Sportsbook Wagering Terms M-R
- March Madness
- The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.
- Margin
- The amount a competitor in an event finishes in front of another competitor.
- Middle
- To bet both sides of a game at different prices, with the hope of winning both wagers
- MLB
- Major League Baseball
- MLS
- Major League Soccer
- MMA
- Mix Martial Arts
- Money line
- odds expressed in terms of money. With money odds, whenever there is a minus (-) you lay that amount to win a hundred dollars, where there is a plus (+) you get that amount for every hundred dollars wagered.
- Multi-Single
- Are multiple single wagers placed at the same time
- MVP
- Most valuable player
- NASCAR
- The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
- NBA
- National Basketball Association
- NCAA
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
- Neutral Site
- Arena, court or field where neither side has a home field advantage.
- Newspaper Line
- A sports line that appears in a daily newspaper
- NFC
- National Football Conference
- NFL
- National Football League
- NHL
- National Hockey League
- Nickel
- Slang for a $500 wager.
- NIT
- National Invitational Tournament
- NL
- National League (MLB)
- NLCS
- National League Championship Series
- No action
- A wager that is cancelled because the event didn't happen or certain conditions of the wager were not met.
- Odds
- The oddsmakers' prediction of the likelihood of a certain outcome of an event
- Oddsmaker
- A person who sets the betting odds and sells them to media outlets without taking action on them
- Off the board
- In sports betting this is a game on which the bookmaker will not accept action.
- Offside
- When action on an event is not balanced and the outcome could lead to a loss for the book.
- Opening Line
- The earliest line posted for a particular event.
- Over
- In sports gambling, the "over" is a sport's bet in which the bettor guesses that the combined point total of both teams will be above a specified total.
- Overlay
- When the odds on a proposition are in favor of the bettor rather than the house
- Overtime (OT)
- Extension to a tied contest at the end of regulation play that lasts until a winner is determined or maximum overtime periods expire.
- Over/Under
- A bet on whether the total points or goals scored by the two teams will be over or under a specified number
- Parlay
- In sports wagering, a bet with two or more teams in which all teams must win or cover for the bettor to win and receive higher payouts.
- Past Post
- Action placed after the start of the event.
- PGA
- Professional Golfers' Association
- Pick 'Em
- An event where there is no favorite.
- Player
- Bettor, punter or gambler
- Point spread
- Also, know as the handicap, it's the number of points or goals allotted to one the underdog or taken from the favorite to even the chances of winning for both sides.
- Postponed
- The cancellation and rescheduling of an event for another date for any reason
- Power Ratings
- The strength of a team in comparison to another team
- Press
- To place a larger wager than usual
- Price
- The moneyline or point spread
- Prop (Proposition) Bet
- A wager on an outcome that is not directly related to the final score. Prop bets are often on statistical totals for players or individual teams as well as on the outcomes of current events such as reality TV or elections.
- Puckline
- Odds of a goal spread instead of using a Canadian Line in hockey, where both a goal spread and money line are played.
- Push
- When the contest ends with no winner or loser for wagering purposes
- Punter
- Bettor, player or gambler
- Quarter Line
- A bet placed on a specific quarter of a basketball or football game.
- Rain out
- A game that is cancelled due to bad weather
- Referee
- A person who has authority to make decisions about play in a sport Officials in some sports are known by a variety of other titles, including umpire, judge or linesman.
- Return
- The total amount you are paid on a winning wager.
- Reverse
- When you place a reverse bet, two 'If' bets are placed for you one in the original order and the other in reverse order.
- Round Robin
- In sports betting this a series of three or more teams in 2-team parlays
- Run down
- In sports gambling this is all the lines for an specific date, sport, time, etc.
- Run line
- Is baseball's version of a point spread.
- Ryder Cup
- A golf tournament involving various match play matches in which every two years the top American and European golfers meet at venues alternating between the two continents. It was first competed for in 1927 and, until 1973, when Ireland was included, involved only the US and Great Britain. In 1979, it was expanded to include Europe.
