Online Sports Betting Glossary for Canada
It can feel like people involved in betting on sports are ꦛ speaking an entirely different language. There are so many gambling terms that are not used in common parlance. This alphabetical list of betting terminology will help you understand what is being said.
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A
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Accumulator
Also known as an acca, a popular way of combining bets and winning big payouts for small stakes. You make selections on a series of events and the winnings from the first go on to the second, and𒁃 so on.ꦺ All selections have to win for you to be paid out.
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Across the board
A bet in horse racing where equal stakes are plac♑ed on win, place and show outcomes.
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Action
Can mean simply a bet on a sporting event. Can also mean when a bet is active, for instance a baseball game being required to last more than four inni🐲ngs.
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ATS
Stands for Ag💃ainst The Spread. Indicates how a team fared against the point spread.
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B
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Banker
A bet that is considered a certainty to win.
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Bar
Also known as the field. The odds quoted about the first unspecified 🥂selection. So 6/1 bar m♍eans the rest of the field are priced at those odds or longer.
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Beard
Someone used by a bettor to place a bet on their behalf, so♋ 𒉰their identity remains undisclosed.
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Bettor
Someone who places a bet or wager.
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Bookmaking
The business o💟f compiling odds and acceptin꧂g bets. You have to be licensed to be a bookmaker.
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Buck
Slang term for C$100.
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Buy Price
When maki🃏ng a spread bet, the 𝄹higher figure quoted.
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C
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Canadian
A combination bet made up of 26 bets on five selections. It compr🍸ises 10 doubles, 10 trebles, five four-folds and a five-fold. Also known as a Super Yankee.
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Chalk
Slang term for the favourite.
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Circled game
An event where the maximum action or stake is limited. This can be due to a host of factors such as doubts about players’ fitnes🌃s.
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Combination bet
A wager on two comp🐷etitors to finish first or second, in either order൩.
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Cover
If a team wins by enough points to ensure a bet is won, they are sa🦹id to 💖have covered the spread.
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Credit betting
Wagering with a bookmaker using credit.
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D
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Dead Heat
When two horses or teams finish in🎀 ♏exactly the same position.
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Deposit Betting
Wagering with a bookmaker using money that has been paid i�🦂�n advance.
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Dime bet
A C$1,000 wager.
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Dog
Slang term for an underdog, a competitor or team not exp🦩ected to win.
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Dog player
Someone who bets mainly on underdogs.
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Dollar bet
A C$100 wager.
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Double
A bet placed on two separate outcomꦚe🌟s in one event or different events. Both need to win for the bettor to collect.
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Double or Nothing
An even-money bet that returns exactly the🐈 amount wagered – plus🎃 your stake.
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Drift
If the odds about a competitor have length💫ened, they are said to have drifted.
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E
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Exotic
Any wager that is not a straight bet. Includes ﷺteasers, parlays or accumulators.
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F
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Favourite
The t🃏eam or individual that has the most money staked on them and is seen as most likely to win.
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Field
Can mean either all the com🌞petitors in an event, or the odds offered about all non-quoted players🎶 or teams.
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Fixed Odds
A bet placed when your odds or dividend are unchanging, based on the 𓂃price at the time when the bet is made.
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Fold
The number ꧑of selections in an accumulator, such as a four-fold.
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Forecast
A bet predicting the first two positions in an event. Also kno♌wn as a Perfecta or Exacta.
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Full Cover
A bet that includes all the doubles, trebles and accumulatorꦿs for multiple selections.
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Futures
A bet on 💟a long-term outco🌄me, such as the winner of a division or championship.
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G
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Goliath
A multiple bet comprising 247 wageꦓrs on eight different selections.
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Grand Salami
The over-under total of the combined scores of all the hockey games on a given date.
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Grand Slam
A term for the four leading annual golf tournaments – the Masters, [British] Open, US Open and the PGA Championship. Also used in tennis for ♔Wimbledon and the Australian, French and US Ope🌠ns.
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H
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Handicap
The spread of a game or event –🅷 a💜nother term for the point spread.
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Hedging
Tactic used by a bookmaker to reduce✃ his losses𝔉 when taking a large amount of bets on one outcome. They bet on the same result with other bookies. Also known as laying off.
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Heinz
A multiple൲ wager comprisi𝓰ng 57 bets on six selections.
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Hook
A half-point in sports betting.
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I
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IBF
International Boxing Federation
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In The Red
An odds-on favourite.
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Index Betting
Another term for spread betting.
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J
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Joint Favourites
Two competitors who a🎶re both quoted with the shortest odds i✱n the book.
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Juice
Commission charged by a🔥 bookmaker. Also known as the vig, or vigorish.
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L
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Laying a Bet
When a bookmaker accepts a wager, they are said to have laid a beꩲt. Bookies are also known as layers.
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Lock
An almost certain winner.
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M
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Martingale
A bett𝔉ing system that doubles the previous stake after each loss and drops to a single-unit bet after ea💝ch win.
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MLB
Major League Baseball.
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MLS
Major League Soccer.
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Moneyline/Money Line
Es𓄧sentially a match bet with no handicaps or spreads. Which team or competi𒈔tor do you think will win?
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Multiple
Another word for a bet with𝔉 more than one selecti🍬on, such as an accumulator.
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N
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NBA
The National Basketball Association, the highest level of the sport for teams in the US – an💞d the Toronto Raptors.
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NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association.
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NFL
The National F🧜ootball League, the top echelon of grid-iron in the US.
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NHL
The Nationa🐠l Hockey League, comprised of 𒐪leading teams from Canada and the US.
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Nickel Bet
A C$500 wager.
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O
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Odds
💟The likelihood of a particular🍃 team or competitor winning an event.
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Odds Against
When the odds a🍌bout an outcom꧑e are greater than even-money.
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Odds-On
If the price about a resul🅘t are shor𝄹ter than evens.
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Overlay
A good value bet. When a competito💮r has a high chance of victory but also carries attractive odds.
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Over-Under
A wager on whether the total number of points scored by bot𓄧h teams in a match will be more or fewer than the spread given.
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P
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Parlay
Another name for an accumulator. A bet on outcomes i𝔉n multiple e🌠vents, in which all must win for the bettor to collect.
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Point spread
The bookmaker sets a handicap showing by how many points one side will win, and offers a 50-50 choice. Then it’s up to the bettor to decide whether ꦅor not one side will win – or lose – by more than that margin.
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Prop bets
Wagers that are not concerned with who wins or loses but focus on areas such as first scorer or a p💫layer🔴’s performance.
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Push
A game that is tied in relation to the point spread. This 𒈔usually means your stake is returned.
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Q
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Quinella
Similar to a combination bet, a wager on the first two in an 🌌event, in either order.
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R
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Return
The amount of money generated by a winning bet.
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S
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Scalper
Someone who tries to win by taking advantage of the difference in odds offered by two sportsbooks✤. This activity is also k༺nown as arbitrage or arbing.
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Shorten
When 🐼the odds about an outcome are ꦦreduced – the opposite of drifting.
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Show
A third-place finish in a race.
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Single
A straight bet on one selecti๊on in a solita♓ry race or event.
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Six Dollar Combine
A racing bet which requires C🧔$2 to be placed on each of win, place and show.
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Smart money
The per🦋ception of where those in the know are placing their bets on an e❀vent.
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Spread betting
A method of wagering which involves buying (at the higher end of a spread) or ꦏ selling (at the lower end).
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Stanley Cup
The National Hockey ෴League’s championship series. The most prestigious trophy in ꦫ hockey.
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Steam
A sudden rush of money on one team or outcome.
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Super Bowl
The NF♒L’s championship game. One of the biggest betting events in the annual global sport🌸ing calendar.
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System
A🎀 method of betting, usu💟ally based on mathematics or trends.
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T
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Teaser
A multiple bet involving several selections in which 𝓀the bettor gets points in his favour to add or subtract to the tea♕ms chosen to improve the point spread.
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Treble
A multiple bet comprising three selections, all of which must win for thꦫe bettor to collect.
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Two-ball betting
A way of gambling on golf 🅺by predictꩵing which player from a group of two (or three) will shoot the lowest score in a round.
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V
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Value
Finding the best odds, or finding odds that the bettor thinks are longer than the actua⛦l chances of an ou༒tcome in an event.
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W
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WBA
World Boxing Association.
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WBC
World Boxing Council.
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WBO
World Boxing Organization.
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World Cup
The pinnacle of many sports in which nations compete for the ultimate trophy. Held every four years in soccer, cricket and rugby union.
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World Series
The championship decider in Major League Baseball, a best-o✤f-seven event held each fall.
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Y
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Yankee
A multiple bet comprising 11 bets on four selections𒁏. It includes six doubles, 🧜 four trebles and a four-fold.
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