Welcome to my A to Z Of betting glossary.
Many new punters or even OG punters will have come into the game not knowing where to start with the myriad of betting terms and abbreviations used in form books, betting sites, and bookmakers.
You will certainly need to get a good grasp of the punter language in order to improve your chances of success at betting on apps, courses, or bookmaker shops.
This is why I have compiled a useful A-Z of betting Jargon for you, I will try to get as many terms and abbreviations added to this A-Z as possible so that you can use it as your go-to tool when you’re in need.
The Horse Racing Terminology A-Z (Betting Terms And Abbreviations)
Hopefully, this a to z horse racing betting terms explained and the Football terms and abbreviations guide will help you figure out what you are looking at when studying form.
What does across the card mean?
Across the card – This means betting at multiple courses simultaneously, for example, you bet in the 1.10 at Kempton and also the 1.15 at Lingfield.
Some jockeys can have across-the-card doubles and trebles for example as they fly from one course to the other for different rides.
What does all in play mean?
All in-play – All in-play means that when you place a bet on this market the odds have been set that all horses in that race (for example) are going to participate even if after you place the bet it does not.
You must be careful with these bets as you will not get your money back if the runner does not end up running in the race, this is not the case for normal markets.
The same applies to other sports including football.
What does all out mean?
All out – This is when a horse, greyhound, or player for example is giving maximum effort to achieve a win.
What does all weather mean?
All-Weather – All-weather racecourses have different surfaces ranging from Polytrack to Tapeta that allow them to host racing in all weathers. They can still be called off for example if there were high winds or really bad weather that you still couldn’t race in.
What is an also ran?
Also Ran – This is a term used to describe a horse for example that did run but did not finish in the placings at all.
What is Arbitrage?
Arbitrage – This is backing and laying (laying is explained further down) on the same market in order to achieve a profit regardless of the result.
What does Ante post mean?
Ante-post – This is a must-know term for punters, odds are offered on ante-post markets well in advance of the event taking place. Often months in advance you get a better price but you run the risk of your ante-post selection not running either through illness or injury.
Until recently many bookmakers would not refund ante post bets if the selection did not take part in the event.
What does Asian Handicap mean?
Asian Handicap – This is a football betting market that allows you to be on outcomes in the game for example -1.5 Asian handicap would mean you need 2 goals at least to be scored in that game for your bet to win.
It means that one side will receive one and a half goal handicap in the game which means they are basically 2-0 down from the kickoff.
You can often get much higher odds on these markets.
What does at the post mean?
At the post – This simply means that the runners and riders are at the starting line or point and ready for the off.
What is backing?
Back – Backing or to back a horse is to place a bet on it to win or place.
What is a banker bet?
Banker – A banker or dead cert is a horse that many punters and tipsters believe will win. Often odds will be very short on a banker bet.
What is a betting exchange?
Betting Exchange – A betting exchange is a P2P (peer-to-peer) network where punters can offer each other odds on markets. An example of a betting exchange is Betfair, you can often get much higher odds at exchanges compared to bookies for this reason.
What is BIR or BIP?
BIR/BIP – Simply means betting in play or betting in running, this means the event has already started and you are betting after the off.
What does Betting W/O mean?
Betting W/O – This means you are betting without the favourite or another named horse, for example, this type of bet is popular in races where there is an odds-on favourite or banker bet. Say your horse comes second to the fav but you are betting W/O the favourite, you would win.
What are Blinkers?
Blinkers – This is a piece of headgear that is put on a horse to prevent them from seeing in their peripheral field of vision and ensures that they only look straight ahead during racing. Often used to prevent horses that like to wander about or are put off by other racers.
What is a bookie?
Bookie – Well, it’s a bookmaker it’s just an abbreviation of bookmaker (bookie). This is a licensed person or company that has the ability to offer odds and take bets from punters.
What does BTTS mean?
BTTS – means both teams to score, it’s another abbreviation and means that you are betting on both teams in the game scoring a goal for example if it was football.
What is a century?
Century – means 100 (otherwise known as a ton) in cricket for example it means a player has got 100 runs, in betting terms usually it means £100.
What is a claiming race?
Claiming Race – This is a race where there is a set price (claiming fee) set to be paid for each horse if another owner or stable wants to “claim” the horse they have right up until the race goes off to put their claim in. Claiming races are also a way for horses of lesser ability to find somewhere to race with lower competition.
What is a Colt?
Colt – This is a male racehorse that is less than 5, after this age, it becomes a Stallion.
What is a correct score bet?
Correct Score – Simply a bet on a football match for example where you try to guess what the final score will be, if you are correct you usually get way higher odds than standard football bets.
What is a Dam?
Dam – This is a female parent of a racehorse, the male parent is known as the sire and these terms are more involved with horse breeding.
What is a dead heat in horse racing?
Dead Heat – This means that two horses have finished in first place and there is no way to separate the two even by way of a photo of the finish (photo finish).
What does Decimal Odds mean?
Decimal Odds – these are odds displayed on markets or at bookies mainly in Europe, the decimal representation of 3/1 Fractional odds that are used in the UK would be 4.00.
What does evens mean in betting?
Evens – This means if, for example, the horse is an Evens favourite it means whatever you stake on the horse to win you would get back as profit. So a £10 bet on an evens favourite would pay £20 (you’re £10 back plus £10 profit).
What does favourite mean?
Favourite – This means the shortest-priced player or team for example to win the event, or the selection that the most money has been placed on to win.
What does FGS/FPTS mean?
FGS/FPTS – This is another abbreviation meaning either the first goal scorer or the first player to score.
What is the field?
Field – This is all the other runners in the race when it comes to horse racing.
What is a Fillie?
Fillie – This means a female racehorse that is under 5 years old and when it becomes over 5 will become a Mare.
What does first past the post mean?
First past the post – This means the first horse to pass the winning line, often used by bookmakers that payout on the horse that crosses the line first regardless of a revised result or inquiry.
What is Fixed Odds betting?
Fixed Odds Betting – these are pre-determined odds that you place your bets at and no matter what the payout of your bet will not change should you pick all the winners.
What does form mean?
Form – This is the historical performance of an Athlete, Horse, Greyhound, or Team. This is used by bookmakers to set prices, and obviously, a team that has won their last 5 would have shorter odds than a team that has lost their last 5.
What are fractional odds?
Fractional Odds – This is the standard way that odds are displayed in the UK on betting markets and can be used to work out your return from a bet. £1 staked on a 2/1 for example would pay £3 £2 profit plus your £1 stake.
What does Full Time mean?
Full Time – This means a football match for example has finished and has played the full 90 minutes plus stoppage time.
What does Going mean?
Going – This is a term mainly used in Horse Racing and means the quality of the ground at the racecourse this can range from Heavy, Soft, Good, Firm, and anywhere in between. On all-weather tracks, the goings are either standard or fast.
What is a Grand?
Grand – A grand is £1000.
What is Greening Up?
Greening Up – This is backing a selection and then laying the same selection twice often in running in order to secure a profit regardless of the race, or event result. I wrote an article on Greening up here.
What is a handicap race?
Handicap Race – This is a type of horse race where winning horses carry more weight than horses that have been losing. Attempts to create a level playing field based on weight. When it comes to betting markets however handicap betting on football for example would mean betting on a team to either start with a -1,2 or 3 goals head start meaning if you be ton -1 goals on a team they would have to win by two clear goals.
What is laying? (lay bet)
Laying – This is the opposite of backing, meaning you are betting on the selection to lose instead of win, often offered on betting exchanges.
What is a Long shot?
Long Shot – This is a selection that has very large odds usually around 66/1 plus would be considered a long shot, you would be very lucky to land a bet on a long shot.
What is a Maiden?
Maiden – This is a horse that has yet to win a race yet. There are often special races where all the horses are maidens, making it very hard to pick a winner.
What is a Monkey?
Monkey – Slang for £500. “I will have a monkey on that horse please mate” is something you may hear on a racecourse.
What is a non runner?
Non-Runner – A non-runner is a selection that does not take part in the event. Often this means your stake will be returned.
What does NAP mean in betting on Horse Racing?
NAP – Originally a term coined from a French card game called Napoleon, where a player with the strongest hand is called a Napoleon. NAP being short for Napoleon means a tipster’s best pick of the day that has the best chance of winning.
What does NB mean in horse racing?
NB – This is simply a tipster’s next best pick of the day, with the NAP selection being their best selection.
What are Odds?
Odds – This is a price given by bookmakers by selections on sporting events and shows you the punter what you will win based upon your stakes.
What is over 2.5 goals?
Over 2.5 goals – When betting on football you are betting on there being more than 2.5 goals in the normal time of that match, this means you need at least 3 goals to be scored in that match.
What is a punter?
Punter – This is a customer or bettor, basically the person placing a bet.
What is a Scorecast?
Scorecast – A scorecast is a player you select to score the first goal in a football match and also the correct score in that game, both must be right for the bet to be a winner.
What is a Stake in betting?
Stake – This is the amount of money you are placing on your bet, so if you place a £1 bet, your stake is £1.
What are TOTE bets?
TOTE – This is another place to put your bets on at a racecourse for example. This is pool betting meaning that all stakes placed go into a pool and the pool is shared with winning punters.
What are Tips?
Tips – When it comes to gambling a tip is a selection that someone thinks will win an event.
What is a tipster?
Tipsters are professional gamblers offering their selections in return for a monthly retainer, you can greatly increase your chance of winning with these, but be careful which one you choose.
What does UR mean in Horse Racing?
UR – This means unseated rider, meaning the horse may have hit a fence or obstacle forcing the jockey to fall off the saddle or to jump off for safety reasons.
What does X mean in football betting?
X – This means to draw, often you will see 1X2, 1 means the home team to win, 2 means the away team to win and X means the game will end in a draw.
Thanks for reading this A-Z Of Betting, I hope you have found it useful, and I will continue to add more terms to this as time goes by.
Make sure that you check out my other useful posts on betting information including the following posts
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