A-Z Sports Glossary and Terms

A betting strategy is where you take both sides of an event after the line has changed, with the hopes of winning both bets. For example, if you bet on Tampa at -3.5 on Monday, but by Wednesday, the line has moved to -4.5. Now you can bet on Orlando at +4.5, knowing that at least one bet will win, and if Tamp wins by 4, you win both bets.

A straight-up bet on the winner of an event.

Another term for American odds. They use a positive and minus system, such as +400 and -175. A positive number indicates the amount one must bet to win $100, and a negative number indicates the amount one can win if one were to place a $100 wager.

The act of paying for more points in your favor on a point spread wager; you’re moving the line to where you want to bet it.

Another term for a parlay. A multiple is a single bet that consists of two or more events on the same ticket. Let’s look at some examples.Double – A single parlay/accumulator bet with two selections.Treble – A single parlay/accumulator bet with three selections.Trixie – A bet of three selections that contain three double bets and one treble bet.Patent – A bet of three selections that contain three single bets, three double bets, and one treble bet.Yankee – A bet of four selections that contains six double bets, four treble bets, and one four-leg parlay.Lucky 15 – A bet of four selections that contain four single bets, six double bets, four treble bets, and one four-leg parlay. Lucky 31 – A bet of five selections that contains five single bets, ten double bets, ten treble bets, five four-leg parlays, and one five-leg parlay.

The most valuable player for a team during the regular season, playoffs, or marquee match. Betting on the MVP for a season is a popular futures bet.