Basic Terms Used in Sports Betting

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Are you new to sports betting? If you love to watch sports such as soccer, American football and basketball then you can enhance your experience by betting on the outcome of the match. This is something that a lot of people like to do and it can create more excitement on matchday.

But, if you have never enjoyed sports betting before, there are going to be some terms that you see. It is best to understand exactly what they mean before betting your hard-earned cash. So, let’s take a look at some of the basic terms commonly used in sports betting.

Accumulator

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An accumulator is when you bet on a series of outcomes in one wager. In order for you to win, you have to get all of the bets on the accumulator. Therefore, if one of your bets does not happen in the game, you are going to lose.

Bonus

Of course, you can probably guess that the term ‘bonus’ is a good thing. Indeed, a bonus is going to give you something more if you win. It is used by betting websites to entice players to play and it can make the sports bet more exciting and successful. For example, there can be a signup bonus if you use a new betting website.

Fixed Odds

Fixed odds are simple; once, you have made a bet, you are not allowed to change it. In other words, the odds are set. This is what you are going to experience in a lot of gambling opportunities. But, horse racing can be the exception to this.

Home Field

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Every team has a home field. This is a straightforward one that means where a team plays their games. Even though the term ‘field’ is used, this can refer to a court or even an ice rink. What is important is that this place is classed as the team’s home stadium or performing arena and could play better on their home field. This is something to take into account when you are betting on Unibet – always check for home advantage.

Live Betting

A lot of people will make sports bets before the event begins. But, if you see live betting, this means that you can place a bet while the game is happening. In other words, you can play a wager when the sport is taking place. This can also be referred to as in play wagering.

Underdog

If a team is referred to as an ‘underdog’ this means that they are not expected to win a match. Thus, it is normally a team that is not as big or successful as another. They are going to be the underdog and there can be better odds on them if you bet on them and they do win,

Wager

You are going to see the term ‘wager’ used a lot when you are gambling online. This simply means to bet on an outcome of a sports event. So, if you are watching an NFL game, a wager may be on the Arizona Cardinals to win against the New England Patriots.

American Odds

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Keep in mind that you are not always going to be on the fixed odds. If you plan to visit some of the international betting sites, then you will also see that American odds also exist. People in America call them “moneyline”, and it is good to know that before you start your journey.

Anyway, these odds are different from others because they are expressed in terms of money. In this case, the standard is $100, and that is the first thing you need to remember. You will have the chance to win the money in two different ways. First option is to bet on those odds that are minus. Let’s say that the American odd you want to bet on is -200. This means that you need to invest $200 to get $100. On the other hand, there are also plus odds that bring you profit in a different way. For instance, if the odds are +200, that means you will earn $150 if you invest $100. We are sure everything is clear now.

Exotic/Special Bet

These two terms refer to the same type of bet and they depend on the type of sports you are betting on. It refers to all types of bets that are not straight bets. If you bet on horse racing, these bets will be associated with superfecta bets and exactas. On the other hand, special bet is a term more common for team sports such as soccer, basketball, and others.

Over/Under

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In many cases, it will be hard for you to predict who exactly is going to be a winner of the match. Because of that, it will seem much safer for you to bet on goals on the match. Well, that’s exactly what the phrase over/under refers to.

Let’s use an example to make things clear. The betting line that the sports betting site will offer can be 2.5. If you play over, that means there will be at least 3 goals in the match. On the other hand, if you bet on under, that means there will maximally be two goals.

On the other hand, this does not only count for the football/soccer games. You will, for instance, have the opportunity to bet on basketball games as well as basketball players. For instance, the betting line for the number of points that a player will score can be 22. The same rule counts for assists, rebounds, etc.

Bad Beat

We hope you will never get the opportunity to hear or use this phrase because it can be costly for you. People use it whenever they lose their money because of some late scores in the sport events. For instance, the team you bet on receives a goal in the 95th minute. This means you lost the bet ona bad beat. You probably understand now why we said it would be much better for you not to use this phrase at all.

Buck

Last but not least, the term you should remember is buck. Many bettors are using it to describe a $100 bet. On the other hand, some people will name it “dollar bet”. Knowing this term will help you communicate with other bettors properly and start feeling like a professional.