Baseball Statistics Abbreviations
Sports Gambling Definitions “Gambling Glossary”
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“Betting, Gambling Terminology 101″ Gambling Dictionary
There are hundreds of betting and gambling terms and abbreviations that many people don’t know or understand. Here are the most common ones that are the most asked about.
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Action – A sports bet or a wager of any kind. Also known as a bet.
Angles – Using factors from previous events to predict the results to help your bet for future. outcomes.
ATS – “Against the spread,” Either laying or taking points in a match up.
Beard – Hiding the identity of the real player. A beard will get someone else to place bets for them.
Bet – To risk something on the outcome of an event.
Book – In sports gambling a Book is an establishment that accepts bets on the outcome of horse racing and sporting events.
Bookie – In sports wagering a person who accepts bets. Bookie’s are illegal. Also known as a book maker.
Buck – A term for when a better places a $100 wager.
Buying (Points) – In sports betting, a player pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a point spread game.
Canadian Line – In sports betting the Canadian line is a combination point spread and money line in hockey.
Chalk – The listed favorite.
Chalk Player – A gambler who prefers to bet on the favorite to win the outcome. He very rarely bets on the underdog.
Circled game – In sports wagering this is a game in which the betting action is reduced; usually occurs in added games, games with injuries, bad weather, propositions, or halves of games. These games cannot be included in parlays or teasers. Circled games are usually listed in red on the internet.
Cover – Winning the outcome of the point spread.
Data Mining- Looking through statistics to help find a bet for the future.
Dime – A player who gambles $1,000 on a wager.
Dime Line – In sports betting a Dime line is a line where the juice or vig is 10%.
Dog – In sports betting, the team perceived to be most likely to lose. This is the opposite of the favorite.
Dog Player – A gambler who most likely takes the underdog in his bets.
Dollar – A gambler who bets $100 on a sports event.
Double Bet – In sports betting a double bet is a wager for twice the size of one’s usual wager; also known as “double pop” or “doubling up.”
Edge – A person that has more knowledge on a game is known as a edge.
Even Money – A bet where there is no juice or vig laid. The odds are 1-1.
Exotic – In sports gambling the term Exotic is any wager other than a straight bet or parlay – also known as a prop or proposition.
Exposure – The maximum amount of $ a sports book stands to lose on a game.
Favorite – The team that is expected to win the sporting event. The odds are usually higher for these bets.
Fifty cents – When a gambler places a bet for $50.00
Figure – The amount that the gambler owes to the book maker.
First half bet – Simply betting on the odds of the first half of the game.
Future – Betting on the outcome of a major future event earlier in the season. For example someone betting on who will win the Super bowl before the season even starts.
Gamble- To risk money on the outcome of a event taking place.
Getting Down – Making a bet
Grand Salami – The grand total of goals scored in all the hockey games of the day. It can be wagered to go Over/Under the projected total..
Half a dollar – A bet that equals $50.00
Half time bet – A bet that is wagering on the second half of a event.
Handicapper – When it comes to sports betting a handicapper is one who studies, rates and wagers on sporting events and/or races.
Handicapping – Providing advice and predictions to sporting events.
Handle – The total amount of bets taken.
Hedging – Placing wagers on the opposite side in order to cut losses or guarantee a minimum amount of winnings.
Hook – is a half point added to betting lines.
Hot game – A game that is drawing a lot of action on one specific side.
Juice – The bookmaker’s commission on a losing bet, also known as “vigorish or the vig.
Laying the points – Taking the favorite in the bet you are giving up points in your bet.
Laying the price – In sports wagering, laying the price means betting the favorite by laying money odds. “Taking the money line favorite.
Layoff – The house pushing off the bet to another book to lay off some of the action
Limit – limit is the maximum amount a bookmaker will allow you to bet before he changes the odds and/or the points.
Line – In sports betting, the current odds or point spread on a particular event.
Linemaker – In the sports betting industry this is the person who establishes the original and subsequent betting lines.
Listed Pitchers –In baseball the two pitchers that are listed to start the game. If they don’t start, the bet is usually cancelled.
Longshot a team or horse perceived to be unlikely to win.
Middle – Winning both sides of the same contest in sports betting event. Betting on the underdog at one point spread and the favorite at a different point spread and winning both sides.
Money line – odds expressed in terms of money. With money odds, whenever there is a minus (-) you lay that amount to win a hundred dollars, where there is a plus (+) you get that amount for every hundred dollars wagered. Here is a example New York Yankees -200. You have to lay out $200 for every $100 you win. The underdog Boston Redsox +150. For every $100 you bet and win you receive $150 back.
Move the line – A gambler pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a point spread game. Buying points on a game will reduce the odds.
Nickel – A player betting $500 on a wager.
Nickel line – A wagering line where the juice or vig is 5%.
No action – A wager in which no money is lost or won.
Odds- What is likely to happen. There are favorite’s odds and underdog’s odds. They are in number form.
Off the board – Also known as Taken Off The Board this is where the you are not allowed to place a wager on the game
One dollar – When a gambler bets $100.00 on a wager.
Opening Line- The earliest line posted.
Over –The over is the potential guess of the combination of the two teams combined score.
Parlay – A bet with two or more teams in which all teams must win or cover for the bettor to win and receive higher payouts. You must combine at least two games.
Pick ‘em – When neither team is favored. There is no point spread making it a pick’ em game.
Point spread – The scoring differential between two opponents listed by the sports book.
Power Ratings- The strength “ranking” of a team in comparison to another team.
Press – Wagering a larger amount than usual on a bet
Price – The odds or point spread on a game.
Prop Bet – Also known as proposition bets. Special wagers offered by the sports book on unique and various topics. These wagers are often like who will score the first touchdown in a game or who will become the next president. Prop bets are not always on sporting events.
Puck line – A puck line is where both a goal spread and money line are played. The puck line represents the point spread for that game.
Puppy – The underdog in an game
Push – When the contest ends with no winner or loser for wagering purposes. If the point spread is -7 and the game ends by the favorite winning by seven points exactly.
Round Robin – In sports betting this a series of three or more teams in 2-team parlays.
Run down – All of the lines of sporting events for a particular day.
Run line – In baseball a spread used instead of the money line.
Runner – A person who places a bet for another person.
Sharp – A professional gambler.
Sides – The names of the two sides that are playing. The favorite vs the underdog.
Single action – An “if bet” in sports gambling that is processed only if the precedent bet wins.
Sportsbook- a person or company that accepts bets.
Spread – A spread in sports wagering is the predicted scoring differential between two opponents as quoted by a sports book. See “point spread.”
Square – A novice when it comes to sports betting. A inexperienced bettor.
Steam A sporting event where the line for that event starts to move rapidly.
Store – A bookie or sports betting establishment.
Straight bet – In sports betting this is a wager on just one team.
Straight-up- Winning the game without any regards to the point spread. This is the same thing as betting on the money line.
Systems- Using trends and other theory to predict futures of games.
Taking the points – Taking advantage of being the underdog and taking the point spread.
Taking the price – In sports wagering this means betting the underdog and accepting money odds.
Teaser – A teaser is a special type of parlay in sports betting in which you adjust the point spread or total of each individual play. The price of moving the point spread (teasing) is lower pay off odds winning wagers.
Ticket – A sports betting wager.
Total – The combined amount of runs, points or goals scored by both teams during the game, including the overtime.
Totals Bet -A bet in which the bettor speculates that the total score by both teams in a game will be more or less than the line posted by the sports book.
Tout – Someone who sells their expertise on sports wagering.
Trends- Using the past to predict the future focusing in on only one team.
Under – The better is guessing that the combined total of the event will go under the posted total.
Underdog – The team perceived to be most likely to lose. Also known as the “dog” You will most likely receive points when taking the dog in the point spread.
Value – In sports betting value means getting the best odds on a wagering proposition; the highest possible edge.
Vigorish – Also known as “The Vig” The bookmaker’s commission on a losing bet; also known as juice in sports betting.
Wager- To risk money on the outcome of an event.
Wise guy – A wise guy is the sports gambling term for a well-informed or knowledgeable handicapper or bettor.
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