Sports Betting Advice - Betting Terminology

Accumulator
A collection of bets where all selection have to be successful to receive a payout. Odds for each selection are multiplied to provide a large payout

All In
Widely used in Poker, this term refers to Staking all of your betting bank

All Out
Used to describe a Horse that is trying its best to win

All Weather Racing
Horse racing that takes place on an artificial surface. Lingfield, Kempton and Wolverhampton provide a polytrack surface whilst Southwell provides a fibre sand surface.

Ante Post Betting
Betting that takes place well before an event which includes all possible participants. If the selection becomes a 'non-runner' the bet is lost.

Apprentice
A young jockey who gains a weight allowance over more experienced jockeys. Weight allowance decreases as the jockey wins races.

Arber
A punter who secures profit by taking advantage of difference in bookmakers odds, backing all outcomes of an event at a combined book of less than 100%

Arbitrage
A bet that guarantee's a profit, whatever the outcome

Asian Handicap
A football bet that gives the least likely winner a head start to make betting more competitive.

Banker
A bet that is considered to be a certain winner

Betfair Commission
A small percentage taken, by Betfair, from a punters winnings

Blanket Finish
Used in Horse Racing when a number of horses finish a race close together.

Blinkers
A device that fits to a horse's head, restricting its vision in order to improve its concentration

Bumper
A National Hunt Race contested on the Flat

CD / C&D
Course and Distance. Used as part of a Race Card to indicate that a horse has won over the course and distance of the race takingg place

Chasing
The dangerous game of betting to recover losses made.

Cheek Piece
Head Gear worn by Horses to help improve performance.

Clerk of the Scales
Official responsible for ensuring all Jockeys weigh in at the end of a race.

Co-Favourite
Joint Favourite with at least two other Favourites

Dam
Female Parent of a Horse

Dead-Heat
A situation where the top 2 finishing positions cannot be separated

Draw (Football)
Situation where both teams have scored the same number of goals

Draw (Horse Racing)
The number of the starting stall where a horse will race from

Drifter
A horse whose odds are getting bigger due to lack of support in the betting.

Dutching
Backing two or more selections in an event to achieve equal profit whichever selection wins.

Each-Way
A 2 part bet that backs a selection to win and to be placed in an event. Place terms will depend on number of possible outcomes and type of competition.

Even Money
When the profit received for a successful bet is equal to your initial stake, the Odds are said to be Even Money. These odds are often written as "EVS"

Exacta
A bet placed on the Tote that requires the first two horses to be named in the correct order.

Favourite
The selection in an event that is perceived to have the most chance of winning

Fixed Odds Betting
When you place a fixed odds bet, you are staking money to predict an outcome of an event. The Odds offered by the bookmaker reflects how much you will win if your prediction is correct.

Furlong
Standard Distance used in Horse Racing equivalent to 200m hence there are 8 furlongs to a mile

Going
Used to describe the condition of the ground at a racecourse. The going ranges from Heavy to firm.

Handicap
A race where horses carry different weights based on their official rating or where greyhounds get a head start based on their ability. Both are designed to increase competition during the Race.

Hands Down
Horse race in which the Jockey of the winning horse does not use the whip during the race.

Hedging
Backing another selection in an event you have already bet on with the aim of decreasing your exposure to risk

IBAS
A Service that settles betting disputes between bookmakers and punters

Lay
Betting on an outcome not to occur, for example a Football Team not to Win particular Game.

Lay Liability
How much a Lay bet stands to lose if the Lay Selection Wins

Laying Odds
This is another term for a bookmaker taking bets. By agreeing your bet, the bookmaker is laying that particular outcome of the event. The bookmaker is risking their money to lay, or to promise to pay the winnings, should your bet be successful.

Long Odds
If you bet at long odds you will receive a good return on your investment if you are correct. Placing a bet at odds of 50/1 would be considered Long Odds.

LSP
Also know as Level Stake Profit. Used as a measure of betting success as it looks at the amount of profit made if all stake had been 1 unit.

Maiden (Cricket)
A over where no runs are scored

Maiden (Horse Racing)
A horse that has yet to win a race.

Monkey
A slang term for £500 used by bookmakers

Nap
A Tipsters best bet of the Day.

Nb
A Tipsters second best bet of the day.

Non Runner
A horse that was originally declared to run but is no longer participating.

NRNB
Non Runner No Bet - Bet on an Antepost market where the stake is returned in the event of a non-runner

Odds Against
When the profit received for a winning bet is more than your initial stake, the Odds are described as being Odds Against.

Odds On
When the profit received for a successful bet is less than you initial stake, the Odds are described as being Odds On. The word "on" indicates that the odds are reversed. If Odds are expressed as "2/1 on" is the same as odds of 1-2.

Over-round
The margin the bookmaker builds into their odds to ensure they make a profit on an event.

Pari Mutuel
This is the only betting system in France and is similar to the Tote system used in the UK

Patent
Three selections covering seven bets, three singles, three doubles and a treble

Permutation
A bet that contains a large number of selections covering a large number of different outcomes.

Place pot
A bet on the Tote where you select a horse from each of the first 6 races on the card. All of your selections must be placed to get a return.

Pony
A slang term for £25 used by bookmakers

Rule 4
A reduction in odds on bets placed before a certain time due to a fancied runner being withdrawn. The more fancied the runner, the bigger the rule 4 deduction.

Scoop6
A bet placed on the Tote each Saturday on six televised races, where punters compete for massive dividends.

Short Odds
Short odds describe a bet where you wouldn't receive a large return for your investment. A bet at 6/4 would be considered short odds.

Sire
Male Parent of a Horse

SP
Starting Price - the Odds for a horse when the race starts, based on an average of the on course Bookmakers Odds.

Spread Bet
A type of betting devised by city traders. Punters decide whether to bet higher (buy) or lower (sell) on a quoted outcome of an event

Stake
Your stake is the amount of money you risk or gamble, when placing a Bet.

Steamer
A horse whose odds are getting shorter due to strong support in the betting.

Stewards Enquiry
An investigation into contentious events that happen during a Horse Race. This can result in place reversals and/or jockey suspensions.

Tic-Tac
A form of sign language used by bookmakers as a means of communication at the race course

Tongue-Tie
A strip of cloth used as a breathing aid. It stabilises a horse's tongue and stops it from sliding over the bit

Tote
A Government run Betting system that settles bets based on dividends rather than set Odds.

Trifecta
A bet placed on the tote that requires the punter to name the first three finishing horses in the correct order.

Trixie
Three selections covering four bets, three doubles and a treble

Visor
A device fitted to a horse's head, restricting its field of vision to help improve concentration.

Walkover
An event where this is only one outcome after a number of non-runners

Yankee
Four selections covering eleven bets, six doubles, four trebles and one fourfold