Not the same as an oddsmaker, who sets the odds.

Why conceal an identity? Some sportsbooks don’t want action from professional bettors who are good at their craft, so they ban or limit the pro or ‘sharp’ bettors.īook – Same as sportsbook, a business that books action on sporting events.īookmaker – A group or individual that takes bets on sports or other events. Ironically, this known as ‘Great Handicapping’ if that 50-foot shot goes in and it helps you win your bet….īeard – Term popularized in Vegas where (usually) a professional bettor will hire someone else to discreetly bet on their behalf. If you bet an NBA team to cover an 8-point spread and the other team heaves up a meaningless shot from half as the buzzer sounds and it goes in, that can be a bad beat if the score was supposed to be 100-90 (a victory for you) now turns into a 100-93 score) a loss for you. The ‘bad beat’ is a betting victory that gets snatched away by misfortune or at the last minute. You will also see this connected with a team’s record, if they are 10-4 ATS on the season indicates they have covered the spread 10 times and failed to cover 4 times.īad Beat – In real life, this is known as bad luck, where you do everything right but still end up losing.

(Learn more in our How To Bet section.) Sports Betting Terminology – LegendĪccumulator bet – same as a parlay bet when you bet several games on the same ticket and need all the games to win in order to win your bet.Īgainst the Spread or ATS – a betting result where the point spread is involved – win or lose against the spread. Call it a legend, call it a glossary, call it a terminology guide – whatever you want to call it, you should know the terms used in betting circles so you don’t get lost or confused when placing a football bet.

What does 3.5 mean in gambling