sports betting terms jargon and slang

There are a number of important factors to look at when placing bets on horse racing betting sites.  The top two are Form and Class. 

Learning how to bet on horse racing betting sites?  If so, you may already have read up What is Form in Horse Racing?. Form is usually touted as the single most important factor in betting on horse races, but it does not stand on its own, and Class is arguably just as essential.

If you watched Super Bowl 51, you were probably as astounded as everyone else when the Atlanta Falcons managed to throw away a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots.  At one point, ESPN’s win probability machine gave the Falcons a 99.6% chance of defeating the Patriots.  That didn’t happen, however; the game went into overtime (the first in Super Bowl history), and the Patriots won, making most online bookmakers rubbing their hands.

Some horses are very focused as they run, but others are not.  They are distracted by challengers, or even by random events or features of the scenery around the track.  They run past a bush and a bird rustles the leaves.  Instead of perceiving a bird, they think there is a predator lurking inside and they bolt to the side. 

Horses that are easily distracted are anxious and performance suffers as a result.  That is why blinkers were invented.

When you think about sports betting, most of the games you think of are probably pretty traditional.  You think of football, tennis, rugby, cricket, basketball, and the NFL.  These are all games which are played in the real world by athletes who have dedicated their careers to reaching the height of physical ability. 

You probably don’t think of League of Legends or Dota 2. 

But did you know that the definition of sports betting is being expanded?  In fact, the very definition of “sports” is starting to transform. 

When you are a handicapping a team or a game, you need to take into account whether they are the home team or not.  In What is Home Advantage?  Part 1 of my series on home advantage, I delved into the different definitions of home advantage and what it means to be the “home” team.  While there are special cases where the “home” team may actually be playing away (such as a game where two baseball teams meet on neutral ground), usually the “home” team is playing on their own turf and has the advantage over the visiting tea

Below you can find a list with the most common sports betting terms, jargon or slang used for American or Canadian sports. A lot of punters but also sportsbooks use slang for specific sport actions or bets. If you are a regular punter you will probably be aware of most of the definitions but there is always the chance that you have missed something. From the other hand if you are new in sports betting then you will find that list very useful.

In-play betting or live betting is a major growing trend in the world of online UK sports wagering.  In-play betting is exactly what it sounds like.  It refers to wagering that takes place while an event is in progress, as opposed to a wager put down before the event begins.  If you are betting on horse racing, it is called “in-running” betting, but it is the exact same thing.  The growth of online betting sites has made it easy to wager in-play.  Mobile technology in particular has fed into the growth of this trend.  When you can bet anywhere, you can bet anyt

Most of the time when you bet on sports, you are betting on a team, player, or horse to win.  Sometimes, though, you may actually bet that a team, player, or horse won’t win.  This is known as a “lay bet.”  Lay betting is an excellent option when you know enough about an event to have an idea who will not win, but you are unable to make a solid call as to who will win.  Maybe you know that a particular participant is unlikely to win a tournament, or that a particular horse is never going to make it to the fin

Are you brand new to the world of sports betting?  Before you jump in, you are going to want to familiarize yourself with the basic terms and concepts used by online sports betting sites. Sports betting has more complexity than many people expect starting out.  There are many different types of bets and ways to win or lose money.  Once you get the basics down, though, you will be ready to start placing simple bets and working your way up from there to more complex ones.  Here is a quick glossary of basic sports betting terms you might want to know!