The betting dictionary
From acca to Yankee. Every betting word, in plain English.
Betting has its own language, and a lot of it is brilliant. Where else does "the going is soft" decide your Saturday, or a monkey cost £500? This is the whole phrasebook: 166 terms, from bet types and money slang to the racecourse and American betting, with an odds ladder that turns fractions, decimals and American odds into pounds.
Funteron's view is simple: fans should be able to enjoy all of this without needing any of it. The betting it builds into partners' apps is designed to show what a bet costs and what comes back, in money. This page is for the curious, the confused and anyone who has nodded along in the pub.
The basics
The words you hear before anyone has even had a bet.
- Punter
- Someone who has a bet. In everyday British English it can mean any customer.
- Bookmaker, or bookie
- The licensed business that sets the prices and takes the bet.
- Stake
- The amount you bet. In plain English: how much.
- Returns
- Everything that comes back if you win, including your stake. £10 at 2/1 returns £30.
- Profit, or winnings
- Returns minus your stake. £10 at 2/1 wins you £20 profit.
- Odds, or the price
- How much a bet pays, and so how likely the bookmaker thinks it is. Written as fractions, decimals or American odds (see the odds ladder).
- Evens, or levels
- You win the same as you put on. £10 gets back £20. More →
- Odds-on
- A price shorter than evens, such as 1/2. You win less than you put on because it is likely to happen. More →
- Odds-against
- A price longer than evens, such as 3/1. You win more than you put on because it is less likely.
- Favourite, or the jolly
- The runner or team at the shortest price. A joint favourite shares that price with another.
- Outsider, or rag
- A runner at a long price that few expect to win.
- Short and long
- A short price pays little and is likely. A long price pays more and is less likely. A price that shortens is getting more popular.
- Banker
- A pick you are very confident about, often the one you put in every line of a multiple.
- Nap
- A tipster's best bet of the day. From the card game Napoleon.
- Value
- When the price is bigger than the real chance suggests it should be. The thing every punter claims to be chasing.
- Overround, or margin
- The bookmaker's built-in edge. Turn every price in a market into a chance and they add up to more than 100%. The extra is the margin. More →
- Settle
- When a bet is decided and paid out, or marked as lost.
- Void
- A bet that is cancelled and your stake returned, for example if the match is abandoned.
- Cash out
- Settling a bet early for an amount the bookmaker offers, before the event ends. Less than it would pay if it won, more than nothing if it would lose. More →
- In play, or in running
- Betting while the match or race is going on. Prices move with every kick, wicket and fence. More →
- Ante post
- Betting well before the day, often weeks ahead, usually at a bigger price. If your pick does not run, you normally lose your stake. More →
- Each way thief
- A horse that keeps finishing placed and rarely wins. Lovely for each way punters.
Bet types
From one pick to 247 bets on a single slip. The number in brackets is how many separate bets you are paying for.
- Single
- One pick, one bet. The simplest bet there is. More →
- Double
- Two picks in one bet. Both must win, and the return from the first rolls on to the second. More →
- Treble
- Three picks in one bet. All three must win. More →
- Accumulator, or acca
- Four or more picks in one bet. Every pick must win. Small stakes, big returns and the reason for most groans in the pub at 4.50 on a Saturday. More →
- Four-fold, five-fold and so on
- An accumulator with four, five or more picks.
- Each way
- Two bets of the same stake: one to win and one to place. £10 each way costs £20. If it wins, both pay. If it only places, the place part pays at a fraction of the price. More →
- Each way terms
- How the place part pays, such as "a fifth the odds, 1-2-3": a fifth of the win price for finishing first, second or third. More →
- Trixie (4 bets)
- Three picks: three doubles and a treble. Two must win for anything back. More →
- Patent (7 bets)
- Three picks: three singles, three doubles and a treble. One winner gets something back. £20 a bet costs £140. More →
- Yankee (11 bets)
- Four picks: six doubles, four trebles and a four-fold. Two must win for anything back. More →
- Lucky 15 (15 bets)
- Four picks: a Yankee plus four singles. One winner gets something back, and many bookmakers add bonuses. More →
- Canadian, or Super Yankee (26 bets)
- Five picks: every double, treble, four-fold and the five-fold. More →
- Lucky 31 (31 bets)
- Five picks: a Canadian plus five singles.
- Heinz (57 bets)
- Six picks: every double, treble, four-fold, five-fold and the six-fold. Named after the 57 varieties. More →
- Lucky 63 (63 bets)
- Six picks: a Heinz plus six singles.
- Super Heinz (120 bets)
- Seven picks: every combination from doubles up to the seven-fold.
- Goliath (247 bets)
- Eight picks: every combination from doubles up to the eight-fold. £1 a bet costs £247. More →
- Full cover
- Any bet that includes every double, treble and bigger combination of your picks, such as a Yankee or a Heinz. Add the singles for a Lucky 15 or a Lucky 63.
- Round robin (10 bets)
- Three picks: three doubles, a treble and three pairs of "up and down" singles, where a winner pays for a single on the other pick. Rarely seen, often misunderstood.
- Forecast
- Picking the first and second in the right order. A reverse forecast covers both orders (2 bets). More →
- Tricast
- Picking the first, second and third in the right order. A combination tricast covers every order. More →
- Scorecast
- First goalscorer and the correct score in one bet.
- Bet builder, or same game multi
- Several picks from one match combined into one bet and priced together. In the US: a same game parlay. More →
- Placepot
- A Tote bet: pick a horse to be placed in each of the first six races at a meeting. More →
- Jackpot
- A Tote bet: pick the winner of each of six races. Hard to land, which is the point.
- Tote, or pool betting
- Every stake goes into a pool and the winners share it, minus a deduction. You find out what it pays after the race.
Money slang
Mostly from the racecourse and the East End. Useful if you ever need to sound like you have been doing this for years.
- Quid
- One pound.
- Nicker
- One pound. "Twenty nicker" is £20.
- Lady Godiva, or a Lady
- £5. Rhyming slang for fiver.
- Cockle
- £10. From "cock and hen", rhyming slang for ten.
- Ayrton, or Ayrton Senna
- £10. Rhyming slang for tenner.
- Score
- £20.
- Pony
- £25. More →
- Bullseye
- £50.
- Ton, or century
- £100.
- Monkey
- £500. More →
- Grand, or bag of sand
- £1,000.
- Archer
- £2,000. After a famous figure from a 1980s libel case.
Odds slang and tic-tac
Racecourse bookmakers once signalled prices to each other in tic-tac, a sign language of hands, wrists and hats. Some of the names survive.
- Wrist
- 5/4.
- Ear 'ole
- 6/4.
- Shoulder
- 7/4.
- Bottle
- 2/1.
- Top of the head
- 9/4.
- Carpet
- 3/1. Also £300 in money slang.
- Burlington Bertie
- 100/30.
- Rouf
- 4/1. Backslang for four.
- Cockle
- 10/1, as well as £10.
- Double carpet
- 33/1.
- Steamer
- A horse whose price is falling fast because money is pouring on it.
- Drifter
- A horse whose price is getting bigger because nobody wants it.
- Gamble
- A sudden rush of money for one runner, often from people who seem to know something.
- Tissue
- The bookmakers' first guess at the prices before betting opens.
- Morning line
- The American version of the tissue.
Horse racing
Racing has the richest language in betting. Some of it is centuries old, some of it is just how commentators talk.
- The going
- The state of the ground, which can change everything. On turf, from fastest to slowest: hard, firm, good to firm, good, good to soft, soft and heavy. All-weather tracks run from fast to slow, with standard in the middle. More →
- "The going is soft"
- The ground is wet and tiring. Horses that like the mud, the "soft ground specialists", come into their own and speedy types struggle.
- Going stick
- A tool that measures how much give there is in the ground, used alongside the clerk of the course's walk round.
- Flat
- Racing with no obstacles, run over distances from five furlongs to about two and three-quarter miles.
- National Hunt, or jumps
- Racing over obstacles, mostly in winter. Hurdles are smaller and flexible; fences are bigger and fixed.
- Hurdle
- A jumps race over smaller, flexible obstacles.
- Chase, or steeplechase
- A jumps race over bigger, fixed fences, often with an open ditch and a water jump.
- Bumper
- A National Hunt flat race with no jumps, for young horses learning the ropes.
- Maiden
- A horse that has never won, or a race for those horses.
- Novice
- A horse in its first season in a type of racing, such as a novice chaser.
- Handicap
- A race where better horses carry more weight to give everyone a chance. The Grand National is one.
- Official rating
- The number the handicapper gives each horse, which decides how much weight it carries.
- Group 1, 2 and 3
- The top races on the Flat, with Group 1 the best. Jumps races use Grade 1, 2 and 3. Listed races sit just below.
- Claimer and seller
- Lower-level races where the horses can be bought after the race.
- Furlong
- An eighth of a mile, 220 yards. A five-furlong race is a sprint; two miles is a test of stamina.
- Length
- The length of a horse, used to measure winning distances. Smaller margins are a neck, a head, a short head and a nose.
- Distance
- A winning margin of more than 30 lengths. Not a typo.
- Dead heat
- Two horses finish exactly level. Winning bets are paid at half the stake at full odds. More →
- Photo finish
- Too close to call by eye, so the judge looks at the photo.
- Stewards' enquiry
- The officials are checking whether the result should stand. Do not tear up your slip yet.
- Weighed in
- The result is official and bets are settled.
- Under starter's orders
- The horses are lined up and ready. Betting on the race is about to close.
- The off
- The moment the race starts. "They're off!"
- Stalls and the draw
- Flat races start from stalls. The draw is which stall each horse starts from, which matters on some tracks.
- Starting price, or SP
- The price when the race starts. If you did not take an earlier price, you are paid at the SP. More →
- Early price
- A price taken before the off, which can be bigger or smaller than the SP.
- Best odds guaranteed, or BOG
- If the SP is bigger than the price you took, you are paid at the SP. More →
- Non-runner
- A horse taken out of the race. Bets on it placed on the day are void and the stake comes back. Ante post bets normally lose.
- Non-runner no bet, or NRNB
- If your horse does not run, your stake comes back, even on an ante post bet. More →
- Rule 4
- When a horse is taken out late, winnings on the others are cut by a set amount, such as 15p in every pound won, because the race got easier. More →
- Form figures
- The numbers next to a horse's name showing recent finishing positions, most recent on the right. 1 to 9 is the position and 0 means tenth or worse.
- Form letters
- F fell, U unseated rider, P pulled up, R refused, B brought down. A dash separates seasons.
- C, D and CD
- Has won at this course (C), over this distance (D) or over this course and distance in the same race (CD).
- BF
- Beaten favourite last time out.
- Headgear
- Equipment to help a horse concentrate or race comfortably: blinkers (b), visor (v), cheekpieces (p), hood (h) and tongue tie (t). First-time headgear is worth noticing.
- Claiming jockey
- An apprentice who "claims" a weight allowance, such as 3lb, 5lb or 7lb, because they are less experienced.
- Made all
- Led from start to finish.
- Held up
- Kept towards the back to save energy for a late run.
- On the bridle
- Travelling easily with plenty left. The opposite is "under pressure" or "being niggled".
- Stayed on
- Kept going strongly at the end, often a sign it wants a longer trip.
- Trip
- The race distance. "Steps up in trip" means it is racing further.
- Dark horse
- A horse with little known form that could surprise everyone.
- Pulled up
- The jockey stopped the horse during the race, usually because it was tired or not right.
Football
Where most of the abbreviations live.
- 1X2
- Who will win the match: the home team (1), a draw (X) or the away team (2).
- Full time result
- The same as 1X2, settled after 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties do not count unless the market says so.
- Double chance
- You win if either of two results happens, such as home win or draw. More →
- Draw no bet
- Your stake comes back if the match is a draw. More →
- BTTS
- Both teams to score. More →
- Over and under
- Whether the match has more or fewer goals than a line, such as over 2.5: three goals or more wins. More →
- Correct score
- The exact final score. Hard to get, which is why it pays well.
- Half time/full time
- Picking the result at half time and at full time in one bet.
- First goalscorer and anytime goalscorer
- First goalscorer wins if your player scores the opening goal. Anytime goalscorer wins if they score at any point. Own goals do not count.
- Wincast
- A goalscorer and the match result in one bet.
- Handicap
- One team starts a goal behind, such as minus 1, so it must win by two or more for the bet to win.
- Asian handicap
- A handicap with half and quarter goals so the draw is taken out. A quarter line splits your stake across two bets. More →
- Clean sheet and to nil
- A team that does not concede. "To win to nil" means win without conceding.
- Cards and corners
- Bets on the number of bookings or corners. Booking points count 10 for a yellow and 25 for a red.
- Acca insurance
- An offer that refunds your stake, usually as a free bet, if one leg of your acca lets you down.
American betting
Crossing the Atlantic? Here is your phrasebook.
- Sportsbook
- The American word for a bookmaker.
- Moneyline
- Who will win the game, priced in American odds. More →
- American odds
- A plus shows what you win on a $100 bet. A minus shows what you need to bet to win $100.
- Point spread
- A handicap in points. The favourite must win by more than the spread to "cover". More →
- Total
- Over or under a number of points.
- Parlay
- The American word for a multiple: two or more picks in one bet, all of which must win. More →
- Same game parlay
- A bet builder.
- Prop
- A bet on something within a game, such as a player's points, rather than the result.
- Futures
- Ante post bets, such as who will win the Super Bowl.
- Juice, or vig
- The bookmaker's margin. Standard is a $110 bet to win $100.
- Push
- A tie with the line. Your stake comes back.
- Chalk
- The favourite. "Chalk won" means the favourite did.
- Underdog, or dog
- The team expected to lose.
- Handle
- The total amount bet. A word you hear in results announcements.
- Sharp and square
- A sharp is a professional, winning bettor. A square is everybody else.
- Bad beat
- A bet that loses at the last moment. Every punter has a story.
Offers and small print
The small print most people never read. Worth a minute.
- Free bet
- A bet you place with the bookmaker's money rather than your own. More →
- Stake not returned
- When a free bet wins, you keep the winnings but not the free bet amount. A £10 free bet at 3/1 pays £30, not £40.
- Qualifying bet
- The bet you must place to unlock an offer.
- Minimum odds
- The shortest price a qualifying bet can be, such as evens or bigger.
- Wagering requirements
- How many times you must bet a bonus before you can withdraw it.
- Price boost, or enhanced odds
- A bigger price than normal on a selection, usually with a maximum stake.
- Extra places
- An offer that pays each way bets on more places than usual.
- Money back as a free bet
- If a set thing happens, such as your horse finishing second, your stake comes back as a free bet.
- Maximum payout
- The most a bookmaker will pay on one bet or one day, whatever the odds say.
- Terms and conditions apply
- They do. Read them.
Exchanges
Where punters bet against each other and the exchange takes a commission.
- Back
- Bet on something to happen. The normal way to bet.
- Lay
- Bet on something not to happen. You are acting as the bookmaker.
- Liability
- What a layer stands to lose if the selection wins.
- Commission
- The percentage the exchange takes from winnings.
- Matched and unmatched
- Matched bets have found someone on the other side. Unmatched bets are still waiting.
- Trading
- Backing and laying the same selection at different prices to lock in a profit, or limit a loss, whatever happens.
Nothing found. Try a shorter word, or ask in the FAQ.
The odds ladder
One price, three ways of writing it, one answer in pounds.
Bookmakers use a fixed set of standard prices, known as the ladder. Here are the most common, from 1/10 to 100/1, in fractions, decimals and American odds, with the chance each price implies and what your stake gets back if it wins.
£
Odds-on
Evens
Odds-against
| Fractional | Decimal | American | Implied chance | £10 gets back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/10 | 1.10 | -1000 | 90.9% | |
| 1/8 | 1.13 | -800 | 88.9% | |
| 1/7 | 1.14 | -700 | 87.5% | |
| 1/6 | 1.17 | -600 | 85.7% | |
| 1/5 | 1.20 | -500 | 83.3% | |
| 2/9 | 1.22 | -450 | 81.8% | |
| 1/4 | 1.25 | -400 | 80.0% | |
| 2/7 | 1.29 | -350 | 77.8% | |
| 1/3 | 1.33 | -300 | 75.0% | |
| 4/11 | 1.36 | -275 | 73.3% | |
| 2/5 | 1.40 | -250 | 71.4% | |
| 4/9 | 1.44 | -225 | 69.2% | |
| 1/2 | 1.50 | -200 | 66.7% | |
| 8/15 | 1.53 | -188 | 65.2% | |
| 4/7 | 1.57 | -175 | 63.6% | |
| 8/13 | 1.62 | -163 | 61.9% | |
| 4/6 | 1.67 | -150 | 60.0% | |
| 8/11 | 1.73 | -138 | 57.9% | |
| 4/5 | 1.80 | -125 | 55.6% | |
| 5/6 | 1.83 | -120 | 54.5% | |
| 10/11 | 1.91 | -110 | 52.4% | |
| Evens | 2.00 | +100 | 50.0% | |
| 11/10 | 2.10 | +110 | 47.6% | |
| 6/5 | 2.20 | +120 | 45.5% | |
| 5/4 wrist | 2.25 | +125 | 44.4% | |
| 11/8 | 2.38 | +138 | 42.1% | |
| 6/4 ear 'ole | 2.50 | +150 | 40.0% | |
| 13/8 | 2.63 | +163 | 38.1% | |
| 7/4 shoulder | 2.75 | +175 | 36.4% | |
| 15/8 | 2.88 | +188 | 34.8% | |
| 2/1 bottle | 3.00 | +200 | 33.3% | |
| 9/4 top of the head | 3.25 | +225 | 30.8% | |
| 5/2 | 3.50 | +250 | 28.6% | |
| 11/4 | 3.75 | +275 | 26.7% | |
| 3/1 carpet | 4.00 | +300 | 25.0% | |
| 10/3 (100/30) Burlington Bertie | 4.33 | +333 | 23.1% | |
| 7/2 | 4.50 | +350 | 22.2% | |
| 4/1 rouf | 5.00 | +400 | 20.0% | |
| 9/2 | 5.50 | +450 | 18.2% | |
| 5/1 | 6.00 | +500 | 16.7% | |
| 11/2 | 6.50 | +550 | 15.4% | |
| 6/1 | 7.00 | +600 | 14.3% | |
| 13/2 | 7.50 | +650 | 13.3% | |
| 7/1 | 8.00 | +700 | 12.5% | |
| 15/2 | 8.50 | +750 | 11.8% | |
| 8/1 | 9.00 | +800 | 11.1% | |
| 17/2 | 9.50 | +850 | 10.5% | |
| 9/1 | 10.00 | +900 | 10.0% | |
| 10/1 cockle | 11.00 | +1000 | 9.1% | |
| 11/1 | 12.00 | +1100 | 8.3% | |
| 12/1 | 13.00 | +1200 | 7.7% | |
| 14/1 | 15.00 | +1400 | 6.7% | |
| 16/1 | 17.00 | +1600 | 5.9% | |
| 20/1 | 21.00 | +2000 | 4.8% | |
| 25/1 | 26.00 | +2500 | 3.8% | |
| 33/1 double carpet | 34.00 | +3300 | 2.9% | |
| 40/1 | 41.00 | +4000 | 2.4% | |
| 50/1 | 51.00 | +5000 | 2.0% | |
| 66/1 | 67.00 | +6600 | 1.5% | |
| 100/1 | 101.00 | +10000 | 1.0% |
Fractional to decimal
Divide the top by the bottom, then add 1. 5/2 is 2.5, plus 1, so 3.50.
Decimal to American
At 2.00 or more: subtract 1 and multiply by 100, so 3.50 is +250. Under 2.00: divide 100 by the decimal minus 1 and add a minus sign, so 1.50 is -200.
Any price to a chance
Divide 100 by the decimal. 3.50 is about 29%. The bookmaker's margin is built in, so the chances in a market add up to more than 100%.
Convert any price with the odds converter
Some decimals are rounded, and bookmakers can round them slightly differently. Returns include your stake. Examples are illustrations, not live prices. 18+. Please gamble responsibly.
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