Betting glossary
Short, plain-English definitions of the terms you'll see on a betting line. Where there's a longer guide, the definition links to it.
Last reviewed:
Worked example
To start, the box below is filled in with -110 / -110. This starting line is both sides of a standard -110 / -110 market, so its card shows the bookmaker's margin, which is defined below along with hold. The box is editable: type any line, or tap one under the card, and the explanation updates.
−110 / −110: neither side is favored. Both have the same price.
What it means
A moneyline is a bet on who wins, with no points involved. A bet on Side 1 risks 110 to win 100. A bet on Side 2 risks 110 to win 100.
Scenarios
| If… | Side 1 | Side 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Side 1 wins | Win | Loss |
| Side 2 wins | Loss | Win |
| Tie or draw | Depends on house rules | Depends on house rules |
On a 2-way moneyline, what happens on a tie or draw depends on the sport and the sportsbook's rules. In boxing, a two-way market (just the two fighters) refunds the stake on a draw. A three-way market that includes the draw loses both fighter bets.
The numbers
Side 1 −110
- Implied probability
- 52.38%
- Decimal
- 1.91
- American
- −110
- Per 100 staked
- returns 190.91 (profit 90.91)
Side 2 −110
- Implied probability
- 52.38%
- Decimal
- 1.91
- American
- −110
- Per 100 staked
- returns 190.91 (profit 90.91)
Both sides together
- Implied probabilities add up to
- 104.76%
- Bookmaker margin
- 4.76%
- Fair probability: Side 1
- 50.00%
- Fair probability: Side 2
- 50.00%
Margin (overround) = the implied probabilities added together, minus 100%. Fair probabilities remove the margin by dividing each one by that total.
Watch out for
A minus price doesn't mean you lose money. −110 means you stake 110 to win 100, and the 110 comes back too if the bet wins.
Learn more: Moneyline guide
Common lines to try
1X2 (three-way)
A soccer market with three outcomes: 1 = home win, X = draw, 2 = away win. Only one of
the three wins. A draw loses a bet on either team. Example: 2.10 / 3.40 / 3.60.
American odds
Odds written around 100. A minus number (-110) is what you stake to win 100. A plus number
(+150) is what a 100 stake wins. See the moneyline guide.
Asian handicap
A soccer handicap that removes the draw, written in steps of 0.25. Whole and half lines work like a point spread. Quarter lines split the stake in half across the two nearest lines:
- −0.25 = half on 0, half on −0.5. A draw is a half loss: half the stake is returned, half is lost.
- −0.75 = half on −0.5, half on −1. A 1-goal win is a half win: one half wins, the other half is returned.
Example: 100 on −0.75 at 1.90, and the team wins by 1. The 50 on −0.5 wins and returns 95. The 50 on −1 pushes and returns 50. That’s 145 back in total, a profit of 45.
Both teams to score (BTTS)
A soccer bet on whether each team scores at least once. Yes wins if both do. Own goals usually count, but some markets exclude them, so check the house rules.
Decimal odds
The total return for every 1 staked, stake included. 1.91 returns 1.91 per 1 staked, a profit of
0.91. See the odds converter.
Draw no bet
A soccer bet on one team to win, where a draw returns the stake.
Evens
A price where the profit equals the stake: +100, 2.00 or 1/1.
Fair probability
An implied probability with the bookmaker’s margin taken out: each side’s implied probability
divided by the total. Fair probabilities add up to exactly 100%. For -200 / +170 they are
64.29% and 35.71%.
Favorite
The side the prices expect to win. It has a minus spread or minus moneyline price.
Fractional odds
Profit compared with stake, written like 6/4: 6 profit for every 4 staked. Common in the UK and
Ireland. See the odds converter.
Goes the distance
A boxing bet on whether the fight reaches the final bell. Yes wins on any decision or a draw.
Handicap
Another name for a point spread, common in soccer and in the UK.
Hold
A second way to measure the bookmaker’s cut: hold = 1 − 1 ÷ (sum of implied probabilities). It’s the share of all the money staked that the bookmaker keeps if stakes are spread so that it pays out the same whichever side wins. Hold is always a little smaller than the margin (overround) for the same prices.
Example with -110 / -110: someone stakes 110 on each side, 220 in total. Whichever side wins is
paid 210 (the 110 stake plus 100 profit). The bookmaker keeps 10, and 10 ÷ 220 = 4.55%.
Implied probability
A price written as a percentage: 1 ÷ decimal odds. -110 → 52.38%. It includes the bookmaker’s
margin, so it isn’t a forecast.
Juice (vig, vigorish)
Slang for the bookmaker’s cut built into the prices. “-110 juice” means both sides are priced at -110 instead of +100.
Line
The number that defines a bet: the spread (-4.5), the total (221.5) or the price (-110).
Margin (overround)
This site’s definition: margin = the implied probabilities of every side added together, minus 100%. It’s the number shown on every result card that has both sides of a market.
For -110 / -110: 52.38% + 52.38% = 104.76%, so the margin is 4.76%.
Some sites quote hold instead. Both start from the same total of implied probabilities, but hold divides by it, so it comes out smaller. When you compare two sites, check which one they use.
| Market | Implied probabilities add up to | Margin (overround) | Hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| -110 / -110 | 104.76% | 4.76% | 4.55% |
| -200 / +170 | 103.70% | 3.70% | 3.57% |
| 2.10 / 3.40 / 3.60 | 104.81% | 4.81% | 4.59% |
Method of victory
A boxing bet on how the fight ends: KO or TKO, disqualification, a decision (split, majority or unanimous), or a draw.
Moneyline
A bet on who wins, with no points involved. See the moneyline guide.
Over/under (total)
A bet on the combined score of both teams, or the length of a fight in rounds. See the over/under guide.
Pick’em
A game with a spread of 0 (pk). Whoever wins, wins. A tie is a push.
Price
The odds on a bet, which set the payout: -110, 1.91 or 10/11.
Push
When the result lands exactly on the line, such as a 4-point win on -4 or a total of exactly 221
on O/U 221. The stake is returned. Spreads and totals ending in .5 can’t push. Boxing round
totals can: a stoppage at exactly the halfway point (1:30 of round 10 on O/U 9.5 rounds) is a push.
Run line and puck line
The point spread in baseball (run line) and hockey (puck line). Usually set at 1.5.
Spread (point spread)
A head start in points. The favorite must win by more than the spread. The underdog can lose by less than it, or win. See the point spread guide.
Underdog
The side the prices expect to lose. It has a plus spread or plus moneyline price.
Common misreadings
- Margin and hold are two names for the same number.
- They measure the same thing in different ways. For -110 / -110 the margin (overround) is 4.76% and the hold is 4.55%. This site always shows the margin.
- Fair probabilities are the true odds of each result.
- Fair probabilities only remove the margin from the prices. They show what the prices imply, not what will happen.
- A push is a tie between the two teams.
- A push is when the result lands exactly on the line, such as a 4-point win on -4. The game itself doesn't have to be tied.