Sports Betting Terminology

ATS - Against the spread
10 Cent Line - The money line difference (10 cents) between what a bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog
20 Cent Line - The money line difference (20 cents) between what a bettor would lay with the favorite or take back with the underdog
Beard - Messenger bettor
Buck - $100
Chalk - Favorite
Circled Game - Game where action is limited due to uncertainties about weather, injuries, etc.
Cover - Win by more than the pointspread
Dime - $1000
Dime Line - Slang used to designate the 10 cent money line.
Dog - Underdog
Dollar - $100
Edge - Advantage
Even Money - A wager on which neither side lays any odds or vigorish
Exotic Bet - Action other than a straight bet or parlay
Exposure - The amount of money one actually stands to lose on a game or race
Firing - Betting a lot. A player who is " firing" is wagering large sums.
Futures - Wagers made, or lines/odds posted on an event or outcome taking place in the future. For example, betting on who will be next year's World Series champs.
Grand Salami - A slang word for the over/under total for the combined score of all the hockey contests on the schedule for that day
Halftime Line - A line on only the first half, or only the second half scoring of a football or basketball game
Hedge - Bet the opposite of your original wager in order to reduce the amount of exposure you have on a game
Hook - Half point in pointspreads
Juice - Bookmaker's commission, most often refers to the 11 to 10 football bettors lay on straight wagers. Also known as vigorish.
Laying Points - A wager on a favorite in a pointspread contest
Line - Moneyline, odds, or pointspread
Middle - To win both sides of a game. For example, if you bet the underdog +3 1/2 and the favorite -2 1/2 and the favorite wins by 3, you've middled the book. The book has been middled.
Moneyline - The amount you must bet to win 100 or the amount you win if you bet 100
Nickel - $500
Off The Board - Game where no bets are being accepted
Over/Under - A bet on whether the combined total of the points/goals scored by the two teams will exceed or be less than a specified number
Overlay - When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the bettor rather than the house
Parlay - A bet with two or more teams where all the teams must win for the bettor to be successful
Pick or Pick'em - A game where neither team is favored
Pointspread - The handicap, or head start, which the favorite gives to the underdog for betting purposes
Press - To bet a larger amount than usual
Push - A tie between the bettor and the bookmaker that is the result of the score of an event falling exactly on the pointspread number
Round Robin - A series of parlays. A three-team round robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays
SU - Straight up win, winner of a contest regardless of spread
Score - To win a lot of money
Scratch - Withdraw; cancel
Sharp - Wise guy, seasoned, successful bettor
Side Bet/Side Wager - A wager on a particular team, or side, to win a contest
Soft Line - A wagering line that is not current with the true posted line. A line that has been adjusted or moved as a result of action and does not reflect the true line as posted.
Spread - An abbreviated form of pointspread
Steam - When a betting line starts to move quite rapidly because many bettors are playing on one side of the game
Straight Bet - A single wager on a selected side or over/under
Take The Points - A wager on the underdog in a pointspread contest
Teaser - A bet on 2 or more teams where the line on each team is adjusted in the favor of the bettor. Like a Parlay, all selections must be correct for the teaser to win
Total - The line on a given contest, representing the combined number of points/goals scored by the two teams
Underlay - When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the house
Value - An overlay
Vigorish - Bookmaker's commission, most often refers to the 11 to 10 football bettors lay on straight wagers. Also known as juice.
Wise Guy - Established and successful sports bettor