Betting Glossary

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The gaming account is the personal profile that users must open in order to start playing with any betting site. In the personal area of ​​the account it is generally possible to check one’s status, make deposits and withdrawals and have an overview of the bets placed. As required by legislation, the gaming account must be validated by sending a copy of the bettor’s identity document, a necessary condition to be able to withdraw any winnings obtained.

All in play or not (All in)

What does all in play or not mean?

Usually we use the phrase ‘All in’, when the markets have their prices set long before the date of the event when it’s still not known whether the selection will take part in the race or not. In fact, if you pick a non-runner you lose the bet. Also check ante post meaning.

All out

What is all out?

Phrase used to describe a greyhound, horse or indeed a player/team pushing at the maximum for the result.

All weather

What does all weather mean?

All weather refers to racetracks which are suitable for racing all year round for racing. These racetracks have an artificial surface which makes them suitable in sunny and rainy days no matter the weather. Please bear in mind that since these races take place outdoor, there’s always a chance of a weather event such as gale that makes it necessary to call off the race.

Also ran

What’s an also ran?

This is a term used in horse racing to refer to all the runners who participated but finish outside the winning ‘places’. So the horses that arrive in places that don’t pay out are called rans.

Ante Post

What does Ante Post mean?

Bookmakers also offer odds well in advance of an event such as championship and tournaments. These called odds are called Ante Post and usually come at a better price but higher risk. For example, you can bet on the Grand National months ahead but in the meantime the horse might lose its form or even not participate in the race where in the latter case you automatically lose your bet.

At the Post

What does at the post mean?

In horse racing, we say that all the horses are ‘At the Post’ when they are on on the starting line.

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Bankroll

What does bankroll mean?

The English term bankroll refers to the capital that the bettor has available to invest in a particular game strategy. Depending on the performance of the bets made, the bankroll can increase or decrease.

Bet slip

The bet slip shows the selections made by the bettor . Here the punter can decide the amount to play, the method (whether single, multiple or system) and confirm his bet.

Betting Exchange

What is a betting exchange?

The betting exchange, is a variant of traditional betting that allows the same players to take on the role of bookmaker and set the odd . 

Bonus balance

What is a bonus balance?

The bonus balance is the accounting status of the free money paid by the bookmaker to the bettor’s gaming account and still to be spent. You are often required to spend your bonus balance to the end in order to then use your real balance.

Bookmaker (or bookie)

What is a bookmaker?

Bookmaker, often abbreviated to bookie, is the English term used to define operators who offer bets at fixed or variable odds on sporting events but not only. Bookmakers can accept bets at physical agencies or electronically via online sites. 

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Corners (bets)

What are corner bets?

By corners bets we mean all those markets offered by bookmakers that deal with corners taken during a match . Some examples could be Total corner 5 outcomes or U/O [n] corner.

Canadian or Super Yankee (system)

What is a Canadian?

The Canadian, also known as Super Yankee , is a type of system bet which provides for the insertion of 5 events and a total of 26 columns . For more information, see the System entry.

Card (bets)

What are card bets?

Card bets are a particular market in which you have to predict the value of the yellow and red cards drawn during the regulation time of a match. It is not based on the physical number of cards drawn but on their value. You will have to add it up considering that each yellow card has a value of 1 while the red one has 2.

Cashouts

What are cashouts?

The word cashout refers to a game option, introduced for the first time by Betfair in its betting exchange, which allows a player to withdraw a potential winning before the event on which he has bet is concluded

Column

What is a column?

When we talk about a column in betting, we refer to a combination of events within a bet made with the system method.

Combo bets

What are combo bets?

Combo bets are combinations of different markets that are offered by the best bookmakers and allow you to match two predictions on the same match. Some examples could be Final result + Under/Over or Goal/No goal, Double chance + Under/Over or Goal/No goal or Under/Over + Goal/No goal, the peculiarities of which are analyzed on the page dedicated to the types of bets in the football .

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Deposit

What is a deposit?

The deposit is the action that allows you to upload liquidity to a gaming account in order to bet. There are different deposit methods: the most common are credit and debit cards, electronic wallets, prepaid cards and bank transfers.

Double chance

What is a double chance?

When we talk about Double Chance bets , also known as multi-chance bets, we are referring to a particular market in which a single prediction is made on 2 different types of bets on the same football match. The pro of this bet is that it will be enough to guess just one of the 2 outcomes to win.

Draw no bet

What is draw no bet?

Draw no bet is a football betting market that provides for the refund of the stake in the event of a draw between the two teams. It is therefore possible to bet only on the victory of one of the two contenders, with reduced odds compared to those foreseen on 1X2 bets .

Dutching

What is dutching?

Dutching is a game strategy that was originally born in the world of horse racing, but can also be successfully applied on some betting exchange markets. It consists of betting by dividing the bankroll on several results or horses with different odds , thus increasing the chances of winning. For each result or horse, a different amount must be bet, calculated on the basis of the odds offered by the bookmaker. The profit margins for each individual event are not very consistent, but the odds of winning are high: for this reason dutching is a strategy that lends itself to serial bets.

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eSports

What is eSports?

eSports, or electronic sports, are video games played competitively . They can be of various nature and are characterized by a high level of organization. The players are usually professionals. 

Even / Odd

What is an even or odd bet?

If you are passionate about football (and not only), you should already know Odd/Even bets . For this market you have to guess if the goal sum will be odd or even . Only the 90 minutes of the game are considered and not the possible overtime. If it ends in a 0-0, know that it is considered an even result.

Event

What is an event?

The term event is used by bookmakers to designate all matches or competitions that are quoted and on which it is possible to bet . The selected events make up the bettor’s slip.

Exact Score

Exact Score market, we refer you to the guide to the main football markets . We also have a page dedicated to exact score betting where you will find practical information and strategies for this type of bet. In summary, you will have to guess the exact score of the match like 1-2, 0-0, 3-1…

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Fantasy Football

What is fantasy football?

These are virtual tournaments, called contests, between teams made up of players who don’t actually play together and who are selected by bettors in order to score as many points as possible and beat opposing bettors.

Final score

What is final score?

For the definition of the Final Score market, see the Exact Score entry.

First deposit

What is the first deposit?

We have decided to dedicate an entry to the first deposit in this betting glossary, because this often plays an important role for the bettor. In fact, in many cases it is the moment in which the amount of the welcome bonus is established . Before making your first deposit, read the terms and conditions of the bonus carefully, to understand if there are payment methods that exclude the offer or if you need to enter promotional codes.

First goal method

What is the first goal method?

In this type of market, you will have to guess how the first goal will be scored by having choices such as penalty, free-kick, header…

First scorer

What is the first scorer?

In First Goalscorer bets you have to guess who will be the first player to score during the 90 minutes of the match. If the player you have selected is not called up, your stake will be refunded.

Goliath (System)

What is a Goliath system?

A system that involves the selection of 8 events for a total of 247 columns played is called Goliath . 

Goal/No Goal

What is a goal/no goal?

In the Goal/No goal bet you have to predict if both teams will score during the 90′ (Goal), or that at least one of the 2 remains goalless (No Goal). 

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Handicap

What is a handicap?

Handicap is a market and can be classic (or European) and Asian. In the Handicap betting guide that we have compiled on this site, we explain in great detail the meaning of Handicap and the difference between Classical and Asian Handicap . In summary, in 1X2 bets with classic handicap , the favorite team to win is attributed a fictitious disadvantage, i.e. 1 or more goal difference.

The Asian handicap bet works the same way, but is based on decimal numbers. The other big difference is in the number of results: there is no draw. If the deficit is closed, but the assigned team does not win, the stake is returned.

Head to head

What is head to head?

Head to Head is one of the most popular games. Suitable for any type of bettor, it is a question of identifying who among 2 athletes or 2 teams will win the victory of a match . Precisely due to the nature of the bet, it is no coincidence that Head to Head is one of the most popular tennis markets.

Heinz (System)

What is the Heinz system?

Heinz is defined as a system that involves selecting 6 events and a total of 57 columns . See the System heading later in this betting glossary for more details.

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Kelly

What is a Kelly bet?

Kelly is a mathematical approach to betting, used since the mid-1900s, which suggests an ideal amount to play for each bet . There are two variants, the full one and the fractional one. In our guide to football strategies we delve into all the details of this criterion.

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Live betting

What is live betting?

The term live betting, an English definition for real-time bets , indicates all the bets that can be made when the sporting event on which you want to bet is in progress . This sector has experienced exponential growth thanks to online betting.

Livescore

What is livescore?

The livescore is a very important help tool for all bettors who like to play live: in fact, it reports all the variations in the result and the statistical data of the scheduled matches . Virtually all online operators offer very comprehensive livescores on their sites.

Lucky (System)

What is a lucky system?

Systems known as Lucky 15, Lucky 31 and Lucky 63 differ from other system types by playing columns with single bets . In the following table we have reported all the variants of Lucky , including its simplest variant, the Patent , and the types of columns playable with each variant.

TypologySinglesDoubleTriplesQuadrupleQuintupleSextuples
Patent331
Lucky 154641
Lucky 315101051
Lucky 63615201561

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Margin

What is a margin in betting?

In the world of betting, the margin is the advantage in terms of percentage points applied to the odds , which allows the bookmaker to always obtain profits in the long run. The bettor can try to evade the edge by finding the most favorable odds; see the entry Value bets.

Margin of victory

What is the margin of victory?

In Winning Margin bets, you have to predict the number of goal difference between the 2 teams , at the end of the 90 minutes of play. On the main bookmakers you will find 3 variations in this regard: victory margin 4 outcomes, victory margin 7 outcomes, victory margin 10 outcomes. Clearly, the more outcomes available there will be, the higher the difficulty level, the higher the odds will be.

Martingale

What is the martingale system?

The Martingale system, also known as the “doubling method”, is a mathematical approach to gambling that was already theorized in the eighteenth century . We explain how it works in the review dedicated to game strategies .

Market

What is a market?

The concept of the market when it comes to sports betting can mislead those approaching this pastime for the first time. We have therefore decided to clarify its meaning with a brief definition in this glossary of betting sites. In fact, this term defines all the types of bets that an operator proposes on a single event . There are classic markets, such as Final result, Under/Over and Goal/No goal, and more recently invented markets. A good trader will usually always offer a consistent package of markets. 

Multi-goal

What is a multi-goal?

The Multigoal market is a type that is part of the complementary schedule, with which it is possible to predict the total number of goals scored by the two teams during a match. Goals are generally divided into groups of 2, 3, or 4 goals (for example, Multigoal 2-3, Multigoal 2-4, Multigoal 2-5).

Multiple

What is a multiple?

The accumulator, sometimes called by the synonym of accumulator, is a bet that combines two or more events together. The odds for each selection are multiplied together to give the final odds for the bet slip. To be successful, an accumulator requires that all events entered win.

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Partial/Final

What is partial/final?

For the Partial/Final bet you have to predict the outcome of the first half of the game (partial) and that of the end of the game (final).

Payouts

What is a payout?

With the term payout, which you often find in our reviews, we indicate the percentage that is obtained by calculating the blackboard of a bookmaker. The closer the payout percentage is to 100%, the lower the operator’s profit margin and therefore it is more convenient for the bettor.

Pre match (or pre match)

What means pre match?

Pre match bets, as opposed to live bets, are all bets made before the start of a match . Pre-match bets tend to offer higher payouts and more markets than live bets.

Prediction

What is a prediction?

The prediction is the prediction of the outcome of the events and is the basis on which sports betting is based. It can arise following the study of results and statistics and opinions on condition and state of form, or from personal impressions. 

Stake

What is a stake?

Stake is a term used to indicate the amount of money that the bettor invests in a bet.

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Quote

What is a quote?

The odds is the multiplier assigned to each possible bet that allows you to calculate the final payout of a bet. On our site we refer to decimal odds, also known as European odds. In the Anglo-Saxon world, however, fractional odds are used, expressed for example as 10/1.

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Refund

What is a refund?

A bet already placed is refunded only when an event is postponed or suspended due to force majeure and is not completed within 3 days of the scheduled date. In this case, the bettor has the right to a refund of the amount bet. If the deferred event is part of an accumulator, its share is calculated as equal to 1.00.

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Schedule

What is a bookmaker’s schedule?

A bookmaker’s schedule is the set of events on which it is possible to bet . It is usually defined by a precise time span: for example, there is a daily schedule or a weekly schedule. Many online bookmakers have not only a betting schedule but also a rich offer of casino games.

Special bets

What are special bets?

Special bets , known in English as special bets, are all those bets that do not have a direct relationship with the world of sport , but are still offered by bookmakers in the schedules. 

Single bet

What is a single bet?

The single bet is a bet that requires the insertion of only one selection on the bet slip. It generally involves the commitment of higher amounts than in the case of accumulators, but offers greater chances of winning. 

System

What is a system

The system is a betting method that provides for the division of the bet on all the combinations that can be obtained from the selections shown in the bet slip . In the table we have reported the main possibilities, with an indication of the number of events entered and the total number of playable columns.

TypologySelected eventsTotal columns
Trixie34
Yankee411
Canadian (or Super Yankee)526
Heinz657
Super Heinz7120
Goliath8247

Sum of Final Goals

What is the sum of final goals?

When we talk about the sum of final goals , we are referring to a type of bet in which you have to predict the exact number of goals scored during the 90′ (plus any added time). Most bookmakers offer 6 betting options: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, >4.

Sure bet

What is a sure bet?

Sure bets, an English term which translated means sure bets, indicate all those bets which, thanks to mathematical calculations, lead the player to obtain a sure win regardless of the outcome of the match.

Super Heinz (System)

What is the super heinz system?

The Super Heinz is a type of system which provides for the entry of 7 events for a total of 120 columns .

Super Yankee or Canadian (System)

See Canadian entry.

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Tipsters

What is a tipster?

The tipster (from the English tip, advice) is a person who, in an amateur or professional capacity, dispenses predictions and advice on the results of sporting events. Based on their skill they can acquire a certain reputation in the world of betting and in the world of social betting .

Triple Chance

What is triple chance?

In the Triple Chance bet the player must predict that at least one of the 3 proposed events will take place during a match. Bets are therefore of the type “1 or Goal or Over 2.5”. Possible outcomes are Yes/No, although some operators may have different options.

Trixie

What is a trixie?

Trixie is the simplest type of system that can be played: in fact, it provides for the insertion of only 3 events for a total of 4 columns .

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Under/Over

What is under/over?

Under/Over bets are a type of bet that allows you to predict whether at the end of a match, specifically in the regulation 90′, the sum of goals scored will be lower (Under) or higher (Over) a certain value . This value is usually expressed with a decimal number. In soccer, the most common bet is Under/Over 2.5.

Underdogs

What is an underdog?

Underdog is the English term for a team or player that starts as an underdog in a sporting event and is therefore awarded a high odds.

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Value bets

What is a value bet?

We have already spoken extensively elsewhere on this site about the concept of value bets. Here we limit ourselves to saying that these are events with odds that are not perfectly aligned with the probabilities . By calculating them, the bettor can be able to obtain margin from the bets.

VAR

What is the VAR?

The VAR (Video Assistance Referee) is a new technological tool used by match judges to evaluate dubious game situations. At the VAR we find 2 match officials who collaborate with the official referee of the match and who can call him back to report possible fouls not called in the penalty area or uncertain goal situations. VAR betting refers to a brand new market introduced by some bookmakers. Here it is a question of predicting whether, during the course of the match, the referee will consult (Yes) or not (No) the VAR . Attention, the consultation to be considered valid must be direct: the referee must physically go in front of the pitchside monitor to view the episode in question.

Virtual betting

What is virtual betting?

Virtual betting is the English name of virtual bets. Many operators now offer a section of their online site dedicated to bets on virtual events, i.e. computer simulated.

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Welcome Bonus

What is a welcome bonus?

All bookmakers operating in the sports betting sector now offer attractive offers for new customers, commonly called welcome bonuses. There are very different types : they can in fact be percentages, usually 50% or 100%, on the first deposit or on the first bet, or they can consist of refunds of losing bets in a given period. 

Winning bets

What is a winning bet?

Winner bets are the type of bet that predicts the team or athlete who will win a given tournament or competition . It is one of the most popular ante-post bets since you can bet on different sports: from football, to basketball, to tennis, to F1.

Winning to zero

What are win to zero bets?

If you think either club has an unbeatable defense, then place your bets on Win to Zero bets. You will have to choose whether a particular team will bring home the result without conceding a goal (Winning to zero Yes), or not winning or winning by conceding at least one goal (Winning to zero No).

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Yankee (System)

The Yankee is a bet in system mode which involves entering 4 events and placing 11 columns .