Understanding the Betting Language

The world of online sports betting can be a confusing place. When you start betting you will see that there is so much terminology to take in and process that it can certainly be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. Just knowing some simple terms will save you from big headaches when placing your bets.

The Line

This is the betting line. It’s fairly simple. It tells you what team is favored and by how much. Football and basketball have fairly simple betting lines. By simply looking at the line of the Virginia vs. Washington basketball game you can see that Washington is favored by 2 points because they have a -2 next to their name.

Underdog

A team that is favored to win is, of course, the favorite. The team that is not favored to win is considered the underdog or “dog.” You will see this term a lot when you read betting reports.

Pick

Sometimes when teams are evenly matched there is no favorite and no underdog. So it becomes a pick meaning that it is a straight up bet. You pick one team or the other, there are no point spreads to consider.

Push

This is where a game ends and both teams end up with the same points (after the point spread is factored in). This means neither you or the better wins and neither of you make any money.

Lock

You will hear experts say a bet is a “lock” this means in their estimation it is a bet that cannot lose. Of course we all know that this is never the case, but it’s just a word used to entice betters.

These simple terms will be helpful when placing your bets online. Just remember to bet responsibly and have a good time enjoying your favorite sport in a different way.