Betting Terms

A middle is two bets on opposite sides of the same game at different lines. If the result falls in the gap, both win; otherwise one wins and one loses, and the margin decides the cost.

Some winning margins come up far more often than others, and in American football 3 and 7 lead the list. This entry explains why, how it shapes the spread and why a half point near those numbers is priced differently.

A straight bet, also called a single, is one selection on one ticket. It wins or loses on its own result, which makes it the simplest wager to price, read and settle. Here is how the numbers work.

Baseball and hockey are low-scoring, so instead of a moving spread they use a fixed 1.5. The favourite must win by two, the underdog covers by winning or losing by one. Here is how the prices work.

PK on a betting board means pick'em, a spread of zero. Neither side gets a head start, so the winner of the game decides the bet. This entry covers ties, prices and the other meaning of pick'em.

A same-game parlay puts several picks from a single match on one ticket. The legs are connected, so the price follows its own rules, and the bookmaker's share tends to grow with each addition.

+3.5 means the underdog starts with a three-and-a-half point head start on the betting slip. Here is when that bet wins, why the half point matters and how to read the price beside it.

A push is the betting world's tie: the result lands exactly on the number, and the stake normally comes back. Here is where pushes come from and how different slips treat them.