Glossary
Accumulator
This is also called a parlay bet. Each of the bets in the accumulator must win in order for the wager to win. If one leg of an accumulator loses the wager loses.
Action
Having a bet on a game.
American Odds
American odds are displayed differently than the rest of the world. Moneyline odds are shown as + or – a number in the US. Outside of the US, the same odds might be presented with a decimal point or by a fraction.
Bad beat
Losing a bet you should have won. A rare occurrence usually happens near the end of the event that causes you to lose.
Bankroll
Total amount of money a bettor has to place bets.
Bonus
Sportsbooks offer a financial bonus to customers for a variety of reasons. A signup bonus is the most popular way to incentivize bettors to use a certain sportsbook.
Book
Short for sportsbook or bookmaker; person or establishment that takes bets from customers.
Buy Points
The ability a bettor has to pay for a half-point or more off the spread.
Chalk
A term for the team that is the favorite in an event. This team or player is usually a big favorite. The chalk is the expected winner by a large margin.
Contrarian
Betting against the trends of the mainstream popular opinions. Bettors usually place contrarian wagers when there is value on the opposite opinion.
Dog
Short for underdog. This is the team that is not expected to win.
Early Cash Out
A way for bettors to settle a wager for a certain dollar amount before the event is over. This is a way to lock in a profit or abandon your bet at a smaller value than the wager would ultimately pay.
Edge
The advantage a bettor has against the sportsbook (or vice versa).
Even Money
A wager that pays the same as was risked.
Exotic Wager
These are non-traditional sports bets. Exotic wagers aren’t point spread, moneyline, or futures bets on a certain event. This kind of wager is often listed as a prop bet in a sportsbook.
Exposure
The amount of money a sportsbook potentially could lose for a specific event. For example, sportsbooks might have a lot of exposure (money at risk) on one team winning a championship versus another.
Favorite
The expected straight-up winner in a game or event.
Futures
A type of bet that is placed to predict a future outcome. Example – betting on a team to win the Super Bowl before the season starts.
Handicap
The spread of a game or event. Also called the point spread.
Handicapper
A person who analyzes sports events to predict the winning team or player.
Hedging
Betting the opposing side of your original bet, to either ensure some profit or minimize potential loss.
Juice
The commission the bookie or bookmaker takes. Standard is 10 percent.
Live Betting
Placing a wager on a game or event while it’s taking place. This is also known as In Play wagering.
Lock
Another way of saying that a team or player will be an easy winner.
Margin
How much a team or player ends up defeating their competitor(s) by.
Money line
A bet in which your team only needs to win.
Nickel
Placing a $500 wager. A “Dime” is a $1,000 wager.
Pick ’em
A game with no favourite or underdog. The point spread is zero, and the winner of the game is also the spread winner.
Player Prop
A player prop bet is a wager on an individual player to do something during a game. For example, which player will score first in a football game?
Push
When a result lands on the betting number and all bets are refunded. For example, a 3-point favourite wins by exactly three points.
Return
The total amount of money produced by a winning wager. Losing wagers have a negative return.
Stake
The amount of money placed on a bet.
Teaser
Similar to a parlay, but the point spreads are adjusted more to favour the bettor, giving less on a favourite or taking more on an underdog in exchange for a lower payout.
Underdog
term for a team or player that is not expected to win.
Ante
In card games, before you begin a hand, you will be asked to place a bet. This is a compulsory bet before you receive your cards.
Baccarat
Also known as Punto Bando, Baccarat is a table game that uses 6 or 8 decks of cards.
Banker
Another term for the dealer when it comes to table games.
Bet Max
Bet Max is the maximum amount you wish to stake on a spin.
Bet Min
Bet Min is the minimum amount you wish to place on a spin.
Betting Limits
The minimum and maximum betting limits on a casino game.
Blackjack
Also known as 21, Blackjack is a card game where you to play against the dealer by reaching number 21 without exceeding it.
Caribbean Stud
A table game based on online poker but played at a blackjack-type table against the House.
Casino Advantage
The house edge a casino has over its players.
Chips
Casino tokens used in place of a real money for gambling.
Classic Slots
Classic slots are retro-style video slots consisting mainly of just 3 reels. Also known as ‘fruit machines’ or ‘classic vegas slots’, these were the first games to go online.
Craps
Craps is a table dice game where players make bets on the outcome of the roll.
Deal
A card that is dealt to a player during a game.
Dealer
A dealer is a casino representative who manages a table game.
Deck
the standard 52 cards used in a card casino game.
Deuce
Number 2 in dice.
Double or Nothing
A stake that pays the same amount as wagered or nothing.
Draw
When a player takes additional cards in card games such as Blackjack and Baccarat.
Face Cards
The Jack, Queen and King of any suit.
Fold
Abandoning a hand and losing a bet in a table card game.
Free Spins
Free Spins are spins that cost you nothing. Free spins are either awarded by a casino as part of a promotion or else triggered by playing a slot game.
Hand
The set of cards a player has in his possession during a round. This term is mostly used in table games.
High Roller
A person who makes large bets.
Hit
Used in blackjack, a hit is a request for another card.
House
Another term for casino.
House Rules
The regulations of a particular video slot or table game including buy-ins.
Insurance
It is a bet which is offered to the player in online blackjack when his face up card is an ace.
Limits
The minimum and maximum amounts that can be staked on a single bet.
Multiplier
These are symbols that carry specific values that will multiply your winnings.
Odds
The chances of winning and possible outcome.
Progressive Jackpot
A progressive jackpot is a cumulative prize whose value keeps increasing a small amount every time someone plays that particular video slot. The jackpot will keep on growing until someone hits the jackpot. The same process would restart after the jackpot has dropped.
Punto Banco
Another term for Baccarat.
Roulette
A casino game where a numbered wheel with a ball within will be spun. The player has to predict where a ball will land.
Slots
A digital form of the classic slot machines. Reels have to be spun and symbols have to line up in order to achieve a payout.
Twenty-One
Another term for blackjack.
Wager
A bet
Withdrawal
When a player requests to draw money from his account.
Abandoned
A race meeting may be abandoned due to poor weather conditions. All bets on races that get abandoned are refunded.
Across the Board
A bet used in North America that combines a win bet, a place bet and a show bet.
Added Weight
Weight carried by a horse that is over the amount required by the conditions of a race. Typically due to a jockey exceeding the weight limit.
All Age Race
A race for all horses aged two years and older.
All Out
When a horse is running at full speed.
All Weather
An artificial racing surface designed to be suitable for racing in all weather conditions.
Amateur
A jockey that does not receive fees for riding in races.
Ante-Post Betting
Betting well in advance of a race.
Apprentice
A trainee jockey.
At The Post
Horses are said to be at the post when they arrive at the start.
Baby Race
A race for horse aged two years old.
Banker
A horse strongly favored to win a race.
Bearing In/Out
When a horse deviates from a straight course.
Bit
A piece of equipment that is fitted into a horse’s mouth and attached to the bridle. Helps a jockey to guide and control a horse.
Bleeder
A horse that often suffers from broken blood vessels when racing.
Blinkers
A garment fitted to a horse’s head to reduce vision to the side and focus it to the front.
Boxed In
When a horse gets trapped behind or between other horses.
Breather
Jockeys may give a horse a breather during a race, allowing it time to fill its lungs.
Bridle
A piece of equipment that fits over a horse’s head and is used to control the horse. Holds the bit in the horse’s mouth.
Chalk
The favorite horse in a race, i.e. the one with the lowest odds.
Claiming Race
A race in which the competing horses are all for sale until just before the race.
Classic
A race of traditional significance.
Clerk Of The Course
The racecourse official that has overall responsibility for the course.
Clerk Of The Scales
The racecourse official responsible for weighing jockeys before and after a race.
Closer
A horse that runs well towards the end of a race.
Colt
A male horse aged four years or younger.
Conformation
The build and physical structure of a horse.
Course Specialist
A horse that is proven at a specific racecourse.
Dead Heat
When two or more horses cannot be separated at the finishing post, resulting in a tie.
Driving
Pushing a horse to its maximum limits.
Earmuffs
Equipment that is placed over a horse’s ears to prevent possible distraction from noise.
Exacta
A bet on which two horses will finish in the top two positions in a race, in the correct order. Also known as duel forecast, exactor, perfecta.
Exotics
A collective term used to describe certain wagers that are more complex than straight bets.
Field
Collective term for all the horse in a race.
Filly
A female horse aged four years or younger.
Firm
A condition of a turf course; indicates there is little to no give in the ground.
Form
The racing record of a horse.
Gelding
A male horse that has been neutered.
Going
The going describes the condition of the surface at a race track.
Graded Race
A race of a certain quality. Can be Grade I, II or III with Grade I being the highest quality
Hand
A unit of measure used to describe the height of a horse. Equal to 4 inches.
Handicap Race
A race where the horses are allocated a weight to carry as decided by the official Handicappers. The goal is to level the playing field so all the horses have a theoretically equal chance of winning.
Hurdler
A horse that races over hurdles.
Jockey
The rider of a horse in a race.
Jump Racing
Racing where there are obstacles for the horses to negotiate, such as fences and ditches.
Juvenile
A two year old horse.
Lock
Slang term for a sure winner.
Longshot
A horse with high odds that is not expected to have much chance in a race.
Maiden Race
A race for horses (or jockeys in some cases) that have never won a race.
Maiden
A horse or jockey that has never won a race.
Mare
A female horse aged five years or older.
Nod
The action of a horse lowering its head. Used to describe a very close finish between two horses. For example “he won on the nod”.
Non Runner
A horse that was expected to run in a race but is withdrawn for some reason.
Nose
An approximate measure to describe the distance between horses, typically used at the end of a race. For example “he just won it by a nose”. Roughly 5% of one length.
Objection
A complaint made by one jockey against another, relating to some action in a race.
On The Bridle
A term to describe a horse that is running comfortably.
On The Nose
Slang term for betting on a horse to win only.
Paddock
Area of a racecourse where horses are saddled prior to a race.
Photo Finish
When two or more horses are so close at the finishing post that a photo is used to determine the winner.
Pulled Up
When a horse is stopped during a race.
Purse
The total amount of prize money awarded for a race.
Refuse
When a horse will not start a race, or will not jump an obstacle.
Reverse Exacta
A bet on which two horses will finish in the top two positions in a race, in either order. Also known as reverse forecast, reverse perfecta, quinella.
Reverse Trifecta
A bet on which three horses will finish in the top three positions in a race, in any order. Also known as reverse triactor, combination tricast.
Silks
The jacket and cap worn by jockeys to represent the owner of the horse they are riding.
Stallion
A male horse used for breeding.
Stayer
A horse with good stamina that tends to do well in long races.
Stud
A male horse used for breeding or a breeding farm/stable.
Trifecta
A bet on which three horses will finish in the top three positions in a race, in the correct order. Also known as triactor, tricast.
Triple Crown
A series of classic or famous races. Different regions have their own Triple Crowns.
Win Bet
A straight bet on a specified horse to win a specified race
Yearling
A horse aged one year.