Glossary of common terms and concepts in sports betting

The terms in sports betting can be divided into three broad groups: official, technical and slang. Such concepts are used to denote each event in the line. Mastering it will help in finding the required matches and profitable betting options. Today we will analyze the terminology of sports betting and the main points of each definition.

Official sports betting terms

Let’s start with the official sports betting terms for dummies. Its source is federal law. It contains a number of concepts, among which there are those involved in betting:

  • A bookmaker is a gambling establishment in which the organizer of gambling makes bets with participants of this type of gambling;
  • Winnings — monetary or property funds to be paid to a gambling participant;
  • A gambling organizer is a legal entity engaged in the organization and conduct of gambling on the basis of a state license;
  • Bet — the player’s bet accepted by the bookmaker;
  • The BC processing center is a part of a gambling establishment in which the organizer keeps records and processes bets accepted from participants, records the results, calculates the amounts of winnings to be paid, provides information about accepted bets and calculated winnings;
  • Bet (interactive) — the amount of money that the player is willing to invest for a certain outcome of the event, having the opportunity to multiply this amount, return it or lose it;
  • A gambling participant (player) is an individual who has reached the age of 18 and enters into a risk—based winning agreement with the organizer of the bet or another participant.

Sports betting terms and meaning prescribed in the rules of betting companies

Before opening an account with a bookmaker, be sure to study the concepts and terms prescribed in the operator’s rules. The basic betting dictionary also includes the names of sports, tournaments, championships and leagues, and the names of athletes. Here are the basic concepts that a betting player should know:

  • Coefficient — the value that the bookmaker sets for each event in the line and painting. To get a net win, you need to deduct the bet amount from the payout amount;
  • Line — a list of sporting events with quotes related to various outcomes. The bet coefficient can change from the moment it appears in the line and before the start of the sports event;
  • Live — a list of sports events that you can bet on in real time, that is, during the game (race, swim, fight);
  • Ordinary — a bet on one event; it is considered won if the forecast coincides with the final result;
  • System — a bet on a combination of express bets; the bet can be considered won even if one (or more, depending on the conditions) forecast does not coincide with the final result;
  • Free bet — a free bet that a player can conclude by the decision of the BC administration;
  • Express bet on two or more events; it is considered won if all the predictions in the coupon match the final results.

Tip: pay special attention to this section “Main types of bets”

It defines the basic conditions of all acceptable bets on sports events presented in the line of a particular bookmaker. There are four main types of sports betting:

  • on the actual outcome — on a win, a draw or not a loss of one of the parties;
  • for the victory of each of the teams with a handicap — a bet taking into account the handicap, a pre-agreed advantage of one of the parties for a specific indicator;
  • for the total number of goals, points, games in the match — the size of the total with the determination of coefficients in the BC is set by the administration;
  • for individual, statistical indicators or comparisons of players — the specifics of such bets and their calculation are indicated for each sport.

Informal and slang terms in sports betting

Betting, of course, has its own slang system. Among the common examples are:

  • Bettor — a player who bets on sports in BC;
  • Bookmaker bookmaker;
  • Valui — the coefficient overestimated by the bookmaker;
  • Exhaust — a net gain on the bet;
  • Mustard plaster is a yellow card in team sports;
  • Dogger is a seller of information about match fixing;
  • Catch—up is a strategy game in which, with the help of the following bets, they try to recapture previously lost funds;
  • Iron, reinforced concrete is an obvious result of the upcoming event;
  • Insider — a person who has exclusive information about a team or an athlete;
  • Capper is a professional analyst who sells sports forecasts;
  • Kef coefficient;
  • Live — live broadcast of a sports event, unlike live betting lines;
  • Loss — loss.

This is only a small fraction of all informal terms. In each circle of bettors, other words and expressions may appear and gradually come into use.

Notation within the framework of betting terminology

In addition to the main list of concepts and terms, there are special abbreviations for the convenience of the game:

  • BK – bookmaker;
  • P1 – a bet on the victory of the first team, that is, the nominal owners;
  • P2 – bet on the victory of the second team, that is, the guests;
  • X – bet on a draw;
  • 1X – bet on a draw or a victory of the first team;
  • X2 – bet on a draw or victory of the second team;
  • 12 — a bet on the victory of any team, excluding a draw.

Main terms

If you are planning not just to make several online bets on your favorite team, but to create a source of additional income, you need to familiarize yourself with the main terminology of professional betting.

Handicap

A sport bet with a handicap is possible if one of the teams has a clear advantage. In this case, the bookmaker can tighten the conditions under which the bettor will receive a win.

The handicap consists in taking away or adding points, goals, etc., depending on the type of sports competition. The benefit for the bookmaker is to equalize the winning conditions, which allows you to attract more players.

In other words, the essence of this option is to change the initial conditions under which it is easier for one team to succeed.

Double Chance in betting – what is it?

In hockey, football and some other sports, there are three likely outcomes: a victory for the first or second team and a draw. A “double chance” bet is placed on two possible outcomes. It can be:

  • Victory of one of the teams and a draw;
  • Victory of any team. In this case, the bet is on the absence of a draw.

Due to the fact that the odds of a bettor to win are increasing, bookmakers do not offer high odds for such bets.

Ordinary

The ordinary, or “loner”, is the most popular bet among bettors and bookmakers. Unlike a double chance, here you can bet on only one possible result.

The “single player” win is considered as the product of the amount you bet on the coefficient offered by the bookmaker. The percentage above the rate is your net profit.

What does the coefficient in sports betting mean?

The coefficient is the figure offered by the bookmaker to calculate the possible winnings on the bet. For example, with a bet of $ 10 and a coefficient of 1.85, your winnings will be $ 18.5.

This indicator is calculated by analysts working in betting firms based on a variety of factors and probabilities.

It is believed that the weaker the athlete or the team, the greater the coefficient for his victory. Despite this, you should also pay attention to the opponent: in sports, it is not uncommon for a potential outsider to win against an unambiguous favorite. Either a very experienced or a very lucky player can assume such an outcome.

There are several types of coefficients:

  • Decimal – used in most European countries;
  • Fractional. If you bet with a coefficient of 15/5, then if you win for every 5 rubles, you will get 15 on top. This figure can be converted to decimal: 15 + 5 = 20, 20/5 = 4,0;
  • American. Has positive and negative values, for example, “-105” or “157”.

Main time

In some sports, for example, in football, hockey and basketball, with a draw result, extra time is possible. If the winner is still unclear after it, punches are awarded – penalties, shootouts, etc.

Some bookmakers take into account the added time. Others are limited to the official duration of the match, i.e. the main time. For example, in football it is 90 minutes.

The listed terms are only the basis of professional betting. However, this is enough to understand the basics. If you plan to seriously engage in betting, you need to master many other concepts.

Results

In this dictionary we have tried to collect the basic game concepts. You can hear a lot of interesting things in the office or on the betting site. The lexicon of visitors includes colloquial abbreviations of sports terms and original adaptations of English words. Where you can hear street jargon and even obscene expressions that have nothing to do with betting.Mastering this “language” and remember sports betting terms explained is an elementary task. The meaning of most words is intuitive. Over time, the vocabulary becomes familiar, like everyday conversation. To play online, it is not necessary to understand what “pull”, “popan”, “sure thing” or “shove” is. However, when communicating with other players, knowledge of slang helps to quickly grasp the essence of the topic under discussion.