Suns fans cheer from the stands during the 2021 NBA Finals at Phoenix Suns Arena on July17, 2021. / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports (Imagn)
Suns fans cheer from the stands during the 2021 NBA Finals at Phoenix Suns Arena on July17, 2021. / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports (Imagn)

WynnBET's Sports Betting Glossary

From A to Z, Here’s Our Full Sports Betting Glossary:

Action: Placing a wager on a game. Once your bet is placed, you have action.

Added game: An additional wagering option that wasn't on the original schedule, usually a game that has been rescheduled or a game between teams that isn't available for wagering on other sites.

Book: The brick-and-mortar location for sports betting (i.e., a sportsbook), or the online company or web app a player uses to make a bet. Also, as a verb, book is the action of taking a wager (booking a bet).

Buy: Increasing your chances by "buying" an extra half-point in your favor in trade for a slight increase in the moneyline, usually from 11/10 odds to 12/10.

Chalk: The favorite in any sports event, usually the superior team.

Cover: The team that wins against a point spread, whether by exceeding it as a favorite or staying with the margin as an underdog, is said to "cover" the spread.

Dime: A "dime" line is a 10-cent difference (per dollar) between favorite and underdog. A standard baseball moneyline.

Dog: Short for underdog.

Favorite: Generally, the team perceived to have a better chance to win a game.

Bookmakers will assign a point spread to a favored team that must be surpassed, or a moneyline where a player must lay additional odds.

First-half bet: A point-spread or total line for only the first half of a game.

Future: A wager involving a future sporting event (often for a league championship).

Halftime bet: A point-spread or total line for only the second half of a game. Note: Overtime scoring is also considered part of a second-half wager.

Handle: Amount of money wagered on an event.

Hold: The amount of money, usually designated by percentage, the house earns by dividing the gross winnings by the gross amount wagered.

Juice: Also "vig" or "vigorish," the juice is the amount the sportsbook charges to take a bet, usually 10 cents on the dollar. The vig is returned on winning bets.

Laying the points/price: Betting on a favorite to surpass the assigned point spread or paying a higher moneyline.

Limit: The maximum amount you can bet on a particular game or event. Varies by sport and significance of game.

Line: The point spread between teams, or price for a moneyline play. (i.e., "the latest line is Green Bay -6 points.")

Listed pitchers: A baseball bet in which both starting pitchers are "listed" and must start the game for any placed bet to become action.

Run line: A baseball wager in the favored team must win by more than 1.5  runs, or the underdog team can lose by a run and still be the winning side. Moneyline odds are adjusted to create a better payouts for the favored team to account for the run differential.

Middle: When a player has a bet on each side of a game, but because of a fluctuation in point spread or other factors, there's a possibility for him to win both wagers. Example: A player might have a three-team parlay where the final leg involves a six-point favorite. However, bettors had since placed enough action on that side that the point spread moved to 8 points. The player can then bet on the other team to win with +8 points and be guaranteed to win one of the bets, but if the favored team wins by seven, he will collect on both bets and "middle" the game.

Moneyline: A dollar-value wager placed on a sporting event where a point spread is usually not assessed. Values are represented by a plus or minus sign and based on betting units of 100.

Nickel: A "nickel" line is a 5-cent difference (per dollar) between favorite and underdog.

No action: When an event is cancelled, postponed, or no longer becomes a wager because certain criteria aren't met for it to count as an official game.

Off the board: When betting is temporarily or permanently removed on a specific game, usually because of uncertainty of availability involving key players in that game.

Opening line: The first point spread/moneyline posted by bookmakers on a given game or event.

Over: When a game surpasses the number of expected combined points/runs/goals by both teams.

Parlay: A bet involving two or more wagers, where all wagers must win.

Pick or Pick’Em: A game with no point spread, where you simply must pick a winner.

Point spread: The assigned number that a favored team must surpass in victory, or an underdog team must stay within for a winning wager.

Price: Another term for moneyline.

Prop (proposition) bet: Special, often exotic, wagers usually based on player statistics or an occurrence within a game.

Puck line: A hockey moneyline wager in which the favored team must win by more than 1 1/2 goals and an underdog must stay within that margin.

Push: A bet that neither wins nor loses, usually when a final score lands exactly on the point spread or over/under line.

Round Robin: A parlay or teaser with three or more games, or "legs," where you bet multiple smaller combinations involving your selections instead of lumping them into one must-win-all wager.

Run line: A baseball wager in the favored team must win by more than 1 1/2  runs, or the underdog team can lose by a run and still be the winning side. Moneyline odds are adjusted to create a better payouts for the favored team to account for the run differential.

Sides: The betting selection a player makes, whether it's a favored or underdog team. Example: "I don't bet totals ... I only play sides."

Sportsbook: The brick-and-mortar location for sports betting (i.e., a sportsbook), or the online company or web app a player uses to make a bet.

Straight bet: The most common sports bet, a straight bet is a wager specifically dependent on only one outcome, based on a point spread.

Straight-up: Another way of describing a moneyline wager. When you bet a team "straight-up," you are using the moneyline payout instead of accepting or laying a point spread.

Take the points: A bet placed on an underdog in which you are getting additional points in your wager. If you believe a game will be close and the spread is too large, then you often will "take the points" and back the underdog team.

Teaser: A bet involving multiple teams similar to a parlay, but where you reduce your payout in favor of gaining more points to increase the likelihood of winning each game.

Tie: Also a "push," a tie in sports betting is exactly that: A bet that neither wins nor loses, usually when a final score lands exactly on the point spread or over/under line.

Total: Also called the over/under, the total is a wager based on the number of COMBINED points/runs/goals scored in a game.

Under: When a game fails to reach the number of expected combined points/runs/goals by both teams.

Underdog: Generally, the player or team perceived to have a lesser chance to win a game. The underdog will benefit from a point spread and can still be a winning bet without winning the game, and a moneyline bet on an underdog yields a higher payout.

Vigorish: Also called "the juice," the vigorish or "vig" is the amount the sportsbook charges to take a bet, usually 10 cents on the dollar. The vig is returned on winning bets.

Betting Responsibly Always bet responsibly and within your means. MUST BE 21 OR OLDER AND PRESENT IN STATE WHERE WYNNBET IS AVAILABLE.  If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-270-7117.

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