Welcome to the BrownBagBets Dictionary

Welcome to the BrownBagBets Dictionary, your definitive guide to the language of betting. In our community, knowledge transcends power; it's the foundation of confidence, clarity, and strategic decision-making. This dictionary isn't just a collection of terms; it's a testament to our dedication to empowering each member of our community, breaking down the barriers erected by obscure jargon and creating a shared language of success.

Understanding these terms means standing united with seasoned bettors, armed with the insights necessary to navigate the thrilling complexities of sports betting. It reflects our core mission at BrownBagBets: to cultivate a community of informed, savvy bettors who thrive on mutual growth and success.

By engaging with this resource, you're not just expanding your lexicon; you're embracing an essential aspect of our collective journey, one that fosters mastery, confidence, and shared triumph in the art of betting

A

Action to ATS

Action

A wager placed on a game or event. Betting action includes the type of bet, the amount of money wagered, etc.

Accumulator

A type of bet that combines multiple selections into a single wager, requiring all selections to win to gain a return. Commonly used in the UK, accumulators are available for various sports and are popular for their potential high returns from a small stake. For example, an accumulator might include predictions for five different football matches, all of which need to be correct to win the bet.

Alternate Lines

Angles

Information or insights used to make informed betting decisions. Angles could include statistical trends, situational factors, or historical data that bettors use to gain an edge. For example, a bettor might use the angle of a home team's historical performance against their current opponent as a factor in their betting strategy.

Arbitrage

This is a strategy where a bettor places wagers on all possible outcomes of an event across multiple sportsbooks to guarantee a profit. This is possible when different bookmakers have different odds for the same event.

ATS (Against The [point) Spread)

This term refers to a statistical measure of a team's performance against the point spread. It is often used in reference to a team's record of covering the spread.

B

Backdoor to Buying Points

Backdoor or Backdoor Cover

When a team scores points at the end of a game to cover the spread unexpectedly.

Bad Beat

Losing a bet you should have won. It's especially used when the betting result is decided late in the game to change the side that covers the spread.

Bankroll

An individual or group’s betting budget

Bankroll Management

The practice of managing a gambling budget with strategic methods to maximize profitability, minimize risks, and sustain longer playing sessions.

Bet Slip

An electronic form used to record a bettor’s selections.

Bonus

Promotional offers from bookmakers designed to incentivize users or enhance their betting experience.

Book

An establishment or person that accepts bets on the outcome of sporting events.

Buck

Slang term for a $100 bet.

Bust

Going broke or losing an entire bankroll

Buying Points

A strategy where the bettor pays an additional cost to adjust the point spread in their favor.

C

Cash Out to Cover

Cash Out

A feature allowing a bettor to withdraw a portion of their bet for a certain price before the event is over.

Chalk

Favorite in the game or event.

Circle Game

A game where betting limits are lowered, often due to uncertainties like player injuries or weather conditions.

Closing Line

The final list of odds offered before a game begins.

Co-Favorite

Two or more participants who share the same odds of winning.

Consensus Pick

The most popular selection among a group of experts or the betting public. is taking in a game. In Brown Bag you could see this mentioned when all the founding members agree on a spread, prop, total, etc.

Contrarian Betting

Betting against the public trend, finding value in games with lopsided betting percentages.

Cover

The outcome of a point-spread wager. For a favorite to cover, it must win by more than the spread; an underdog covers by winning outright or losing by less than the spread.

D

Data Mining to Draw

Data Mining

Analyzing extensive statistics to discover information that can help predict outcomes and performance.

Dime

Slang for $1,000 bet

Dog

Short for underdog, the team or individual expected to lose.

Dollar

Slang for $100 bet

Draw

In betting, a draw or a push means there is no winner. In soccer, a draw means the game ended in a tie.

E

Edge to Exposure

Edge

An advantage. Bettors might feel they have an edge if they think the lines aren't accurate or they have insights they believe the bookmakers missed.

Even Money

A bet where the odds are considered 50-50. You risk $1 to win $1.

Exposure

The total amount of money a sportsbook or casino stands to lose on a game or event.

F

Fade to Futures

Fade

To bet against a particular team, situation, or bettor. Often used when a team or handicapper has a poor track record.

Favorite

The team or individual expected to win an event. The favorite will lay either odds or points.

Field

In prop bets, betting the field means betting on a collective group of players or teams, usually against the favorite.

First-Half Bet

A wager specific to the results or stats of the first half of a game, not the final outcome.

Form

The recent performance level of a team or player, used to assess odds and make selections.

Future Bets/Futures

Wagers on events happening in the long term, such as a team to win a championship or a player to win awards.

G

Giving the Points to Graded Bet

Giving the Points/Laying the Points

Betting on the favorite and thus accepting the point spread.

Graded Bet/Settled Bet

A bet that is officially declared a win, loss, or push by the sportsbook following the end of a game or event.

H

Half-Time Bet to House Rules

Half-Time Bet

A bet placed on the outcome or score of the second half of a game, made during halftime.

Handicapper

An individual who studies and wagers on sporting events and/or races.

Handicapping

The process of analyzing sports events to predict the winning team or player.

Handle

The total amount wagered in a sportsbook.

Head to Head Bet (H2H)

A bet that involves selecting one competitor to beat another in a sporting event. Often used in golf and auto racing.

Hedging

Placing bets on different outcomes to secure a guaranteed profit or minimize potential loss.

High Roller

A gambler who places large bets.

Hook

A half point added to betting lines.

House Rules

The set of regulations provided by a sportsbook that outlines betting procedures.

I

In-Game Wagering

Placing bets on live games, with odds that change as the game progresses.

J

Juice

Juice/Vig/Vigorish

The commission or fee taken by a sportsbook for taking a bet.

L

Layoff to Long Shot

Layoff

Money wagered between sportsbooks to reduce liability on a bet.

Limit

The maximum amount a sportsbook will accept on a single bet.

Line/Line Movement

The current odds or point spread on a particular event; the fluctuation of odds or point spreads in a sporting event.

Listed Pitchers

A baseball bet that is active only if the scheduled pitchers start the game.

Lock

A term used to describe a bet that is viewed as highly likely to win.

Long Shot

A competitor or team that is unlikely to win.

M

Middle to Mush

Middle/Middling

Placing bets on both sides of the same game to try to win both wagers.

Money Line

A bet where the gambler picks the outright winner of the game without a point spread.

Mush

A person considered to bring bad luck to betting scenarios.

N

Nickle to NRFI

Nickle

Slag for $500 bet.

Nickle Line

A type of betting line that reduces the commission a bookmaker takes, lowering it to 5%. It's like a discount that some sportsbooks offer to their customers, making bets more cost-effective.

No Action

This happens when a bet is cancelled for any reason, and all the money wagered is returned. Think of it as a reset button - the bet simply didn’t happen.

No Run First Inning (NRFI)

A fun bet on whether either baseball team will score in the first inning. If you bet "Yes," you're rooting for a zero on the scoreboard!

O

Odds to Over/Under

Odds

Imagine odds as the price tag of a bet. It tells you how much you can expect to win. Positive numbers (+150) mean bigger winnings on a smaller bet, while negative numbers (-150) mean you need to bet more to win less.

Oddsmaker

The backstage player in the betting world. They decide how odds should be set, kind of like setting the price for bets based on how events are expected to unfold.

Off The Board (OTB)

Sometimes, sportsbooks stop taking bets on a game, usually because of unpredictable events. It’s like a store saying “Sorry we are out of stock.”

Opening Line

The starting point of the betting process, where the initial odds for a game are set. It's the first offer on the table, but watch out! These can change based on how many people are betting and other factors.

Outright

Betting on who's going to be the outright winner, often used for tournaments or seasons. It's like picking the ultimate winner way before the final game.

Over/Under

A bet on the total points scored in a game by both teams combined. It's not about who wins or loses but about the total performance.

P

Parlay to Puckline

Parlay

Putting multiple bets on a single ticket. It’s a high-risk move because you win only if all your bets are correct, but it offers a bigger reward.

Pick 'Em

A game where no team is favored.

Point Spread

A way to level the playing field. The favorite team must win by a certain number of points, while the underdog must lose by less than that number, or win outright.

Press

Betting more than you usually would or placing a new bet during the game. It's a strategy to recoup losses or double down on a winning streak, but it needs careful thought as it can be risky.

Proposition (Prop) Bet

Side bets on specific events within the game, like which player scores first or how many touchdowns they'll make. It's like mini-games during the main event.

Public Money

The total bets placed by the general public. It's like measuring the betting world's popular opinion.

Push

When the game’s result is exactly what the point spread predicted, and everyone gets their money back. It's like the game ended in a draw for bettors.

Puckline

Specific to hockey, the puckline combines a 1.5 point spread with moneyline-style odds.

R

ROI to Runline

Return on Investment (ROI)

A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment – very common outside of betting as well

Reverse Line Movement

Betting line movement that contradicts the public betting/public money percentages. For example: if Team A is receiving 80% of the public bets as a 7-point favorite yet the line drops to -6.5, this means there is reverse-line movement. Sharp money in this case is taking Team B and going against public perception/percentages.

Risk-Free Bet

This term refers to when a registrant signs up with a sportsbook and places their first bet. The first bet is risk-free because if they lose then they will be credited with the amount they wagered to their account to be bet in the future with the sportsbook.

Runline

Baseball has a point spread of -1.5 for the favorite and +1.5 for the underdog. Viewed similar to point spread in other sports

Runner

Someone who makes bets for another person (aka "beard").

S

Same Game Parlay to Syndicate

Same Game Parlay

A specific parlay type that combines multiple wagers from the same sporting event into one bet. Like traditional parlays, SGPs are usually difficult to win.

Scalping

A betting technique that relies on taking advantage of small, short-term price variations and changes on a betting exchange to make small but frequent gains across various markets.

Sell Points

To take a more favored return on investment by decreasing the odds of winning, usually by lowering the point-spread advantage or money line.

Sharp

A professional, sophisticated sports bettor. – Not to be confused with former NFL players Sterling or Shannon

Square

A casual gambler. Someone who typically isn't using sophisticated reasoning to make a wager. – Also a name Squints calls Smalls in the movie the Sandlot

Stake

The amount being put down or placed by the bettor on the bet. Stake units refer to the value of each part of the stake in a multiple bet.

Steam

When a line is moving unusually fast. It can be a result of a group or syndicate of bettors all getting their bets in at the same time. It can also occur when a respected handicapper gives a bet his followers all jump on, or based on people reacting to news such as an injury or weather conditions

Startup

The expected outright winner of the money line in an event or game, not contingent on the point spread.

Syndicate

An organized group of professional gamblers working together, also called a ring.

T

Tail to Trends

Tail

Means to bet against a team or a situation or a handicapper. If the Cowboys have lost six straight ATS and they had a terrible week of practice and their QB has the flu, you might want to fade them. Same as your favorite handicapper if he just lost 12 straight bets. Time to fade (bet the other way). More commonly referred to as “Fade” or “Fading”

Taking the Points

Betting an underdog against the spread.

Tease/Teasing/Teaser

It’s like tweaking the difficulty level of your bet. You adjust the points spread to make it easier to win, but the catch is you might win less money. It requires a good strategy and understanding of the game. Teaser: This is when you bet on multiple games and shift the point spreads in your favor. But here's the kicker: you need to win all the games in your bet. It's like a combo-deal in betting.

Tip(s)

These are friendly suggestions from betting pros on what they think will happen in a game. It's like getting insider info, but remember, there's no guarantee they'll be right!

Totals

Think of it as the scoreboard prediction. It's betting on whether the total points scored in a game will be over or under what the bookies predict.

Trends

It's like doing homework. You look at what's happened in the past to guess what might happen next. But remember, history doesn't always repeat itself!

U

Underdog to Unit

Underdog

This is the team that's not expected to win. They're like the Rocky Balboa of the match. Betting on them means you think they've got a surprise up their sleeve.

Unit

It's a way of saying how much you're betting without talking dollars. Whether you're betting ten bucks or a thousand, it's all about the number of units.

V

Value

Value/Value Bet

This is like spotting a killer deal. It means you've found a bet that could pay out more than it should, according to the odds.

W

Wager to Wiseguy

Wager

Simply, it's another word for a bet. It's putting your money where your mouth is.

Welch

This is a no-no in betting: it means not paying up when you lose. It's considered bad form in the betting world.

White Whale/Whaling

This is the big one that's hard to catch! It's a rare kind of bet that can pay off big time but is tough to win. It's like the lottery of betting. Slang term for middle bet. Due to the rarity of these hitting it is said to be like finding a white whale. An example would be to bet the favorite when the line was -2.5 and the underdog when the line moved at +4.5 and if the favorite wins by either 3 or 4 that bet would hit. But only if that happened.

Wincast (Soccer)

A two-in-one soccer bet. You pick a team to win and also bet on a player scoring. It's like your own soccer prediction combo.

Wiseguy

The pros of the betting world. They know the ins and outs and often have the scoop on the big bets.