There are many different types of sports bets and sports betting terms that could end up getting a bit confusing when all is said and done, but we are here today to break down many of the most popular betting terms out there and explain them in-depth. 1st Period/Quarter/Halftime Bet- 1st period or quarter bets are going to relate to betting on just the beginning part of a game, and halftime bets will relate to betting on a point spread for half of a game.
Action– Action is just having a bet down on a game.
American Odds– American odds are just one of the ways that odds are released to bettors. An example of american odds is +110.
ATS (against the spread)- ATS means betting against the spread, and can relate to betting on either the favorite or the underdog.
Book– A book is just another for a sportsbook or sports betting site.
Bookie– Bookies are the ones who take the bets, and can either be a person or a site.
Bonuses– Any time a sports betting site offers a bonus it is going to be chance for bettors to take advantage of some free money from the site.
Closing Line (or Closer)- The line may move around quite a bit before game time, but when the game kicks off the closing line is the final line that you can bet on.
Cover– Covering simply means that one team ended up covering the point spread.
Decimal Odds– This is another way that you can see the sports betting odds, and an example of them would be 2.25-1.
Dog– A dog simply means an underdog, and is the team who is getting points in a game.
Favorite– The favorite is the one who is giving the points in the game, and is expected to win.
Future– Future bets relate to betting on things like the Super Bowl or NBA Finals, or on who will win their conference or division in many of the different sports out there.
Handicapping– This has to do with researching sports bets and finding the best bets on the board.
Line– Line is just another word for a point spread.
Lock– A lock is a game that you feel incredibly confident in, and you think there is almost no way that it won’t hit.
Moneyline– Moneyline betting is just choosing a team to win the game straight up, and you are not going to have to worry about betting on the spread.
Over/Under– Over/unders are the projected number of points in a game, and your job is to bet on whether it will be more or less than that number.
Parlay– Parlays are going to include multiple bets in one big bet, but in order to win a parlay each bet must hit.
Pick’em– A pick’em is when the game has no line because it is an even game between the two teams. Your job is just to bet on who will win the game straight up.
Point Spread– The point spread is another word for the line on a game, and it is going to be how many points a team is favored by or how much of an underdog that they are.
Prop bet– Prop bets have to do with either the game itself, or the players in the game. You are going to bet on specific things in the game, instead of who will win or lose the game itself.
Push– A push is when you don’t win or lose, but your bet just gets returned. An example is that if you bet a team -7 and they win by 7 then you wouldn’t win or lose, but you’d push.
Round Robin– Round robins are going to be a group of small parlays where you have multiple single bets with a specific amount bet on each parlay. There will be a specific number of bets involved in a round robin.
Spread– A spread is another word for a line as well, and it is also called the point spread.
Straight bet– In a straight bet you won’t have to worry about the point spread on a game, as you are just going to be betting on a team to win the game straight up.
Teaser– Teasers will include multiple bets in one, similar to a parlay, but you are going to get to move the line in each of the bets. For example, if you bet on an NFL teaser then you could possibly move the line 7 points. So a game that is +3 originally would move to +10.
Total– A total is the same thing as an over/under, and there will be a projected number of points on the game. You are going to have to bet on either the over or the under on the projected total.
Underdog– The underdog is the same thing as the “dog”, and is going to be the team that is getting points in the game. If you bet on the underdog straight up to win then you will get some strong odds on that team.
