Glossary

The three-way match result market in football: 1 is the home win, X is the draw, and 2 is the away win.

A single bet that combines two or more selections, where every leg must win for the bet to pay out.

An odds format used in the US, also called moneyline odds, using a plus or minus sign, such as +150 or -200.

Backing every outcome of an event across different bookmakers so that a profit is locked in whatever happens.

A handicap market that removes the draw by giving one team a head start, often in fractional lines like -0.5 or -1.25.

A standard bet for an outcome to happen, the opposite of a lay bet.

A selection you are most confident in, included in every line of a system or permutation bet.

Setting aside a fixed sum for betting and staking only a small, consistent fraction of it per bet.

The on-screen ticket that shows your selections, stake and potential return before you confirm a bet.

A peer-to-peer marketplace that matches backers with layers instead of setting its own odds.

A yes/no market on whether each team scores at least once in a match, regardless of the result.

Settling an open bet early for a value the bookmaker offers, before the event finishes.

A bet on whether a named team concedes no goals in a match.

Getting a better price than the one the market settles at by the start of the event.

A bet on the exact final scoreline of a match, such as 2-1.

An odds format showing your total return per unit staked, including the stake, such as 2.50.

A market that covers two of the three match results in one bet, so it wins on either outcome you back.

A bet on a team to win where a draw refunds your stake instead of losing it.

Two equal bets in one: a win part and a place part, so a selection that places still returns money.

The average result of a bet if it were repeated many times, used to judge whether a price is profitable.

The outcome a bookmaker rates most likely, carrying the shortest odds in a market.

A bet on which player scores the first goal of a match.

An odds format common in the UK and Ireland that shows profit relative to stake, such as 3/2.

A bookmaker token that lets you place a bet without risking your own cash, with the stake usually not returned in the winnings.

The US term for an outright bet: a wager on a season-long or tournament outcome decided in the future.

A bet predicting both the result at half time and the result at full time, for example draw at the break and a home win at the end.

A market that gives one team a virtual head start or deficit in goals or points to level an uneven contest.

Placing an opposing bet on the other side of a wager to lock in a profit or limit a loss.

The chance of an outcome that a set of odds corresponds to, found by dividing 100 by the decimal price.

Betting on a match after it has started, with odds that update live as the game unfolds.

A staking formula that sizes each bet according to your perceived edge and the odds, to grow a bankroll efficiently.

Betting against an outcome rather than for it, done on a betting exchange where you take the bookmaker's side.

Comparing the odds for the same selection across several bookmakers and always taking the best price.

A full-cover bet of 15 bets from 4 selections: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 four-fold.

A technique that uses a free bet and an opposing lay bet to extract most of a bonus's value at low risk.

A bet on which side wins a match, with no draw option, standard in US sports and two-outcome markets.

A bet on whether the total number of goals or points in a match is an odd or an even number.

Odds shorter than even money (below 2.00 in decimal), where a winning bet returns less profit than your stake.

A bet on the overall outcome of a competition, such as the league winner or top goalscorer, rather than a single match.

A bet on whether a combined total, most often goals or points, finishes above or below a line the bookmaker sets.

The amount by which the implied probabilities of all outcomes in a market add up to more than 100%, representing the bookmaker's margin.

A full-cover bet of 7 bets from 3 selections: 3 singles, 3 doubles and 1 treble.

Covering several combinations of your selections across multiple bets, rather than one straight multiple.

A tie against the line where the bet is void and the stake is refunded, with no win and no loss.

A full-cover bet on 3 selections built into 10 bets: 3 doubles, 1 treble, and 3 up-and-down pairs.

A bet on one selection in one event, the simplest bet type and the unit every other is built from.

The amount of money you risk on a bet.

A rule for deciding how much to stake on each bet, such as flat stakes, a percentage of bankroll, or the Kelly criterion.

A bet that combines several selections into every possible smaller multiple, so partial winners still return money.

An accumulator of exactly three selections, where all three must win for the bet to pay out.

A full-cover bet of 4 bets from 3 selections: 3 doubles and 1 treble, with no singles.

The odds that reflect an outcome's real probability, before the bookmaker's margin is added.

The outcome a bookmaker rates less likely, carrying longer odds and a bigger payout.

A bet where your own estimate of an outcome's probability is higher than the chance implied by the odds.

The bookmaker's built-in margin on a market, also called juice or the overround.

A bet that is cancelled with the stake refunded, for example on a push, an abandoned match, or a non-runner.

The number of times a bonus must be staked before any winnings from it can be withdrawn.

A sign-up offer for new accounts, such as matched deposits or free bets, usually tied to wagering requirements.

A bet on a team to win the match without conceding a goal.

A full-cover bet of 11 bets from 4 selections: 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 four-fold, with no singles.