If you’re new to the world of sports betting, it can sometimes feel like people are speaking a completely different language when referring to their bets. Sports betting terms like ATS, cover, chalk and sharp can go over our heads if you don’t know the proper definitions.
Here at Odds Shark, we’ve compiled a handy list of betting terms for beginners with our Sports Betting Glossary, an alphabetical list of 100+ common sports betting references. Some expressions you may already know while others could completely change your thinking, so read up and we think you may learn something. Whether you're looking for football betting terms or confused about some hockey terminology, we have you covered.
If you're new to betting and looking for a sportsbook that that is the perfect fit for you, you'll appreciate our review of the best sportsbooks.
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Sports Betting Glossary
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- -110 – This is American odds saying that if you wager $110, you will win $100. Or $1,100 will win $1000. If you're still confused on this concept, this article will help.
- Across The Board – Wagering on a horse to win, place or show.
- Action – Generic term for the amount of bets placed on a game or sporting event. Also refers to a baseball wager with no pitchers listed.
- Added Game – A game that wasn't part of the original rotation. This could be a baseball game that's been added due to weather concerns or the second half of a double-header.
- Arbitrage – A type of sports betting strategy where a bettor bets each side of a market, guaranteeing profit and taking advantage of the unequal prices. Hunting down arbitrage bets is challenging because of line movement, but Outlier Pro has a fantastic arbitrage tool.
- Asian Handicap - Seen in soccer betting (because so many games finish in a draw), Asian handicaps require one side must win by a certain number of goals.
- ATS (Against the Spread) – A term used to indicate the betting result of an event that takes the point spread into account and can sometimes refer to a team’s record against the spread.
- Back-door Cover -- A last-second cover due to a late score at the end of the game. Often, but not always, back-door covers occur in garbage time when backups are in.
- Bad Beat – A loss that appeared to be a win or near lock before taking a turn for the worse and eventually losing.
- Bankroll - A bettors available funds to bet with.
- Beard – Somebody who places bets for you but conceals their identity.
- Betting App– For people who choose to place bets from their phones, they use a sports betting app. Click here for the pros and cons of the top sports betting apps.
- Betting Splits - Also referred to as "public betting percentages," this is data showing how much money has been bet on each team at a particular sportsbook.
- Bettor – Someone who bets on sports.
- Book – Short for “sportsbook,” a book is an establishment that accepts wagers on sports and other events.
- Bookie/bookmaker – Someone licensed to takes bets on sports or other events.
- Buck – A $100 wager or “buck” bet. Can also be referred to as a “Benjamin.”
- Buy Points – The ability a bettor has to pay for a half-point or more off the spread offered by the Sportsbook.
- Chalk – The favored team or athlete, also known as the favorite.
- Chalk Eater – Someone who only bets favorites.
- Circled Game – A game in which there are lower limits due to injuries, weather or other factors.
- Closing Line Value (CLV) – This is the difference between the number when someone made a bet vs. when the game started. So if you bet the Rams +3.5 and the line moved to +3 before kickoff, you had good closing line value.
- Consensus - The popular side of a bet.
- Correlated Parlay - A parlay where the success of one leg is connected to the success of another leg. For instance, a quarterbacks OVER on his passing yards are correlated to a wide receiver's over on his receiving yards so throwing them together in a parlay would be considered a correlated parlay.
- Cover - The act of winning by enough to beat the point spread set by Sportsbooks, in which case you have "covered the spread."
- Degen - Short for "degenerate," this refers to a compulsive gambler with unhealthy habits.
- Dime – A $1,000 wager or “dime” bet.
- Dime Line – A betting line in which the “juice” or “vig” is 10 percent.
- Dog – A shortened version of underdog, the team or person expected to lose.
- Dollar – Similar to a “buck” bet or $100 wager.
- Early Cash Out – An online betting option to collect partial winnings before a bet has officially been graded. Often early cash out offers are not a good deal for bettors.
- Edge – The perceived advantage a sports bettor has before wagering.
- Even Money – A bet without “juice” or “vig” associated with it (i.e. bet $100 to win $100).
- Expected Value – A measurement for expected wins or losses over the long term. Positive Expected Value (+EV or plus EV) offers long-term profits. Negative Expected Value means long term losses.
- Exposure – Another word for a sportsbook's liability or the maximum amount of money it can lose on a given result.
- Favorite – The team or individual expected to win a sporting event based on the point spread or moneyline.
- Field – In proposition (prop) bets, you can often "bet the field." This refers to the rest of the betting options not already listed. For instance, you can bet Kyle Busch in a NASCAR race of 41 drivers or "the field" meaning all 40 other drivers.
- Futures – A bet on a sporting event taking place well into the future, such as wagering on a team to win the championship during the regular season or even preseason.
- Getting Down – Placing a bet.
- Grand Salami – The over/under total for how many goals/runs will be scored across all games in a specific league for a particular day.
- Handicapping – Researching sports and specifically statistics/trends to try to pick winning bets. People who handicap sports are known as “handicappers.”
- Handle – Another word for the total amount of money wagered at a given sportsbook on a particular event or day or year, etc.
- Heater – A winning streak. Someone who has won a lot might say, "I'm on a heater."
- Hedging – Betting on the opposite side of a current wager to minimize losses or guarantee a small profit.
- Hold – The sportsbook's share of the pie after paying out winning bets.
- Hook – A half-point on a point spread.
- In-game Wagering – This is another phrase for live betting.
- In The Money – A horse racing term for a horse that finishes in the top 3.
- Juice – Commission that the sportsbook earns on bets wagered. Also known as “vig.”
- Key Numbers – When betting point spreads or totals, these are common outcomes to consider. For instance with NFL betting, the numbers 43 and 47 are considered key because of final scores like 23-20, 27-20, 30-17, etc.
- Laying the Points – Betting the favorite by giving up points against the spread or ATS.
- Liability – Another word for a sportsbook's exposure or the maximum amount of money it can lose on a given result.
- Limit – The highest amount of money a sportsbook will take on a single bet.
- Lines – Another word used for odds to describe a point spread or moneyline.
- Linemaker – Someone who sets the original or Sportsbook line on a sporting event, also known as an “oddsmaker.”
- Line Movement – Adjustments made by a sportsbook to the odds based on a number of different factors.
- Listed Pitchers – The pitchers in a baseball bet that must start for action. If one or both of the pitchers do not start, the bet is void or canceled.
- Lock – A supposed easy sports bet or large favorite.
- Long Shot – A team or athlete considered unlikely to win or a large underdog based on odds set by Sportsbooks.
- Micro betting -- Micro betting can be best described as live betting on individual events within a game that don't directly impact the final score. A micro bet can be on the result of the very next play, pitch, or basket and can be resolved when either is made.
- Middle – A form of hedge betting where you bet each side and also have an opportunity to win both bets. For instance in a game between the Cowboys and Dolphins, you could bet the Dolphins moneyline and Cowboys +3 so that if the Dolphins win by 1 or 2, your middle hits.
- Moneyline – A wager selecting a team or athlete to win straight up without a point spread involved.
- Mush – A bettor who is bad luck.
- Nickel – A $500 wager or “nickel” bet.
- Nickel Line – A betting line in which the “juice” or “vig” is five percent.
- No Action – A wager that is canceled with money refunded back to the bettor.
- Off the Board – A game bettors cannot currently wager on due to certain circumstances.
- Opening Line – The first odds posted by a sportsbook.
- OVER – When the number of final combined points/goals/runs scored by two teams finishes above the total posted by a sportsbook.
- OVER/UNDER – A bet on whether the combined points/goals/runs scored by two teams will go OVER or UNDER a number specified by the sportsbook (also called the “total”).
- Overlay – A term to describe the gap between a guaranteed payout and the money in the pot based on sign-ups. Overlays are good for bettors and bad for sportsbooks.
- Parlay – A bet in which multiple sporting events are selected, each of which must win in order for the bet to be successful.
- Pick'em – A game in which there is no favorite or underdog and the side simply needs to win straight up without a point spread.
- Pick Service – A person or company that sells sports picks to customers who then use them to bet with. There are a lot of scam pick services out there, but we have a review of some of the best pick services here.
- Point Spread – A set number of points determined by the oddsmaker that the favorite gives or the underdog takes as a handicap to make the game more even to wager on.
- Prop Bet – Short for "proposition bet," this is a type of wager (game props or player props) that involves specific outcomes within a game. For instance, how many rush yards a running back will have or how many touchdowns will be scored in a game.
- Proxy – Similar to a “beard,” somebody who places bets for you but doesn’t conceal their identity.
- Puckline – A point spread of -1.5 or +1.5 in a hockey game with additional moneyline values for the favorite and underdog, respectively.
- Public betting percentage - Also referred to as "betting splits," this is data showing how much money has been bet on each team at a particular sportsbook.
- PUSH – When a game ends with no winner or loser from a betting perspective, landing right on the number based on the point spread or total.
- Real-time Odds – Live lines that update immediately as sportsbooks adjust their lines – also known as live betting or in game wagering.
- Reverse Line Movement – This is a market signal that often encourages bettors to make a wager because it suggests that respected money is forcing sportsbooks to adjust a line in a way that creates imbalance in their books. For example: if Team A is receiving 80% of the public bets and money as a 7-point favorite yet the line drops to -6.5, this is an example of reverse line movement. This indicates that sharp money is likely taking Team B.
- Return On Investment (ROI) – A performance measure, also used outside of the sports betting world, used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment.
- Rotation Number – The identification number for a particular game or bet. When betting in person, ticket writers expect you to use the rotation number while betting.
- Round Robin – A bet consisting of multiple parlays which pays out less than a parlay if all legs hit but also creates scenarios where you can win money even if every leg doesn't.
- Runline – A point spread of -1.5 or +1.5 in a baseball game with additional moneyline values for the favorite and underdog, respectively.
- Runner – Someone who places a bet on someone else's behalf.
- Scalping – An arbitrage betting strategy that involves betting on both sides of a wager at different odds.
- Sharp – A “smart” bettor who is consistently successful at betting.
- Side – The team (favorite or underdog) a bettor wagers on to win and cover ATS.
- Soft Line – A line set by oddsmakers that someone considers to have value.
- Sportsbook – A place where bettors place wagers, whether in person or virtually on their phone. Click here for a list of the top sportsbooks in the U.S.
- Spread – Short for “point spread.”
- Square – A new bettor without a lot of experience or a word used to describe a bet that typically a new bettor would make.
- Steam – A noticeable uniform line change across the entire sports betting marketplace.
- Straight Bet – A single wager on just one team or athlete.
- Straight Up (SU) – Betting on a team to win a game outright (no point spread, etc.)
- Square – A “novice” bettor who is generally characterized as the “public.”
- Steam – A rapid change in the betting line due to heavy wagering or betting.
- Sucker Bet – A wager that doesn't have a lot of value for a sports bettor or one that the sportsbook has a distinct advantage over the bettor.
- Sweat – A close game. For example, "That game came down the final at-bat, it was a real sweat."
- Taking the Points – Betting the underdog by receiving the points against the spread or ATS.
- Teaser – Like a parlay, but the point spreads are adjusted more to favor the bettor, giving less on a favorite or taking more on an underdog in exchange for a lower payout.
- Total – The final combined points/goals/runs scored by two teams in a sporting event.
- Tout – Someone who sells picks or sports betting wisdom to others for profit.
- UNDER – When the number of combined points/goals/runs scored by two teams finishes below the total posted by a sportsbook.
- Underdog – The team or individual expected to lose a sporting event based on the point spread or moneyline.
- Units – A standard size sports bet repeated by a bettor.
- Vigorish – Another word for Sportsbooks’ commission or “juice,” aka “vig” for short.
- Welcome Bonus – These are, often generous, offers from sportsbooks to new customers. Click here for a list of the best welcome bonuses and promotions.
- Wiseguy – Similar to a “sharp” or “smart” bettor who is well-informed and knowledgeable.
- Wager – The act of placing a bet on a sporting event.
- Zebras – Referees.
Sports Betting Glossary FAQ
How do sports bets work?
When betting on sports, you place a wager on a sporting event. You win money if the team or player you wager on wins. If the team or player you wager on doesn't win, you lose your bet. You can make a wide range of wagers at a variety of places.
What is a backdoor cover in sports betting?
A backdoor cover in sports betting is when a sports team scores points or goals, and typically late in a game. This sports betting phenomenon causes one side to cover the point spread. The winning side obviously welcomes a backdoor cover, while the losing side dreads a backdoor cover from occurring.
What is a lean in sports betting?
All betting takes are classified as either a lean or a pick. A lean in sports betting is a wager that has a level of uncertainty. A lean is not what we would call a high-confidence selection. Some bettors will strongly lean towards a particular football team to cover the spread.
