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Football Betting Glossary

Written by Glenn Roberts
Glenn is a sports lover and writes about Soccer and American Football. He also covers reviews of bookmakers, betting apps and deposit or withdrawal methods that players can use at online sportsbooks.
, | Updated: September 12, 2024

Football Betting GlossaryBit by bit, wagering on football has become an alluring option for a range of reasons with some of the most obvious being that it is not only extremely exhilarating but at the same time it may turn out to be quite rewarding as well. Apart from that, gambling enthusiasts should not necessarily possess proficiency in football betting in order to enjoy good results which is undoubtedly good news, especially for total rookies.

Wagering on football might turn out to be a nice way to put your skills and knowledge about the teams and the players to test, and at the same time, to pocket some nice winnings. As it turns out, one of the most daunting things about soccer gambling remains that there are too many words and phrases which might not make sense, especially if you are a total greenhorn at the moment.

No matter whether you are a recreational gambler or you have already managed to become an expert in the field, you should definitely make sure that you are familiar with most of the terms which are employed by football bettors and bookies as thus, you can rest easy that your betting session will go off without a hitch.

Bet Types Terminology

Bet Types TerminologyInterestingly enough, the biggest part of the jargon and the slang which is utilized while wagering on soccer has to do with the different manners of making stakes. As long as you are still making your first steps at football betting, you might be interested to find out that unlike most of the other sports, soccer gives gamblers plenty of options to select from when it comes to bet types. Along with some of the rather basic bet types, gambling enthusiasts can also make use of various combined bets which might bring them some nice payouts as well.

  • Accumulator Bets– An accumulator bet is a bet which comprises several selections. It will be a winning one only if you have got it right about all the individual selections which constitute it.
  • Asian Handicap – A manner of betting on soccer which first appeared in Asia, and according to which the supposed underdog is given additional goals, whereas the supposed favorite is deducted goals. It is important to note that with Asian Handicap betting punters are not allowed to make a stake on a draw. In the event that the matchup ends up in a draw, you will have your funds returned.
  • Banker – A banker is a wager which is considered to be a lock.
  • Combined Bets – A term which is used to describe wagers which comprise more than a single selection. A prime example of such bets would be an accumulator or parlay bet.
  • Dime Bet – A soccer bet the value of which is $1,000.
  • Exotic Wagers – A term which is used to describe non-standard bets such as proposition bets.
  • Forecasts – Wagers which are made on the teams which you think will occupy the first and the second place at the end of a competition. It is important to note that the predictions you are making should be made in the correct order.
  • Future Bets – When making future bets, gamblers are wagering on events the outcome of which will become clear some time in the future. Thus, if you wish to make a stake on the potential winner of Premier League, for example, this would mean that you are making a future bet.
  • Handicap Betting – A way of soccer betting in which a specific number of goals will be deducted or added to the score of the teams. This time, bettors are given the chance to make a stake on a draw, which is one of the primal differences between handicap betting and Asian handicap betting.
  • Lock – A term which is used while describing a bet which is highly unlikely to turn into a losing one.
  • Moneyline Bet – A term which is used to denote a straightforward bet which involves wagering on a single selection. Such bets involve wagering on the team which you consider a potential winner or making a stake on a draw.
  • Over/Under Bet – When making such bets, gambling enthusiasts need to make a decision regarding the total number of the scored goals in the matchup. Bookies determine a fixed value, and punters simply need to make up their mind whether the number of the goals will be under or over this set value.
  • Parlay Bet – Parlay bets are bets which comprise several selections which should not necessarily be made on a single event. Such wagers pay out as long as you have got it right about all the individual selections.
  • Point Spread Betting – With point spread betting the bookie will allocate a specific number of goals to the supposed underdog and will deduct goals from the score of the supposed favorite. The number of the goals which will be awarded or deducted is also referred to as point spread.
  • Prop Bets – Another way to refer to proposition bets.
  • Proposition Bets – These are bets which might not have to do with the outcome of the matchup. Instead, such bets might involve wagering on the number of the corners, the player who will score the first or the last goal, or the time of the first goal, for example.
  • Special Bets – a term which is used to describe bets which have to do with wagering on events which might not impact the outcome of the matchup. Other than that, when making such bets, you may also wager whether a specific happening will take place or not.
  • Totals– A manner of wagering on football which has to do with the total number of the scored goals throughout the course of the matchup. With such bets, gamblers are required to make predictions whether the outcome will be more or fewer goals than the predetermined number.
  • Push – A term which is employed to denote a tied wager.
  • Ante Post Betting – This is a term which is used to describe the wagers which are made prior to the outset of a competition.

Odds Terminology

Odds TerminologyIn this section, we will pay special attention to terms and phrases which are related to odds. The main reason why you should go all out in order to memorize these terms is that in the first place, the odds are utilized in order to estimate the money you will get when making a winning stake. As you can see, odds are undoubtedly one of the key aspects of wagering not only on football but on other sports as well. That is the reason why it would be a good idea to acquaint yourself with some of the terms you might stumble upon during your betting session.

  • Decimal Odds – A manner of displaying the odds by means of decimals. An example of this odds format would be 2.0, 1.4, and so on.
  • Even Money – A term which is used to describe odds which give you an equal chance to win or to lose. It is important to note that in such cases, the amount of money you can win coincides with the amount of the stake you have made.
  • Evens – Another manner of referring to even money.
  • Fixed Odds – This is a term which is used to describe odds which are agreed when you are making your stake. In other words, this means that they will remain unchanged throughout the course of the event.
  • Fractional Odds – A term which is used to denote one of the formats in which odds are displayed. As the name implies, the odds are expressed by means of fractions such as ½, ⅔, and so on.
  • Line – Line is a term which is utilized to describe the point spread or the odds which gambling enthusiasts are presented with on a specific matchup.
  • Moneyline Odds – A term which is used when referring to the odds format which shows the amount of money you can potentially sweep, as long as you make a stake of $100, or the amount of money you need to wager in order to have the chance to gain $100.
  • Odds – Odds are utilized while calculating the money you will be paid back when you have made a winning stake. Apart from this, а single glance at these values will also give you the chance to appraise whether this stake will bring you a good enough value.
  • Odds On – Odds on is a term which is used to describe the price of a wager. With odds on, the amount of the bet you have made is larger when compared to the amount of money you can potentially gain.
  • Odds Against – Odds against is a term which is employed while denoting the price of a wager. With odds against, the amount of the stake you have made will be smaller in comparison with the amount of money you stand the chance to win.
  • Price – Price is yet another way of referring to odds.

Bookmakers and Punters Terminology

Bookmakers and Punters TerminologyWhile you are getting started with football betting, you should also make sure that you are conversant with the terminology which is associated with bookies and gamblers themselves. Memorizing these phrases will undoubtedly help you during your betting session which is why we recommend to keep on reading.

  • Action – The term action is utilized in order to refer to making a bet, irrespective of its type or the amount of money wagered.
  • Bettor – Bettor is a term which is used to describe a person who is wagering on soccer or on any other sport. Such people are also quite often referred to as punters.
  • Bookie – Another manner of referring to bookmakers.
  • Bookmaker – Bookmaker is a term which is used while describing a whole organization or a person that is responsible for taking and paying off bets which punters have made on football matchups or other sporting events.
  • Get Down – Yet another way of describing the act of making a stake on a soccer matchup.
  • Juice – Juice is a term which denotes the commission which bookies charge. This term is also popular with gambling enthusiasts as vigorish.
  • Lay – Lay is the term which is utilized when the bookie is taking the bets which gambling enthusiasts have made.
  • Over-round – Over-round is yet another term which is used to describe the profit of the bookmakers.
  • Return – Return is the term which is utilized while describing the amount of money you will get after you have made a successful bet.
  • Stake – Stake is a term which is used while describing the amount of money you have decided to wager on a specific football event.
  • Underdog – Underdog is a term which denotes the team which is supposed to lose the matchup.
  • Favorite – Favorite is a term which denotes the team which is supposed to be victorious.
  • Bankroll – Bankroll is the term which is used while describing the amount of money you have intended for gambling purposes.
  • Chalk – Chalk is yet another term which is utilized while referring to the team which is considered favorite.
  • Edge – Edge is a term which describes a circumstance which puts someone in a more favorable position.
  • Payout – Payout is the amount of money you can expect to be given after you have made a winning stake.
  • Void Bets – In the event that your stake is void, this will mean that you will have the money you have wagered returned.
  • Tipsters – Tipsters is a term which is used while talking about the people who give pieces of advice concerning the most probable outcome of matchups.
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