Betting glossary
Every term below links to a full explainer: how it works, a worked example in naira, what it means for Nigerian bettors and the mistakes that cost money.
Odds & pricing
American odds(Moneyline odds, US odds)American odds use a plus or minus sign against a base of 100.Decimal odds(European odds)Decimal odds show the total return on a winning 1-unit stake, stake included.Fractional odds(British odds, traditional odds)Fractional odds show profit against stake: 5/1 pays five units of profit for every one risked, plus your stake back.Implied probabilityImplied probability is the chance of an outcome baked into its price.No-vig price(Fair price, margin-free odds)The no-vig price is what the odds would be if the bookmaker took no margin.Odds-onAn odds-on selection pays less than even money — below 2.00 in decimals.Opening oddsOpening odds are the first prices posted for an event, before the market has absorbed news and money..Overround(Vig, juice, margin, book percentage)Overround is how much a betting market adds up to above 100%.
Markets & bet types
Accumulator(Acca, parlay, multi)An accumulator combines several selections into one bet.Anytime goalscorerA bet on a named player to score at any point during regulation time.Asian handicapAsian handicap removes the draw by giving one team a virtual head start or deficit, often in quarter-goal increments.Both teams to score(BTTS, GG/NG)A bet on whether both sides find the net.Clean sheetA clean sheet bet backs a team to concede no goals.Correct scoreA bet on the exact final scoreline.Double chanceDouble chance covers two of the three football outcomes in one bet: home or draw, away or draw, or home or away..Draw no bet(DNB)Draw no bet backs a team to win with your stake refunded if the match is drawn.First goalscorer(FGS)A bet on which player scores the opening goal of a match.Handicap betting(Spread betting, line betting)Handicap betting applies a virtual goal, point or run advantage to level an uneven contest.In-play betting(Live betting)In-play betting means wagering after an event has started, with prices updating continuously as the match develops..Match odds(1X2, three-way)Match odds is the core football market: home win, draw or away win over 90 minutes plus stoppage time..MoneylineA moneyline bet is a straight wager on who wins, with no handicap applied.Over/under goals(Totals)A bet on whether total goals in a match finish above or below a set line, most commonly 2.5.Parlay oddsParlay odds are the combined price of a multiple bet, calculated by multiplying the decimal odds of every leg together..Point spread(The spread, the line)The point spread is the margin of victory a favourite must exceed for a bet to win.Push(Void, stake returned)A push occurs when the result lands exactly on the handicap or total, so the stake is returned and no profit or loss is recorded..Quarter line(Split handicap)A quarter line such as -0.25 or +0.75 splits your stake across the two adjacent lines, so one half can win while the other pushes..
Staking & bankroll
Bankroll(Betting bank)Your bankroll is the money set aside exclusively for betting — separate from rent, school fees and savings.Chasing lossesChasing is increasing stakes to recover recent losses.DrawdownDrawdown is the fall from a bankroll peak to its subsequent low, usually quoted as a percentage.Flat staking(Level stakes)Flat staking means risking the same amount on every bet regardless of confidence or price.Kelly criterionThe Kelly criterion sets stake size in proportion to your edge and the odds, maximising long-term bankroll growth.Risk of ruinRisk of ruin is the probability that a bankroll hits zero, or an unusable level, before your edge can express itself.Unit sizeA unit is your standard stake, expressed as a fixed percentage of bankroll.VarianceVariance is the spread of outcomes around your expected result.Yield(ROI on turnover)Yield is profit divided by total amount staked, expressed as a percentage.
Trading & value
Arbitrage(Arbing, surebet)Arbitrage means backing every outcome of an event across different bookmakers at prices that guarantee a profit whatever happens..Betting exchangeA betting exchange matches bettors against each other rather than against a house.Cash outCash out lets you settle a bet before the event finishes, taking a bookmaker-calculated amount instead of the original potential return..Closing line value(CLV)Closing line value measures whether you got a better price than the market did at kick-off.Correlated betsCorrelated bets are selections whose outcomes influence each other.Expected value(EV)Expected value is the average result of a bet if you could repeat it endlessly.HedgingHedging means placing an additional bet on an opposing outcome to lock in profit or limit loss on a position you already hold..Lay betA lay bet is a bet against an outcome.Line movementLine movement is the change in a price between the market opening and closing.Matched bettingMatched betting uses bookmaker free bets and promotions alongside an opposing lay bet, converting bonus value into near-guaranteed cash..Sharp money(Wise guy money)Sharp money is stakes placed by consistently winning bettors and syndicates.Steam moveA steam move is a rapid, widespread price change across multiple bookmakers, driven by large informed money hitting the market at once..Value betA value bet is one where the price on offer is longer than the true chance of the outcome.
Stats & modelling
Expected goals(xG)Expected goals assigns each shot a probability of scoring based on where and how it was taken.FormForm is a team's recent run of results.Home advantageHome advantage is the measurable boost a team gets from playing at its own ground — historically worth around 0.3 to 0.4 goals per match in European football..Poisson distributionThe Poisson distribution models the number of rare, independent events in a fixed period — which is a fair description of goals in a football match..Regression to the meanRegression to the mean is the tendency for extreme performances to be followed by more ordinary ones.Sample sizeSample size is how many observations sit behind a statistic.Strike rate(Hit rate, win rate)Strike rate is the share of your bets that win.
Accounts & operations
Acca insuranceAcca insurance refunds your stake, usually as a free bet, when exactly one leg of a qualifying accumulator loses..Bonus abuseBonus abuse is the operator's term for extracting promotional value in ways the terms did not intend — duplicate accounts, coordinated hedging, or bonus-only play..Free bet(Bonus bet)A free bet is a bookmaker credit staked like a normal bet, but the stake is not returned with winnings.Hold percentage(Win margin, actual hold)Hold percentage is the share of total stakes a bookmaker actually keeps after paying out winners.KYC verification(Know your customer)KYC is the identity check a licensed operator must complete before paying out.Responsible gamblingResponsible gambling means betting within limits you set in advance — money you can afford to lose, time you have decided to spend, and tools that enforce both..Rollover(Wagering requirement, turnover requirement)Rollover is how many times a bonus must be wagered before it can be withdrawn.Stake limit(Account limit, restriction)A stake limit is the maximum an operator will accept from you on a given market.Void bet(Cancelled bet)A void bet is cancelled and the stake returned.
New to betting? Start with the key betting terms guide or try the betting calculators.