NFL BETTING TERMS
Betting Terms
ATS- against the spread
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
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
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
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
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 odds makers 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 middle the book. The book has
been middle.
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.
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