Betting terms often compress an entire settlement rule into one or two words. A push is not a loss, a return is not the same as profit, and a handicap changes the score used for settlement rather than the score on the field.
Use this page as a reference, not as a promise that every sportsbook uses identical wording. When a definition affects money, the operator's market label and published house rules are the final authority.
Odds and probability terms
- Decimal odds
- The total return for each unit staked, including the returned stake. A 10-unit bet at 2.50 returns 25 units if it wins.
- Fractional odds
- The profit relative to the stake. Odds of 3/2 mean three units of profit for every two staked.
- American odds
- A price centred on 100. Positive odds show profit on a 100-unit stake; negative odds show the stake needed for 100 units of profit.
- Implied probability
- The chance represented by a price before margin is removed. For decimal odds, divide 1 by the odds and multiply by 100.
- Margin, vig or overround
- The pricing advantage built into a market, visible when the implied probabilities across all outcomes total more than 100%.
- Price movement
- A change in odds caused by new information, trading activity or liability management.
For conversions across decimal, fractional, American, Hong Kong, Malay and Indonesian formats, use how betting odds work.
Core market terms
- Moneyline or match winner
- A bet on which side wins, without applying a handicap.
- 1X2
- A three-way football result market: home win, draw or away win.
- Handicap or spread
- An adjustment added to or subtracted from a team's score for settlement.
- Asian handicap
- A two-way handicap that can use whole, half or quarter lines to remove the standard draw outcome.
- Total or over/under
- A line on a combined count such as goals, points, games or rounds.
- Both teams to score
- A football market asking whether each team scores at least once in the covered period.
- Draw no bet
- A selection on either team where a draw normally returns the stake.
- Double chance
- One selection covering two of the three 1X2 outcomes.
The football markets reference compares result, period, player and combination markets, while over/under betting explained covers line types across sports.
Bet and ticket types
- Single
- One stake on one selection.
- Accumulator, parlay or multi
- One bet combining several legs, all of which normally must win.
- Leg
- One selection inside an accumulator or system bet.
- System bet
- Several combinations generated from a group of selections, requiring multiple stakes.
- Same-game multiple
- A combined bet using selections from one event, with pricing adjusted for relationships between outcomes.
- Player prop
- A market on an individual athlete's statistic or action.
- Bet builder
- A sportsbook interface or product for combining eligible selections, often from the same event.
Read accumulator betting explained before multiplying prices, and the player prop guide before relying on an athlete's average.
Settlement terms
- Action
- A bet that is active and eligible to be settled under the market's participation conditions.
- Void
- A cancelled bet. A single normally returns its stake; a multiple leg is commonly recalculated at 1.00.
- Push
- A tie against a whole-number line, normally returning the stake.
- Dead heat
- A tie for a finishing position that divides the stake across the tied competitors or places.
- Walkover
- Advancement without play beginning, normally causing pre-event bets to be void.
- Abandoned
- An event that starts but does not finish. Settlement depends on sport, market and completion rules.
- Pending
- A bet that has not yet reached a final settlement state, often because an event is delayed or a result is under review.
Worked examples for returned stakes, reduced multiples and tied placings are in void bets, pushes and dead heats explained.
Live betting and price terms
- Pre-match
- A market offered before the event begins.
- Live or in-play
- A market priced while the event is in progress.
- Suspended
- Temporarily unavailable while the sportsbook processes an event or waits for confirmation.
- Price change
- The odds move between selection and confirmation. Settings may accept, reject or ask you to confirm the new price.
- Cash out
- An optional offer to settle a bet early for an amount set by the sportsbook.
- Latency
- Delay between an event occurring, a data feed updating and a viewer seeing it.
Live markets are faster, not necessarily more informed from the bettor's perspective. Pre-match vs live betting compares planning time, suspension and decision pressure.
Staking and bankroll terms
- Stake
- The amount risked on a bet.
- Return
- The total amount paid back after a winning bet, usually including the original stake.
- Profit
- Return minus the original stake.
- Bankroll
- A fixed amount set aside for betting and kept separate from essential money.
- Unit
- A consistent staking measure, usually a small percentage of the bankroll.
- Flat staking
- Using the same unit amount for each bet.
- Loss limit
- A predetermined amount at which betting stops for a session or period.
The bankroll management guide explains units, record keeping and why progressive doubling systems fail.
Promotion terms
- Qualifying bet
- A bet that meets the promotion's stated market, odds, stake and settlement conditions.
- Wagering requirement
- The amount that must be bet before promotional funds or related winnings become withdrawable.
- Minimum odds
- The shortest eligible price under an offer's rules.
- Free bet
- A promotional stake whose original amount is commonly not returned with winnings.
- Odds boost
- An increased price on an eligible selection, often capped by stake, customer or time.
- Expiry
- The deadline for using an offer, promotional stake or related winnings.
Offer names are less important than their conditions. Use how sports betting promotions work to compare requirements, eligible markets and expiry windows.
Sport-specific terms seen on betting cards
- Cover
- To beat the applied handicap or spread, regardless of whether the team won the event outright.
- Clean sheet
- In football, completing the covered period without conceding a goal.
- PRA
- A basketball combined prop adding a player's points, rebounds and assists.
- Game handicap
- In tennis or badminton, an adjustment to games won. Always distinguish games from sets or points.
- Map handicap
- In esports, an adjustment to the series map score, such as -1.5 maps in a best-of-three.
- Tiebreak
- A special scoring game used to decide a tied tennis set under the competition's rules.
- Overtime
- Additional play used to determine a winner. Whether it counts depends on the market wording.
Context determines the unit. Game means one scoring segment in tennis or badminton, while match describes the whole contest. In esports, a map can function as one segment of a series. Read the tennis, badminton and esports guides for worked examples.
How to use betting terminology safely
A definition helps you understand a market; it does not make the outcome predictable. Keep betting separate from essential finances and use our responsible gaming resource for warning signs, controls and support information.
GOOD TO KNOW
Frequently asked questions
Stake is the amount risked. Return is the amount paid back, usually including the stake. Profit is return minus stake.
Yes in common usage. Both describe one bet combining multiple legs that normally must all win.
It means the bet is active under the market's participation and event rules and can be settled as a win, loss or other valid outcome.
Vig is another name for the sportsbook margin built into market prices. It is also called juice, overround or hold in different contexts.
No. Common concepts are similar, but participation, postponement, overtime and data-source rules can differ. The operator's published terms govern settlement.
