Gambling Terms

In this section you will learn all about gambling terms and definitions.

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10 CENT LINE	The money line difference (10 cents) between what a bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog.
10 CENT PROGRESSIVE LINE	Our line. It is a 10 cent line up to -135 then it turns into a 15 cent line up to -190 then it turns into a 20 cent line and progressively gets wider as the line gets higher.
20 CENT LINE	The money line difference (20 cents) between what a bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog. The normal price of any football or basketball point spread wager.
ACROSS THE BOARD	Wagering on a horse to win, place and show.
ACTION	A wager that is active, or pending. Also a bet in baseball without listed pitchers.

B.R.	Bankroll.
BAD BEAT	Tough loss. Where you think you have a winning a wager, but then end up losing.
BOOK OR BOOKIE	Short for bookmaker or a person who accepts bets.
BEARD	Somebody who places wagers for another person.
BEEF	A dispute or claim regarding a wager.
BUCK	$100
BUY	A player spending more money (or juice) in order to get an extra 1/2 point. Maximum points on a buy is 2.

CHALK	The favorite.
CHALK EATER	A gambler who likes to bet favorites.
CHURN	The effect of betting and re-betting money.
CIRCLED GAME	A game where action is limited due to uncertainties about weather, injuries, etc.
COVER	To win by more than the point spread.

DAILY DOUBLE:	A horse wager where the bettor is required to pick the winners of two designated races.
DEGENERATE	A compulsive gambler.
DIME	$1000
DOG	The team or player that is most likely to lose.
DOG PLAYER	A person who usually bets on the underdog.
DOLLAR	$100
DOUBLE HEADER	Two separate baseball games played on the same day by the same teams.

EARN	The practical hold percentage
EDGE	Advantage
EVEN MONEY	A wager where the player gets equal money in winnings for the amount risked.
EXACTA	A horse wager where the bettor is required to pick the first two finishes in a race, in exact order.
EXOTIC BET	Any type of wager other than a straight bet, parlay, or teaser.

FAVORITE	The team that is most likely to win.
FIFTY CENTS:	$50.
FIGURE	Account balance.
FREE PLAY:	A type of bonus play offered by some sports books where the player gets a free wager based on the amount of the deposit. Funds do not go into the players account until the play is a winner. If the play loses there no adjustment to the players account.
FORM:	What performance is to be expected according to how a team or horse looks on paper.
FUTURES	A wager made on an event that takes place sometime on a future/later date.

GAME	"GIMME" A sure thing, or a lock.
GET DOWN	To make a bet.
GROSS WIN	Win amount before expenses.

HALF A DOLLAR	$50.
HANDLE	The total amount of bets taken.
HANDICAPPER	A person who studies sporting events and creates odds.
HEDGE	To bet the opposite of your original wager in order to reduce the amount of action you have on a game.
HOOK	The half point in point spreads, as in "lost by the hook".
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE	The edge the home team is expected to have as a result of familiarity with the playing arena, fan support, and the effect of travel on the visiting team.
HOME TEAM	The team playing in its own town.
HOOPS	Basketball.
HOT GAME	A game that draws a significant amount of action on one side by knowledgeable handicappers.
HOT TIP	Info the bookmaker is not yet privy to

IF BET	A bet based on the outcome of a pending wager. Click here to find out more about our "IF" bets.
JUICE	The bookmaker's commission, most often refers to 11 to 10 football bettors lay on straight wagers, also known as the vig or vigorish.

LAY A PRICE	A wager on the favorite in a giving money line contest.
LAYING POINTS	A wager on the favorite in a given point spread contest.
LEVERAGE	The use of credit or borrowed funds to improve one's speculative capacity and increase the rate of return from an investment, as in buying securities on margin.
LIMIT	Maximum or minimum, bet accepted by the house before the price will be changed.
LIMITED GAME	A contest with reduced maximum wagering limits.
LINE, ODDS, SPREADS OR NUMBERS:	The amount of points or money that the team is favored by.
LISTED PITCHERS	The pitcher's listed by Las Vegas odds makers as probable starting pitchers for a scheduled baseball game. All wagers placed that state listed pitchers will only have action if both players start the game.
LOCK	Believed to be an easy winner, or a "can't lose" wager. A gimme.
LONGSHOT	Large underdog

MATCH PLAY	A type of bonus play offered by some sports books where the player gets a free wager based on the amount of the deposit. Funds do not go into the players account until the play is a winner. If the play loses there no adjustment to the players account.
MIDDLE	To win both sides of a game. For example if you bet the dog +3 1/2 and the favorite -2 1/2 and the favorite wins by 3, you've middled the book.
MLB	Major League Baseball.
MINUS POOL:	In pari-mutual wagering, when after the track take is extracted, there is not enough money left to pay winning patrons the minimum bet. The track must then make up the difference.
MUTUAL	The price paid on a wining pari-mutual wager.

NBA	National Basketball Association.
NCAA	National Collegiate Athletic Association.
NEUTRAL SITE	Arena, court or field where neither side has a home field advantage.
NFL	National Football League.
NHL	National Hockey League.
NICKEL	$500
NO ACTION	A wager that is considered not valid.

OFF THE BOARD	Game where there are no posted odds and no bets are being accepted.
OFFICIAL LINE	The line that the bookmaker uses for wagering purposes.
OUT	Bookmaker.
OVERLAY	When the odds of a given proposition are more in favor of the bettor than the house.

PARLAY	A bet with 2 or more teams where all must win for the bettor to be successful. Click here to view our parlay odds.
PAST POST	A wager placed after the wagered event has already started which usually results in no action.
PICK 'EM GAME	A game where neither team is favored.
PLACE BET	A wager placed on a horse to finish first or second in a race. Will pay the second finish price only.
PLAYER	A bettor, or gambler
POINT SPREAD	The amount of points or goals that the favorite gives the underdog for betting purposes.
PRACTICAL HOLD PERCENTAGE	The amount won by a bookmaker divided by the total amount booked.
PRESS	To bet a larger amount than usual.
PRICE	Line
PROPAGANZA	Heritage offers multiple exotic proposition wagers on all Monday, Thursday, and Sunday night football games.
PUPPY	The underdog.
PUSH	A tie.

QUINELLA	A wager where the bettor is required to pick the first two finishers in the race, regardless of the order.
ROLLOVER	The amount of times in volume needed to be made in order to keep cash or free play bonuses.
ROUND ROBIN	A parlay wager on several teams in which every team selected is used in a parlay with every other team.
RUNDOWN	A line update.
RUNNER	A person who bets for somebody else. A Beard.

SCALPER	A person who attempts to profit from the differences in odds from book to book by betting both sides of the same game at different prices.
SCORE	The total amount of points, runs, or goals accumulated by a team. The final points, runs, or goals at the end of an event. To win a lot of money.
SCRATCH	A horse that has been withdrawn or canceled from a race. This results in the reimbursement of the wager to the player account.
SHADING	Moving the posted line on an event as the result of a personal opinion.
SHARP	A Wise guy.
SHOW BET	A wager on a horse to finish first, second, or third in a race. Will be paid the third finish price only.
SIDES	The names of the 2 teams, or contestants playing each other.
SOFT LINE	A sports wagering line that is not current with the true posted line.
SPREAD	Short for point spread.
SQUARE	Unsophisticated gambler.
STEAM	When a large amount of money starts to come in on one side of a game and the line moves rapidly.
STRAIGHT BET	A bet on just one team or total.
SUCKER BET	A wager that has a large statistical disadvantage.

TAKE A PRICE	Bet the underdog, take the points.
TAPPED OUT	Broke, busted, common result of pressing.
TEASER	A type of bet with multiple teams where you can adjust the point spread in your favor.
THEORETICAL HOLD PERCENTAGE	The edge the bookmaker would have if the odds guaranteed him a constant commission regardless of the outcome.
TOSS UP	A game where the line is close to pick-em.
TOTAL OVER OR UNDER	The combined amount of runs, points or goals scored by both teams in the game.
TOUT SERVICE	A business that sells wagering opinions on sporting events.
TRUE ODDS	The true mathematical odds for the probability of a chance event occurring.

UNDERDOG	The team or player most likely to lose the event. Same as "Dog".
UNDERLAY	When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the house.

VALUE	An overlay.
VIG OR VIGORISH	A bookmakers commission, usually 10%. Also called the juice.
VISITOR	The team playing away from home.

WAGER	A Bet.
WIN BET	A wager placed on a horse to finish first in a race.
WISE GUY	A knowledgeable sports bettor. An expert.

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