Glossary of Sports Betting Terms

• Accumulator – bet on two or more events where bets are reinvested on subsequent wager
• Across the board – wagering on a horse to win, place, and show
• Action – number of bets placed on a certain event
• Against the spread – taking points instead of betting the point spread
• Banker – bet most likely to win in parlay
• Beard – person wagering for bettor in order to conceal identity
• Book – place that accepts bets on sporting events
• Bookmaker – person who accepts bets on sporting events
• Canadian line – combination of point spread and money line in hockey
• Chalk – favorite team, athlete, or horse
• Chalk player – person who bets favorites and not the underdogs
• Circled game – game with lowered limits or restricted betting options because of injuries
• Cover – beat the point spread by required number of points
• Dime line – line with juice of 10 percent
• Dog player – person who bets the underdogs
• Double bet – wagering twice a person's usual bet
• Edge – bookmaker’s or bettor’s advantage
• Even money – bet on outcome with no odds
• Exotic – bets other than straight bets or parlays
• Exposure – maximum amount a sportsbook can lose on a game
• Favorite – team or horse expected to win
• Futures – bets on events to take place in the future
• Grand Salami – total of goals scored in all of one day's hockey games
• Handicapping – predictions as to the outcome of a sporting event
• Handle – total amount of money bet on an event or series of events
• Hedge – betting both sides to cut losses or guarantee minimum winnings
• Juice – bookie's commission
• Laying points – betting the favorite by forfeiting points
• Lines – odds
• Linemaker – person who sets all betting lines
• Lock – easy winner
• Longshot – least likely to win
• Middle – winning both sides of the same sporting event
• Moneyline – wager with no point spread
• Move the line – betting more to move points in the bettor's favor
• Nickel line – line with 5% juice
• Off the board – no action from the bookmaker
• Outlaw line – overnight line with few betting possibilities
• Over/under – bet on combined total of points scored by a team over or under a chosen number
• Parlay – bet on two or more events where bets are reinvested on subsequent wager
• Pick 'em – game with no favorite team
• Point spread – points given to the underdog for betting purposes
• Press – bet higher than usual
• Prop bet – special bet on unusual events, such as political races or music contests
• Push – no winner or loser
• Round Robin – group of three or more teams in dual parlays
• Rundown – all lines for a sporting event
• Runner – person who places another's bet
• Sharp – professional gambler
• Single action – bet processed if prior bet wins
• Spread – point spread
• Square – new bettor
• Straight bet – wager on one team, athlete, or horse
• Taking points – betting the underdog in the point spread
• Taking price – betting underdog for money odds
• Ticket – proof of wager
• Totals bet – bet on total score by both teams going over or under the line
• Underdog – team most likely to lose
• Value – best possible odds
• Vig – bookmaker's commission on losing bets