Betting Glossary: All Betting Terms Explained

Acca boost Bet types Extra winnings a bookmaker adds to an accumulator when every pick wins, usually from a minimum number of picks. also Parlay boost US · Multi boost AU · Acca bonus Acca insurance Bet types A refund, usually as a free bet, when exactly one pick in your accumulator lets you down. also Acca refund Accumulator Bet types One bet that links several picks. Their odds multiply, so the price climbs fast, but every pick has to win or the whole bet loses. also Parlay US · Multi AU · Acca American odds Odds & margin Odds written with a plus or a minus. Plus shows the profit on a hundred staked; minus shows how much you stake to win a hundred. also Moneyline odds US Ante-post Bet types A bet placed well before the event, often on who wins a race, a league or a tournament. Prices are usually bigger than on the day. also Futures US · Outright · Futures Anytime goalscorer Bet types A bet that a player scores at any time in the match. First and last goalscorer bets need that exact goal. also First goalscorer · Last goalscorer · Player to score Arbitrage Exchanges Backing every outcome of an event at different bookmakers when their prices add up to less than one hundred percent, so one bet always wins more than the others lose. also Arb · Sure bet Asian handicap Bet types Gives one team a head start in goals so the draw disappears. Quarter lines split your stake across two handicaps. also AH

Back bet Exchanges Betting that something will happen, like a normal bet at a bookmaker. On an exchange someone else lays your bet. also Back · Backing Banker Slang The pick you trust most, put in every line of a multiple or system bet. If the banker loses, every line loses. Best odds guaranteed Odds & margin In horse racing: if the starting price ends up bigger than the price you took, you are paid at the bigger one. also BOG Bet builder Bet types Several picks from the same match combined into one bet, such as a goalscorer plus the total of goals. The bookmaker prices the combination itself. also Same game parlay US · Same game multi AU · SGP Betting exchange Exchanges A market where bettors bet against each other instead of against a bookmaker. The exchange matches bets and takes a commission on winnings. Betting without Bet types A market with one or more runners taken out, usually the favourite. You win if your pick beats everyone else left. also Without the favourite · Each way without Both teams to score Bet types You win if each side scores at least once. Who wins the match doesn’t matter. also BTTS · GG/NG · Goal/No goal

Cash out Bet types Settling your bet before the event is over, for an amount the bookmaker offers at that moment. Useful to lock in some profit or cut a loss. Chasing losses Safer play Betting more, or more often, to win back money you have lost. It is one of the clearest signs that betting has stopped being fun. also Chasing Closing line value Odds & margin How your price compares with the final price just before the event starts. Taking a better price than the close is seen as the best sign of good betting. also CLV · Closing line Commission Exchanges The share of your net winnings on a market that an exchange keeps. It replaces the margin a bookmaker builds into its prices. Correct score Bet types A bet on the exact final score of a match. Crypto betting Platforms Depositing and withdrawing in cryptocurrency instead of cards or bank transfers. Payouts are often fast. also Bitcoin betting

Dead heat Bet types When two or more finish level for a place you bet on. Your stake is split between them, so you are paid at full odds on part of it. Decimal odds Odds & margin Odds written as one number that includes your stake. Multiply the stake by the odds to get the full return. also European odds Deposit bonus Bonuses Bonus money in proportion to what you deposit, up to a limit, usually with wagering before it can be withdrawn. also Deposit match · Matched deposit Deposit limit Safer play A cap you set on how much you can deposit per day, week or month. Lowering it takes effect at once; raising it usually means a waiting period. Double Bet types An accumulator with two picks. Both have to win; the winnings of the first ride on the second. Double chance Bet types Covers two of the three match results in one bet: home or draw, away or draw, or home or away. Draw no bet Bet types A match bet with the draw taken out. If the game ends level your stake comes back; you only win or lose on a result. also DNB Drifter Slang A selection whose price keeps getting bigger before the start, because the market fancies it less. also Drift Dutching Bet types Splitting one stake across several picks so that you make the same profit whichever of them wins. also Dutch betting

E-wallet Platforms An online wallet such as PayPal, Skrill or Neteller that sits between your bank and the bookmaker. Often the fastest way to get paid. also Digital wallet Each way Bet types Two bets of the same stake in one: a win bet and a place bet. If your pick only places, the place part still pays, at a fraction of the odds. also E/W Evens Odds & margin A price where the profit equals the stake: you double your money. also Even money · Evs Extra places Bet types A promotion that pays the place part of each way bets on more finishing positions than the race normally pays.

Favourite Odds & margin The side the market expects to win, so the one with the shortest price. also Favorite US · Chalk · Jolly Forecast Bet types Picking the first and second in a race in the right order. A reverse forecast covers both orders, as two bets. also Exacta US · Straight forecast · Reverse forecast Fractional odds Odds & margin Odds written as profit to stake, the traditional British way. The stake comes back on top. also UK odds Free bet Bonuses A bet token from the bookmaker. In most cases only the winnings are paid, not the token’s own value. also Bonus bet US · Bonus bet AU · Bet credits · Bet token

Gambling licence Platforms Permission from a regulator to take bets. A strict regulator can fine or close a bookmaker that doesn’t pay out or treat players fairly. also Gaming license US · Licence · License Geo-blocking Platforms A bookmaker refusing visitors or players from certain countries, usually because it holds no licence there. also Geo-restriction Going Slang The state of the ground at a racecourse, from firm to heavy. Some horses run far better on one kind of going.

Half-time/full-time Bet types Picking the result at half-time and at full-time in one bet, such as draw at the break and a home win. also HT/FT · Double result Handicap Bet types A head start or deficit given to one side so both have a similar chance. You win if your side covers it. also Point spread US · Spread · European handicap Hedge Slang Placing a second bet against your first to cut the risk or lock in some profit. also Hedging

Implied probability Odds & margin The chance a price suggests. For decimal odds, divide one by the odds. also Implied chance In-play Bet types Betting while the event is already under way. Odds move with every goal, card or point. also Live betting US · In-running

Key numbers Odds & margin In American football, the winning margins that come up most often, above all three and seven points. Half a point either side of them matters a lot. KYC Safer play The identity checks a licensed bookmaker must run: who you are, your age and where your money comes from. also Know your customer · ID verification

Lay bet Exchanges Betting that something will not happen: you act as the bookmaker and take someone else’s back bet. also Lay · Laying Liability Exchanges What you stand to lose on a lay bet if the outcome happens: the lay stake times the odds minus one. Limited Slang When a bookmaker caps the stakes you can place or removes you from offers, often after you win or take mostly promotions. also Gubbed · Stake restriction · Stake factoring Lock Slang US slang for a pick sold as certain. No bet is certain. Loss limit Safer play A cap on how much you can lose in a day, week or month. Once you reach it you can’t bet until the period ends. Lucky 15 Bet types Four picks covered in fifteen bets: four singles plus every double, treble and the fourfold. One winner returns something.

Margin Odds & margin The bookmaker’s built-in edge. Add up the implied chances of every outcome: anything above one hundred percent is their margin. Lower is better for you. also Vig US · Overround · Vigorish · Juice · Bookmaker margin Matched betting Exchanges Backing an outcome with a bookmaker and laying the same outcome on an exchange, to turn free-bet offers into a small, mostly fixed profit. Match result Bet types The simplest bet: who wins the match. In football there are three outcomes, home, draw and away. also Moneyline US · 1X2 · Match odds · Full-time result Maximum stake Bet types The most a bookmaker will accept on one bet. It depends on the market, the sport and, often, on your account. also Max bet · Bet limit · Max stake Minimum deposit Platforms The smallest amount a bookmaker accepts as a deposit. It can differ by payment method and is often higher for a welcome offer. also Min deposit Minimum odds Bonuses The lowest price a bet can have to count for an offer or its wagering. Bets below it simply don’t count. also Min odds · Qualifying odds Mirror site Platforms A copy of a bookmaker’s site on another address, used when the main address is blocked in a country. also Mirror link

Nap Slang A tipster’s strongest pick of the day, a term from British horse racing. No-deposit bonus Bonuses A small bonus given just for signing up, before you deposit anything. also No deposit free bet Non-runner no bet Bet types A promise that your stake comes back if your horse doesn’t run, even on a bet placed days before the race. also NRNB

Odds Odds & margin The price of a bet: what you get back if it wins. The same price can be written as decimal, fractional or American odds. also Price Odds-on Odds & margin A price shorter than evens: the profit is smaller than the stake, because the outcome is seen as more likely than not. also Short price Odds boost Odds & margin A bookmaker raises the price on a chosen outcome for a limited time, usually with a low maximum stake. also Price boost · Enhanced odds · Super boost Offshore bookmaker Platforms A bookmaker licensed in another country, taking players from a country where it holds no local licence. also Offshore sportsbook Outsider Odds & margin The side the market rates least likely to win, so the one with the longest price. also Underdog US · Dog · Longshot Over/under Bet types A bet on whether the total of goals, points or corners ends above or below a line the bookmaker sets. The result of the match doesn’t matter. also Totals · O/U

Palpable error Slang A price so clearly wrong that the bookmaker’s terms let it void the bet or settle it at the right price. also Palp · Obvious error Patent Bet types Three picks covered in seven bets: three singles, three doubles and a treble. One winner is enough to get something back. Payout time Platforms How long it takes from asking for a withdrawal to having the money: the bookmaker’s own processing plus the payment method’s. also Withdrawal time · Cash-out time Pending period Platforms The time a bookmaker holds a withdrawal before processing it. also Withdrawal pending Pick’em Odds & margin A game with no favourite: the point spread is zero, so you only need your side to win. also PK Placepot Bet types A UK tote bet: pick a horse to place in each of the first six races at a meeting. All six have to place. Promo code Bonuses A word or code you enter at sign-up or deposit to claim a specific offer. also Bonus code · Offer code Puck line Bet types Ice hockey’s point spread: the favourite has to win by two goals or more, the underdog can lose by one and still cover. Punter Slang Someone who places bets. In the US the usual word is bettor. also Bettor US Push Bet types A tie against the line, so nobody wins and your stake is returned. It happens on whole-number lines.

Qualifying bet Bonuses The bet you have to place, with your own money, to unlock an offer.

Reality check Safer play A reminder on screen that shows how long you have been playing and what you have won or lost in the session. Regulation time Bet types The normal length of a match including stoppage time, without extra time or penalties. Most football bets settle on it. also 90 minutes · Normal time Retirement rule Bet types What happens to a tennis bet when a player retires injured. It differs by bookmaker: some void the bet, others settle it once a set is finished or pay the player who goes through. Round robin Bet types In the US, every combination of your picks as smaller parlays, so one loser doesn’t sink everything. In the UK the name is a ten-bet system on three picks. Rule 4 Bet types A deduction from winnings in horse racing when a runner is withdrawn after you took your price, because the field got weaker. also Rule 4 deduction Run line Bet types Baseball’s point spread: the favourite has to win by two runs or more, the underdog can lose by one and still cover.

Second-chance bet Bonuses If your first bet loses, the bookmaker refunds the stake, usually as a bonus bet rather than cash. also First bet refund · Bet insurance · Risk-free bet Self-exclusion Safer play Closing your account for a set period so you can’t bet. It can’t be undone early. Set betting Bet types In tennis, a bet on the exact score in sets, such as a player winning by two sets to one. Sharp Slang A bettor who wins over time, usually by taking prices better than the closing line. The opposite is a ‘square’. also Sharp bettor · Wiseguy Single Bet types A bet on one outcome only. If it wins you are paid at its odds; if it loses you lose the stake. also Straight bet US · Straight Sister bookies Platforms Bookmakers that run on the same sportsbook platform. They often share odds, markets and terms. also Sister sites · Sister bookmakers Specials Bet types Bets on things that happen inside an event rather than on its result: a player’s shots, the first corner, the number of cards. also Prop bet US · Props · Proposition bet Sportsbook platform Platforms The software behind a bookmaker’s sportsbook: odds, markets, bet slip and settlement. Many brands rent the same platform. also Platform · Betting platform Starting price Odds & margin The official price of a runner when the race starts. You can take it instead of the price on offer earlier. also SP Steam Slang A fast, sharp drop in a price across bookmakers, usually because large or well-informed money came in. also Steamer

Teaser Bet types A US parlay where you move the point spreads in your favour on every leg, in return for a lower payout. Every leg still has to win. Time-out Safer play A short break from betting that you choose, from a day to a few weeks. The account is locked until it ends. also Cool-off · Take a break Tipster Slang Someone who shares or sells betting picks. also Tips Tote Bet types Betting into a pool: all stakes go in, the operator takes its cut, and the rest is shared by the winners. The payout is only known when the pool closes. also Pool betting · Parimutuel · Pari-mutuel Treble Bet types An accumulator with three picks. All three have to win for it to pay. Tricast Bet types Picking the first three in a race in the exact order. also Trifecta US Trixie Bet types Three picks covered in four bets: three doubles and one treble. Any two winners return something.

Value bet Odds & margin A price higher than the real chance deserves. Value doesn’t mean the bet will win; it means the price is generous if you could make the bet many times. also Value Void Bet types A bet that stands as if never placed, usually because the event was cancelled or a player didn’t take part. Your stake comes back. also Void bet · Cancelled bet

Wagering requirement Bonuses How many times you have to bet a bonus, sometimes plus your deposit, before you can withdraw anything won with it. also Playthrough US · Turnover requirement AU · Rollover · Wagering Welcome offer Bonuses The bonus a bookmaker gives new customers, often free bets or a match on the first deposit. Always read the wagering, minimum odds and expiry first. also Sign-up offer · Welcome bonus · New customer offer White label Platforms A ready-made bookmaker: one company supplies the platform, and often the licence and payments, and another adds its own brand. also Turnkey sportsbook Withdrawal limit Platforms The most you can take out per day, week or month. A big win can be paid in instalments. also Payout limit · Max withdrawal

Yankee Bet types Four picks covered in eleven bets: six doubles, four trebles and a fourfold. You need at least two winners for a return.