Sports Betting Glossary

Action - Is normally known as having money in a game (bet), but when you wager on baseball and you choose action, it means that you don't mind which pitchers are starting the game.

Bad Beat - Tough loss

Beard - Messenger bettor

Beef - Dispute Buck - $100

Chalk - Favorite

Chalk Eater - Favorite bettor

Churn - The effect of betting and rebetting money

Circle Game - Game where action is limited due to uncertainties about weather, injuries, etc.

Cover - in by more than the pointspread

Dime - $1000

Dollar - $100

Earn - Practical hold percentage

Edge - Advantage

Exotic Bet - Action other than a straight bet or parlay

Figure - Amount owed by or to a bookmaker

Get Down - Make a bet

Gross Win - Win before expenses

Handicapper - One who studies sports and predicts outcomes

Handle - Total amount of bets taken

Hedge - Bet the opposite of your original wager in order to reduce the amount of action you have on a game

Hook - Half point in pointspreads, as in "lost by the hook"

Home Field Advantage - Edge the home team is expected to have as a result of the familiarity with the arena and effect of travel on the visting team.

Hoop - Basketball

Hot Tip - Information the bookmaker is not yet privy to

Juice - Bookmaker's commission, most often refers to the 11 to 10 football bettors lay on straight wagers; vigorish

Lay A Price - Bet a favorite, lay the points

Limit - Maximum bet accepted by the house before the price will be changed

Line - The betting proposition on a game and/or payoff odds on the bet

Longshot - Large underdog

Middle - To win both sides of a game. For example, if you bet the underdog +3 1/2 and the favorite -2 1/2 and the favorite wins by 3, you've MIDDLED the book. The book has BEEN MIDDLED.

Minus Pool - In pari-mutuel wagering, when after the take is extracted, there is not enough money left to pay winning patrons the minimum bet. The track must then make up the difference. Mutuel - Price paid on a winning pari-mutuel wager

Neutral Site - Arena, court, or field where neither side has a home field advantage

Nickel - $500

Off The Board - Game where no bets are being accepted

Out - Bookmaker, usually refers to an illegal bookmaker Overplay - When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the bettor rather than the house

Parlay - A bet with two or more teams where all the teams must win for the bettor to be successful

Past Post - To make a bet after an event has started Pick or Pick'em - A game where neither team is favored Player - Bettor or gambler

Practical Hold Percentage - The amount won be a bookmaker divided by the total amount booked

Press - To bet a larger amount than usual

Price - Line

Puppy - Underdog

Push - Tie Round Robin - A series of parlays.

A three team round robin consists of three two-team parlays.

Rundown - Line update

Scalper - One who attempts to profit from the differences in odds from book to book by betting both sides of the same game at different prices

Score - To win a lot of money

Scratch - Withdraw; cancel

Sharp - Wise guy

Side - To win one side and tie the other. For example, if you lay -2 1/2 and take 3 on the smae game and the favorite wins by 3 you have SIDED the book. The book has been SIDED.

Square - Unsophisticated gambler

Steam - Heavy action on one side

Straight Bet - A bet on just on team

Sucker Bet - Bet with a large house edge

Take A Price - Bet the underdog, take the points

Tapped Out - Broke, busted, common result of pressing

Theorical Hold Percentage - The edge the bookmaker would have IF the odds guaranteed him a constant commission regardless of the outcome

Toss Up - Game where the line is close to pick-em

Tout Service - A business that sells opinions on sporting events

Underlay - When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the house

Value - An overlay

Vigorish - Juice

Wiseguy - Established and successful sports bettor