Betting Basics
The Sports Betting Glossary: 40+ Terms Every Bettor Should Know
A running reference for the terms you'll hear on sportsbook apps, betting forums, and TV broadcasts. Bookmark this page — we'll expand it over time.
Odds & pricing
- Juice / vig (vigorish): the sportsbook's built-in commission, baked into the odds on both sides of a bet.
- Implied probability: the win chance a given set of odds represents. See our odds explainer.
- Line / price: the current odds or point spread on a given bet.
- Line movement: how odds shift over time in response to betting activity or news.
- CLV (closing line value): comparing the odds you got when you bet to the final ("closing") odds right before the game — a common way sharp bettors measure their own long-term skill.
- Steam move: a sudden, sharp shift in the line across multiple books at once, usually signaling heavy sharp money.
- Hook: the ".5" in a spread or total, e.g. the ".5" in 47.5, which exists to prevent a tie.
Bet types
- Moneyline: a straight bet on who wins, no spread. See our bet types guide.
- Spread (against the spread / ATS): betting on the scoring margin, not just the winner.
- Total / over-under: betting on the combined score of both teams.
- Parlay: multiple bets combined into one, all legs must win.
- Teaser: a parlay where you can adjust the spread/total in your favor, in exchange for lower payout odds.
- Prop bet (proposition bet): a wager on a specific stat or event rather than the final score.
- Futures: a long-term bet on an outcome decided weeks or months later, like a championship winner.
- Live / in-play bet: a bet placed after the game has started, on odds that update in real time.
- Same-game parlay (SGP): a parlay made entirely of bets within a single game.
- Round robin: a set of smaller parlays generated automatically from a larger group of picks.
Bankroll & strategy
- Unit: a fixed percentage of your bankroll used as a standard bet size. See our bankroll guide.
- Bankroll: the total money set aside specifically for betting.
- Chasing (losses): increasing bet size to try to win back a previous loss.
- Handle: the total amount of money wagered on an event or by a bettor.
- Sharp / wiseguy: a bettor whose action is considered informed enough to move betting lines.
- Square: a casual or recreational bettor, typically betting on popular teams or narratives.
- Middling: betting both sides of a line at different price points, hoping the final result lands in a gap where both bets win.
- Arbitrage: betting all outcomes of an event across different books to lock in a profit regardless of result, exploiting pricing differences.
Sportsbook mechanics
- Handicap: the point advantage/disadvantage applied to make a spread bet closer to 50/50.
- Push: a tie against the number bet on — your stake is returned, no win or loss.
- Cash out: settling a bet early, before the event ends, for a partial guaranteed amount.
- Cover: when a team wins by more than the spread (or loses by less), so a spread bet on them wins.
- Book / sportsbook: the company taking the bet.
- Odds boost: a promotional offer that temporarily improves the payout on a specific bet.
- Limit: the maximum amount a book will accept on a given bet.
- Wagering / rollover requirement: how many times bonus funds must be wagered before they (or winnings from them) can be withdrawn — always read this in an operator's bonus terms.
Account & responsible gambling terms
- KYC (Know Your Customer): the identity-verification process licensed operators must run before you can withdraw funds.
- Geolocation: the technology licensed apps use to confirm you're physically in a state where online betting is legal.
- Self-exclusion: voluntarily banning yourself from betting for a set period. See our responsible gambling guide.
- Deposit limit: a cap you set on how much you can add to your account in a given period.
- Cooling-off period: a temporary, short-term account lock.
Suggest a term: Missing something you've heard and want explained? This glossary gets updated regularly as part of our daily content schedule.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between "juice" and "vig"?
They're the same thing — two common names for the sportsbook's built-in commission baked into the odds.
What does it mean when a line "moves"?
The odds or spread shift in response to betting activity, injury news, or other information. Tracking that movement is part of how sharp bettors evaluate their own timing (see CLV above).
Is "sharp" money always right?
No — sharp bettors are simply considered more informed on average, which is why their action moves lines, but no bettor wins every time.
What's the difference between a push and a loss?
A push is a tie against the number you bet — your stake is returned with no win or loss. A loss means the bet didn't hit and the stake is kept by the book.