or participant is primarily one-sided for a team. Some bettors will chase the steam thinking the other bettors know something they may not but instead they are just mostly all following the trend.
Straight Bet: A bet on just one team
Sucker Bet: Bet with a large house edge
system: When bettors and handicappers develop angles based on historical or seasonal stats.
Take a Price: Bet the underdog, take the points
Tapped Out: Broke, busted, common result of pressing
Teaser: A wager used in football and basketball that allows bettors to combine two or more selections together while adjusting the points on those selections.
Tissue Price: The initial odds offered by the sportsbook. This price is usually considered a much fairer deal for the bettor.
Toke: A tip or gratuity
Toss Up: Game where the line is close to a pick-em and either side is expected to win.
Tout Service: A business that sells opinions on sporting events
Trend: Daily, Weekly and Seasonal angles that bettors and handicappers often follow or fade in their wagers.
Triple Sharp: The sharpest of the sharp, (Note: There is no such term as 'Double Sharp')
Unit/s:Amount bet on a game.
Wager: A bet
Win Totals: A future wager that allows bettors to handicap the number of victories and losses of a team during the course of a regular season.
Underdog: The team in a sports betting matchup that is not expected to win. In football and basketball, the underdog receives points while in moneyline sports, the 'dog can net a positive return if it wins.
Underlay: When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the house
Value: An overlay
Wire-to-Wire Commonly seen in the NBA, a bet where a team will lead after every quarter for the entire game.
Action: Having a wager on a game.
ATS ('against the [point] spread'): If a team is 5-2 ATS, it means it has a 5-2 record against the point spread, or more commonly referred to simply as the 'spread.'
Backdoor cover: When a team scores points at the end of a game to cover the spread unexpectedly.
Bad beat: Losing a bet you should have won. It's especially used when the betting result is decided late in the game to change the side that covers the spread. Also used in poker, such as when a player way ahead in the expected win percentage loses on the river (last card).
Beard: Someone who places a wager for another person (aka 'runner').
Book: Short for sportsbook or bookmaker; person or establishment that takes bets from customers.
Bookie: A person who accepts bets illegally and charges vig.
Buying points: Some bookies or sportsbooks will allow customers to alter the set line and then adjust odds. For example, a bettor might decide he wants to have his team as a 3-point underdog instead of the set line of 2.5. He has then 'bought' half a point, and the odds of his bet will be changed.
Chalk: The favorite in the game. People said to be 'chalk' bettors typically bet the favorite.
Circle game: A game for which the betting limits are lowered, usually because of injuries and/or weather.
Closing line: The final line before the game or event begins.
Consensus pick: Derived from data accumulated from a variety of sportsbooks in PickCenter. The pick, and its percentage, provides insight as to what side the public is taking in a game.
Cover: The betting result on a point-spread wager. For a favorite to cover, it has to win by more than the spread; an underdog covers by winning outright or losing by less than the spread.
Dime: Jargon for a $1,000 bet. If you bet 'three dimes,' that means a $3,000 wager.
'Dog: Short for underdog.
Dollar: Jargon for a $100 bet. Usually used with bookies; if you bet 'five dollars,' that means a $500 wager.
Edge: An advantage. Sports bettors might feel they have an edge on a book if they think its lines aren't accurate.
Even money: Odds that are considered 50-50. You put up $1 to win $1.
Exotic: Any wager other than a straight bet or parlay; can also be called a 'prop' or 'proposition wager.'
Favorite: The expected straight-up winner in a game or event. Depending on the sport, the favorite will lay either odds or points. For example, in a football game, if a team is a 2.5-point favorite, it will have to win by three points or more to be an ATS winner.
Fixed: A participant in a particular game who alters the result of that game or match to a completely or partially predetermined result. The participant did not play honestly or fairly because of an undue outside influence.
Futures bet: A long-term wager that typically relates to a team's season-long success. Common futures bets include betting a team to win a championship at the outset of a season, or betting whether the team will win or lose more games than a set line at the start of the season.
Halftime bet: A bet made after the first half ended and before the second half begins (football and basketball primarily). The oddsmaker generally starts with half of the game side/total and adjusts based on what happened in the first half.
Handicapper: A person trying to predict the winners of an event.
Handle: The amount of money taken by a book on an event or the total amount of money wagered.
Hedging: Betting the opposing side of your original bet, to either ensure some profit or minimize potential loss. This is typically done with futures bets, but can also be done on individual games with halftime bets or in-game wagering.
High roller: A high-stakes gambler.
Hook: A half-point. If a team is a 7.5-point favorite, it is said to be 'laying seven and a hook.'
In-game wagering: A service offered by books in which bettors can place multiple bets in real time, as the game is occurring.
Juice: The commission the bookie or bookmaker takes. Standard is 10 percent. Also called the 'vig/vigorish.'
Layoff: Money bet by a sportsbook with another sportsbook or bookmaker to reduce that book's liability.
Limit: The maximum bet taken by a book. If a book has a $10,000 limit, it'll take that bet but the book will then decide whether it's going to adjust the line before the bettor can bet again.
Lock: A guaranteed win in the eyes of the person who made the wager.
Middle: When a line moves, a bettor can try to 'middle' a wager and win both sides with minimal risk. Suppose a bettor bets one team as a 2.5-point favorite, then the line moves to 3.5 points. She can then bet the opposite team at 3.5 and hope the favorite wins by three points. She would then win both sides of the bet.
Money line (noun), money-line (modifier): A bet in which your team only needs to win. The point spread is replaced by odds.
Mush: A bettor or gambler who is considered to be bad luck.
Nickel: Jargon for a $500 bet. Usually used with bookies; if you bet 'a nickel,' that means a $500 wager.
Oddsmaker (also linemaker): The person who sets the odds. Some people use it synonymous with 'bookmaker' and often the same person will perform the role at a given book, but it can be separate if the oddsmaker is just setting the lines for the people who will eventually book the bets.
Off the board: When a book or bookie has taken a bet down and is no longer accepting action or wagers on the game. This can happen if there is a late injury or some uncertainty regarding who will be participating.
Over/under: A term that can be used to describe the total combined points in a game (the Ravens-Steelers over/under is 40 points) or the number of games a team will win in a season (the Broncos' over/under win total is 11.5). Also used in prop bets.
Parlay: A wager in which multiple teams are bet, either against the spread or on the money line. For the wager to win (or pay out), all of them must cover/win. The more teams you bet, the greater the odds.
Pick 'em: A game with no favorite or underdog. The point spread is zero, and the winner of the game is also the spread winner.
Point spread (or just 'spread'): The number of points by which the supposed better team is favored over the underdog.
Proposition (or prop) bet: A special or exotic wager that's not normally on the betting board, such as which team will score first or how many yards a player will gain. Sometimes called a 'game within a game.' These are especially popular on major events, with the Super Bowl being the ultimate prop betting event.
Push: When a result lands on the betting number and all wagers are refunded. For example, a 3-point favorite wins by exactly three points. Return on investment (ROI): In PickCenter, ROI is the amount (according to numberFire) that a bettor should expect to get back on a spread pick.
Runner: Someone who makes bets for another person (aka 'beard').
Sharp: A professional, sophisticated sports bettor.
Spread: Short for point spread.
Square: A casual gambler. Someone who typically isn't using sophisticated reasoning to make a wager.
Steam: When a line is moving unusually fast. It can be a result of a group or syndicate of bettors all getting their bets in at the same time. It can also occur when a respected handicapper gives a bet his followers all jump on, or based on people reacting to news such as an injury or weather conditions.
Spread Betting Football
Straight up: The expected outright winner of the money line in an event or game, not contingent on the point spread.
Teaser: Betting multiple teams and adjusting the point spread in all the games in the bettor's favor. All games have to be picked correctly to win the wager.
Total: The perceived expected point, run or goal total in a game. For example, in a football game, if the total is 41 points, bettors can bet 'over' or 'under' on that perceived total.
Tout (service): a person (or group of people) who either sells or gives away picks on games or events.
Underdog: The team that is expected to lose straight up. You can either bet that the team will lose by less than the predicted amount (ATS), or get better than even-money odds that it will win the game outright. For example, if a team is a 2-1 underdog, you can bet $100 that the team will win. If it wins, you win $200 plus receive your original $100 wager back.
Vig/vigorish: The commission the bookie or bookmaker takes; also called the 'juice.' Standard is 10 percent.
Wager: A bet.
Football Betting Terms
Welch: To not pay off a losing bet.
Betting Terms Spread Definition
Wiseguy: A professional bettor. Another term for a 'sharp.'