BETTING GLOSSARY
Action: Any bet.
Bad beat: A betting loss caused by a rare, unusual or bizarre turn of events.
Beard: Messenger bettor for syndicates or wise guys.
Chalk: The favorite.
Circle game: Any action in which the normal betting limit is reduced.
Closing line: The final line at which a game goes off.
Cover: When the favorite wins by more than the points it lays, or the dog loses by less than it received.
Dime: $1,000 bet.
Dog: Underdog.
Dollar: $100 bet.
Early line: A line set by some sports books for a contest that is not the next game for either team, or more than a week in the future.
Exotic: Any bet other than a straight bet.
Handle: Total amount of action.
Hedging: Betting the opposite of your original bet in order to “middle” the game, “side” the game, or reduce the size of the original wager.
Hook: A half point.
Juice: The premium or commission charged by the sports book for handling action.
Limit: The maximum wager accepted by the sports book before it adjusts the pointspread or money line on a game.
Line: The pointspread on a game.
Lock: A generally spurious, over-ambitious estimate of a team that “can’t lose” but frequently does; a term often used in hindsight.
Money line: Betting on a team without a pointspread.
Nickel: $500 bet.
Oddsmaker: The person who sets the line at each sports book.
Opening line: The first official line set by an oddsmaker. At some sports books, this line is first bet into by highly respected players.
Overlay: A game in which the betting line is higher than it should be, all conditions being relatively normal.
Over/Under: A bet that is determined by whether total points scored by two teams is over or under a predetermined number.
Parlay: A bet on two or more teams, all of which must win, which pays off at predetermined odds.
Parlay card: A play in which the bettor must pick at least three sides/totals against a static line. Odds are slightly lower than those over the counter.
Pick ‘em: A game in which neither team is favored by any points.
Pointspread: The point difference between the favorite and underdog.
Player: One who studies data and the lines before making a bet.
Push: A tie.
Sandwich: A handicapping term that refers to a game by a good team with a weak opponent, sandwiched between two important games.
Steam: Late betting action that moves the line on a game one point or more.
Syndicate: Consortium of professional bettors.
Teaser: A bet in which two or more teams are “teased” 6, 6 1/2 or 7 points, either up for an underdog or down for a favorite. All sides must win.
Tout: Someone who sells opinions on sporting events.
Underlay: A game in which the betting line is lower than it should be, all conditions being relatively normal.
Vig: See juice.
Wise guy: A sophisticated, well informed sports bettor.
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