Betting Terminology

Action – Any kind of gambling.

Added Game - A game not part of Las Vegas regular rotation. Usually posted as an accommodation to customers.

A Gee Wiz – A thousand dollars.

ATS – Against the Spread

Beard - A beard is someone who is used to place bets to conceal the true identity of the real bettor.

Book - An establishment that accepts bets on the outcome of horse racing and sporting events.

Bookie - A person who accepts bets.
 
Buying Points - A player can pay an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a game.

Canadian Line - The Canadian line is a combination point spread and money line in hockey.

Chalk - The favorite.
 
Circled game - A game, sometimes which the betting action is reduced; usually in added games, games with injuries, bad weather, propositions, or halves of games. These games cannot be included in parlays or teasers.

Cover - A pointspread win.

Dime – One Thousand dollars.

Dime Line - A Dime line is a line where the juice is 10%.

Dog - The team thought to have the least chance to win. Short for underdog. 

Double action - An "if bet" in sports betting that is processed if the precedent bet wins, ties or cancels.

Double Saw – Twenty bucks.

Edge – An advantage.

Even Money - A bet whose odds are 1/1; a wager in which no vigorish or juice is laid.
 
Exposure - The maximum amount of money a sports book stands to lose on a game.

Favorite – The team thought to have the best chance to win.

Fifty cents – Fifty dollars.

Figure - The amount owed to or by a bookmaker

First half bet – A bet placed only on the first half of the game.

Future – Odds that are posted in advance on the winners of various major events including the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Stanley Cup, and the NBA Championship this is called a Future 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.

Half a dollar – Fifty dollars.

Half time bet – A bet placed only on the second half of the game.

Handicapper - A handicapper is one who studies, rates and wagers on sporting events and/or races.

Handicapping - The attempt to predict the outcome of 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 - A Hook is a half point added to football and basketball betting lines.
 
Juice - The bookmaker's commission on a losing bet, also known as "vigorish."

Laying the points - Betting the favorite by giving up points.

Laying the price - Betting the favorite by laying money odds.

Laying The wood – Putting your money down on the favorite, or laying the points or odds.

Layoff - sports betting term for money bet by a house with another bookmaker to reduce its liability.

Limit - The maximum amount a bookmaker will allow you to bet before he changes the odds and/or the points.

Line - The current odds or point spread on a particular event.

Linemaker - The person who establishes the original and subsequent betting lines.
 
Longshot -A team or horse perceived to be unlikely to win.

Middle - To win both sides of the same contest in sports betting event. Wagering 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.

Move the line - A player pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favor on a point spread game.

Nickel – Five hundred dollars

Nickel line - A sports wagering line where the juice is 5%.

 
Off the board - A game on which the bookmaker will not accept action.

Outlaw Line - Term for the earliest line in sports betting. This is an overnight line which only a handful of players are allowed to bet into.

Over - The "over" is a sports bet in which the bettor guesses that the combined point total of two teams will be above a specified total.

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. Usually pays 14 to 5.

Pick 'em - When neither team is favored. Also called a "pick" in sports betting terms.

Point spread - The predicted scoring differential between two opponents as quoted by a sports book. 

Price -The odds or point spread.

Prop (Proposition) Bet -  This is a special wager offered by the sports book on unique and various topics. These wagers can be on sporting events, politics, and even trial outcomes. The wagers use the money line format of pay off odds and might included who scores the first touchdown in the super bowl, or who will win the next presidential election.

Puckline - Giving odds of a goal spread instead of using a Canadian Line in hockey, where both a goal spread and money line are played.

Puppy - The underdog

Push - When the contest ends with no winner or loser for wagering purposes.

Round Robin - A series of three or more teams in 2-team parlays.

Run down - All the lines for an specific date, sport, time, etc.

Run line - In baseball a spread used instead of the money line.

Runner - One who places bets for another when it comes to sports betting

Sawbuck – Ten dollars.

Scouts - person(s) who waits for what he thinks is an unusually strong wager. AKA. Sports Player.

Sharp - A sharp is a sophisticated or professional gambler.

Sides - The names of the two teams playing: the underdog and the favorite.

Single action - An "if bet" in sports gambling that is processed only if the precedent bet wins.

Spread - The predicted scoring differential between two opponents as quoted by a sports book. See "point spread."

Square - A novice when it comes to betting.
 
Store - A bookie or sports betting establishment.

Straight bet - A wager on just one team or horse.

Taking the points - This means betting the underdog and its advantage in the point spread.

Taking the price - 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 proposition 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.

Under - A wager in which the bettor guesses that the total points scored by two teams will be under a certain figure.

Underdog - The team perceived to be most likely to lose.

Value -  Getting the best odds on a wagering proposition; the highest possible edge.

Vigorish - The bookmaker's commission on a losing bet; also known as juice in sports betting

Wise guy - A wise guy is the sports gambling term for a well-informed or knowledgeable handicapper or bettor.