Sports Betting Terms Explained
Tout – A person who sells or gives away sports betting picks. True Odds – True odds are the actual odds of an event happening. In sports betting this is the most accurate point spread or moneyline. Wire-to-Wire – This is a wager that a team will lead at every quarter or for a specific number of quarters. Wire-to-wire bets are the most popular in basketball. This glossary of betting terms provides a handy reference because there’s a fair amount of slang and jargon used in sports betting. It is really useful to understand what these words and phrases mean, so we have compiled this sports betting glossary to help. Sports Betting Odds Explained For the novice sports bettor, understanding how sports betting odds work can be one of the most confusing sets of numbers you've ever dealt with. For those who have just started betting on sports, to know how the odds work is of key importance for a profitable and enjoyable betting experience.
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.
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.
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.
Sports Betting Terms Explained Odds
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.
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
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.
Whether in person or on the app, join Circa Sports for your premier place to bet on all sports in Vegas.
A common question from new or casual sports bettors is “What is a unit?”. A popular term in sports betting is “unit” and below I will explain what bettors mean they refer to a unit, and examples of it being used.
A “unit” in sports betting is a measurement of the size of someone’s bet. Because everyone has different sized bankrolls for sports betting, using the term unit is a way for us to show your profit or loss in universal terms.
Someone who is betting $10,000 per bet against the spread in NFL and is up $18,000 on the season isn’t nearly as impressive as someone who bets $10 per bet against the spread and is up $180 on the season. Using units gives us a tool to keep track of profits and losses without the dollar value.
Because basic sports betting strategy tells us that you should be betting somewhere between 1-5% of your bankroll on each wager, it is generally accepted that a unit is equal to approximately 1% of your bankroll. Nothing is set on stone with this, but that is an easy way to calculate a single unit.
Using the above formula, someone who has a $1,000 bankroll would be betting $10 per unit, while someone with a $50,000 bankroll would be betting $500 per unit.
Using the bankroll management strategy that recommends 1-5% of your bankroll on each bet you would essentially want to bet between 1-5 “units”.
What Do Betting Odds Mean
Many sports handicappers will release their plays with units, with the most common being 1-5 units or sometimes 1-7 units. The 1,2, and 3 unit plays are more of the average plays, while the 4, 5 and sometimes 6 and 7 unit plays are the big plays where the handicapper feels they have found a lot of value on a play.
If a handicapper released a 5 unit play and you had a $1,000 sports betting bankroll you would be risking 5% (5 units) or $50 on the play.
When a bettor says he is +25 units on the year what does that mean?
This would be a measurement of his success on the season so far. Referring to being +25 units means he is “plus” 25x whatever 1 unit is to him. This could be +$25 for someone, while it could be +$25,000 for another.
How can a handicapper with a 25-32 record be +15 units?
It is possible to have a sub .500 record but still be up units if you are betting on underdog or “plus money” selections. For example, picking only NFL underdogs on the money line could lead to a negative record but profits on the season.
Can a sports bettor actually be +1546 units?
There is a lot of ways you can inflate your numbers to make yourself sound good. Like I said earlier a unit = 1% is just a general guideline and everyone has their own way of doing things. Read the fine print. 1 unit to that bettor could 0.001% of their initial bankroll for all we know.
Below is a video basically going over what was said above…
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