Gambling Terms Sports
- Sports Gambling Terms
- Gambling Slang Terms
- Gambling Terms Sports Betting
- Gambling Terms Sports Gambling
- Gambling Terms Sports
- Casino Terms
Betting Glossary: Explanations, definitions of basic sports wagering terms SportsLine provides an elementary outline of fundamental sports-betting concepts such as the point spread, money line, rotation numbers, parlays and teasers. Gambling Herald’s Gambling Slang Dictionary aims to manage your complete integration to the gambling world. After improving your gambling knowledge through our online gambling guides, you can move onto learning the gambling lingo. In this short but very thorough glossary, we aim to fill in all the blanks in your betting terminology understanding.
As with most things in life, the world of wagering has a lot of terms and slang that represent something specific within the sports betting universe.
Knowing the lingo will help you understand what people are talking about and make you feel like you can talk the talk before you try to walk the walk.
Chalk – “Chalk” refers to a generally strong favorite (team, individual or horse) in a competition. Someone who bets the chalk is typically betting on the heavy favorite, which usually has a steep price because the favorite could be in the -300 or -500 range (bet $300/$500 to win $100).
Dime – A “dime” or “dime bet” is slang referring to money. A dime, in betting circles, refers to exactly $1,000.
Juice – A term that refers to the amount charged by a bookmaker/bookie/sportsbook for taking a bet from someone. This may also be referred to as vigorish or vig.
Negative Money Line – A negative money line represents the amount of money that a person making a wager would have to bet to win $100. If, for example, the money line was -200, you would need to bet $200 to win $100.
Nickel – A “nickel” or “nickel bet” is slang referring to money. A nickel, in betting circles, refers to exactly $500.
Over/Under – In sports betting, the over/under or over-under (also referred to as “O/U”) is a number for a score/statistic in a given game set by sportsbooks. Bettors then wager that the actual number in the game will either be higher or lower than the predicted number set by sportsbooks.
Spread Bet – The most popular form of sports betting, bettors need to win by a point spread offered by the sportsbook. The favorite to win the game is listed as being a minus (-) the point spread.
Underdog – The team in a matchup that the sportsbook views as the inferior team.
Vigorish (or vig) – A term that refers to the amount charged by a bookmaker/bookie/sportsbook for taking a bet from someone. This can also be referred to as juice.
The time has come. Circa is soon opening the largest sportsbook in Vegas history, a sportsbook so big that the casino is built around it. And with the upcoming opening, it’s time to get back to basics and make sure you know everything there is to know about sports betting. Whether you’re a beginner who needs sports betting explained or a veteran who just wants to brush up on sports betting terms and sports betting terminology, this is the ultimate guide to bringing in the big bucks from betting on sports.
There is a lot of sports betting terminology to go through, but below are 40 of the basic definitions you should know.
Sports Betting Terms and Definitions
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | J | L | M | O | P | R | S | T | U | W
A
Action: This refers to any wager of any kind.
Against the Spread: Betting on the point spread in a particular matchup as opposed to the moneyline. Instead of focusing on who wins, this bet focuses on how teams play against a given spread.
Alternate Lines: Odds that are either higher or lower than the main posted line.
B
Bankroll: This is simply the number of available funds you have to bet with.
Bookmaker: The person or organization who is properly licensed to create the lines you bet on, as well as take bets.
C
Chalk: Betting on the favorite.
Closing Line: Where the point spread is at the start of the game.
Cover: A term related to betting against the spread. You win when you “cover” the point spread. If you bet on a three-point favorite and they win by seven, the spread has been covered.
D
Draw: This is when a game falls exactly on the spread, not over or under. No one wins in this scenario.
Drift: Moneylines that grow longer after the opening line is posted.
E
Edge: A betting advantage gained through research or having insights that are not known publicly.
Even Money: A wager that returns the same amount as was risked. For example, wagering $100 would win $100.
F
Favorite: The expected winner in a game or event.
Field: In many prop bets, you can bet on something that isn’t listed. This means you can pick a team or player to win that’s not specifically listed on the betting form.
Fixed Odds: Set odds in which once a wager is placed, the odds don’t change.
Future: You don’t necessarily have to bet on a game or event right before it starts. Many betters place a wager on a team to win the Super Bowl before the season even starts.
G
Grand Salami: Over/Under odds that are placed on the total goals/runs/points scored in all of the games, from a specific league, on any given day.
H
Handicapper: An analyst who observes sports events to predict the winning team or player.
Hedging: A tactic that allows you to bet on the opposite side of the wager you already place. This can help stem your losses a bit.
Sports Gambling Terms
J
Juice: A small commission attached to the odds set by bookmakers. Another term for vigorish.
L
Laying Points: The act of placing your bet on a favorite.
Lines: Another way to refer to betting odds.
M
Middle: Cashing tickets on both sides of a betting option when a point spread moves up or down prior to a match.
Moneyline: A term mostly for sports like baseball and hockey. Because there’s so few runs or goals scored, this allows you to bet on whether a team is going to win or not.
O
Off the Board: An event you can’t bet on. Sometimes, sportsbooks will take an event out of the betting possibility because there’s something affecting the game, like the weather.
Opening Line: The first point spread available for a game.
Over/Under: The total amount of points or runs scored in the game. A number will be given. Let’s say it’s a baseball game and the over/under is six. If you bet the under, you’re banking on the two teams scoring a combined total of fewer than six runs.
Gambling Slang Terms
P
Parlay: A bet where bettors aren’t necessarily restricted to just one bet. You can tie at least two together and all the events need to happen to get the payoff. It’s hard to pull off, but it comes with a potentially massive payday.
Pick ‘Em: A bet that takes place when the teams are so close, no individual one is favored. This just means the line is zero.
Point Spread: Odds posted on a game to help indicate favorites indicated with – odds, and underdogs indicated with + odds.
Proposition Bet: Better known as a prop bet, this is a wager on something other than the outcome. It can be something related to the game, like the over/under on rushing yards, or something silly, like how long the national anthem will take to be sung.
Proxy: An individual or group who places bets for non-local bettors who may be unable to place bets in person.
Push: This is when there’s no winner at the end of a contest, usually when the favorite wins by the exact spread.
Gambling Terms Sports Betting
Gambling Terms Sports Gambling
R
Real-Time Odds: Odds aren’t stagnant. They move back and forth based on new information. These are the live lines that reflect that movement. Lucky tiger ndb.
S
Sharp: Professional sports bettor who uses vast resources to determine wagers.
Stake: The amount of money a gambler risks when placing a bet.
T
Tip: Betting advice offered by tipsters and handicappers to predict the most likely outcome of an event.
Tipster: A person or group who offers sports betting advice.
U
Underdog: Sometimes referred to as the “dog,” this is who bookmakers think will lose.
W
Gambling Terms Sports
Wager: This refers to any type of bet.
Applying the Sports Betting Terminology
Now you’ve got the basics down, you’re ready to start wagering. Circa | Sports is the ultimate sportsbook in Las Vegas for sports betting. It’s the largest of its kind and the best place to be if you’re a sports fan. Stop by Golden Gate, the D, or soon at Circa Resort in Downtown Las Vegas to place your bets in person. Can’t make it into the sportsbook? Download the Circa | Sports app on iOS or Android to have your bookie right in your pocket and bet wherever you are in Nevada.
Casino Terms
Whether in person or on the app, join Circa | Sports for your premier place to bet on all sports in Vegas.