| TERMS |
MEANING |
| Action |
A bet |
BM |
Bookmaker |
| BR |
Bankroll |
Back door |
A 'cover' that occurs in
the waning moments of a game |
| Bad beat |
Losing under unusual circumstances |
Beard |
A runner; one who places
a bet for another |
| Beef |
A dispute over the outcome of a bet |
Bow-wow |
An underdog |
| Chalk |
A favorite |
Circled game |
A contest on which betting
limits are reduced (injuries and weather are
the primary reasons for games to be circled) |
| Cover |
A pointspread win |
Degenerate |
A compulsive gambler |
| Dime |
$1,000 |
Dollar |
$100 |
| Earn |
Percentage hold |
Exotic |
Any wager other than a straight
bet or parlay (also referred to as a proposition
or prop) |
| Exposure |
The maximum amount of money a sports book
stands to lose on a game |
Figure |
Amount owed to or by a bookmaker |
| Form |
A tabloid used for horse racing data |
Getting down |
Placing a bet |
| Handicapper |
A person who studies factors such as statistics,
injuries, weather and news to predict the
outcome of games |
Handle |
Total amount of money wagered |
| Hedge |
To reduce amount of action by wagering on
the opposite side of a previous bet |
Hook |
A half-point |
| Juice |
Amount of commission kept by the house (also
referred to as vigorish or vig) |
Laying a price |
Playing a favorite |
| Layoff |
Money bet by a house with another bookmaker
to reduce its liability |
Limit |
Maximum amount of money
accepted for one wager |
| Line |
The odds on a game (also referred to as
price) |
Lock |
A surefire winner (there
really is no such proposition) |
| Matador |
A cover that occurs in the waning moments
of a game (also referred to as a back door
cover) |
Middle |
Betting both sides of a
game at different prices with the hope of winning
both wagers (An example: if a bettor played
Maryland (minus-4) and Duke (plus-6),
and Maryland won, 100-95, he would win both
bets -- or "catch a middle") |
| Mush |
A bettor who is bad luck |
Nickel |
$500 |
| Off the board |
A game on which bookmakers are not accepting
wagers (generally because of injuries) |
Overlay |
A situation in which the
odds on a game favor the bettors rather than
the house |
| Parlay |
One bet ticket written with at least two
wagers (all must win for the ticket to cash) |
Past post |
To place a wager after an
event has started |
| Pick'em |
A game with no favorite (the straight-up
winner also would win bets) |
Price |
The odds on a game |
| Puppy |
The underdog |
Push |
A tie |
| Round robin |
A single ticket with comprised of more than
one parlay |
Rundown |
A list of odds on a particular
day's games |
| Runner |
One who places bets for another |
Scalper |
Someone who bets both sides
of a game |
| Score |
A big win |
Sharp |
A sophisticated or professional
sports bettor |
| Square |
A novice sports bettor |
Steam |
Heavy action on one side
of a game |
| Straight bet |
One wager (as opposed to a parlay) |
Sucker bet |
Parlays, teasers or exotics
(anything bookmakers use to entice squares to
bet more) |
| Taking a price |
Betting an underdog |
Tapped out |
Broke from gambling |
| Teaser |
A sucker wager that allows bettors to add
and subtract points from posted odds |
Tout service |
A company that sells selections
on games (most in the United States are dishonest) |
| Underlay |
A situation in which the odds on a game
favor the house rather than bettors |
Value |
An overlay |
| Vigorish |
Amount of commission kept by the house (also
referred to as juice or vig) |
Wise guy |
A professional sports bettor |
