Sports betting is a gambling activity that requires a never-ending process of learning, experimentation, and course correction. There is no better place to start your learning journey than to begin with the common betting terms, especially if you are a sports betting novice.
This article lists and explains the most common sports betting terms in the most easy-to-understand way.
Sports Betting Terms
We have explained some of the most common terms used in sports betting below.
Double Chance
In most sports such as football, a match can have three possible outcomes. You can generally place bets on any one of the three possible outcomes.
However, with a double chance bet, you can cover two of the three possible outcomes with a single bet. This increases the chances of your bet winning.
Draw No Bet
The three possible outcomes in matches across most sports include a draw, a home win, or an away win. You can choose to bet on any one of the three outcomes. But you can remove the possibility of a draw from the equation.
You can do that by choosing to make what is called a draw no bet. This bet type allows you to bet on either a home win or an away win. It is a riskier bet but you can win a bigger amount.
Anytime Goalscorer
In addition to predicting the outcome of the match, you can bet on individual instances within a match.
For instance, you can predict who will score a goal in a given match. That is what is referred to by one of the most common betting terms: anytime goalscorer.
Asian Handicap
Handicap and Asian handicap are quite similar sports betting terms but there is a crucial difference. Generally speaking, handicap bets involve all three possible outcomes within a game. But Asian handicap bets remove the draw possibility.
Handicap
One of the most complex betting terms and meaning has to be handicap. But let us give you the simplest definition. It involves those bets where two drastically unequal teams or individuals are competing.
Basically, the stronger team does not simply have to win but has to win by a certain margin for the bet to succeed.
Correct Score
Correct score is another one of the more complex betting terms and meaning. It is certainly one of the most difficult bets to win because it involves exactly predicting the score of a game.
Half Time/Full Time
If you are not content with guessing the score at the end of the match, you can try something more challenging. That is, you can try to guess the score at the end of half time as well as at the end of full time.
That is what is referred to by one of the most common sports betting terms Half Time/Full time.
Win to Nil
Some bet types let you place bets on more than one possibility at the same time. One such bet is win to nil because it allows you to predict the winner. But not only that, it also lets you bet on the fact that the losing team will be unable to score any goals whatsoever.
Both Teams to Score
Oftentimes, you will encounter games where you think that both teams will end up scoring. This can happen in many sports but especially in football. That is when you can place both teams to score bet.
1×2
Among the most common sports betting terms, 1X2 is also the most popular form of sports betting. It is one of those betting terms and meaning that you absolutely must know.
1X2 bets simply let you bet on one of the three potential outcomes in a match – home win, draw, or away win.
Accumulator
As your sports betting becomes more frequent, you are extremely likely to want to combine multiple bets into one. The good news is that such a thing is easily possible at most sportsbooks. Such a bet is what is called an accumulator bet.
Over/Under
Over/ under bets essentially mean that the sportsbook will decide the statistical outcome of a game and bettors will predict whether the actual outcome goes over or under that.
So, if the sportsbook predicts the outcome to be 3 goals combined, the bettor needs to correctly pick whether the actual outcome will go over or under.
Asian Handicap
The same applies to Asian handicaps, but the main difference is that with Asian handicaps there isn’t a possibility of a draw. Moreover, the Asian handicap uses non-integral numbers, whereas the European handicap uses whole numbers.
Handicap
Some of the most popular betting markets among bettors in Ghana include European handicaps as well as Asian handicaps.
With European handicap betting the sportsbook will give a lead to the underdog by giving them a virtual advantage before the match begins.
Multi Bet
Multi bets require you to wager your winnings from the last bet on a new phase of the entire wager in serial with the outcomes of the sport. Winning one bet means that you move on to the next.
High Odds
High odds mean placing bets on events that have the highest odds. Higher odds mean a possibility for the highest payouts. But usually, since the odds for that outcome are so high, the outcome is less likely to happen.
Dropping Odds
Dropping odds are adjustments done by the bookmaker so that they are closer to the actual outcome. This is done for odds projected weeks prior to the actual event.
Bet Calculator
The bet calculator allows you to place your bets in any of the three odds formats and calculate the total payout based on that.
Betting Terms FAQ
Here, you will find the answers to some common questions regarding the topic of our article.
You have to learn about the sports betting terms to understand them. After you learn them, the concepts will become even clearer once you start betting.
When it comes to sports betting terms, a unit refers to the amount you would wager on a given bet. A unit can be a fixed value or a percentage of your bankroll. Ideally, none of your bets should exceed a single unit.
A trixie is a bet where you combine three outcomes from separate events and bet on all of them with a single bet. It gives you the chance to win more than what you would have with three separate bets.
In sports betting, if you encounter +3, chances are it refers to a points spread. That means the team either needs to win the game or lose it by less than 4 points for the bet to win.
