Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Backdoor Cover - meaningless points scored to cover the spread, by a team that is likely to lose.

Backstretch - the area of the racetrack opposite the finish line. At most tracks, it is the area that crosses in front of the tote board.

Backer - a person or group of persons who provides the bankroll for a particular player but remains behind the scenes.

Bad Beat - a tough, unforeseen loss when an underdog hand surprisingly wins the pot against the odds against seemingly better hands. This term is often used to imply that the winner of the pot had no business being in the pot at all, or to suggest dumb luck played a large part in the win. This term may also be applied to a situation where winning points are scored against a wager in the dying seconds of a game, or the favored horse loses by a nose, after leading all the way.

Bangtails - slang term for horses.

Bank - a gaming establishment or player that acts as the banker during a game or series of games and uses their own money to cover bets. The term also refers to a bankroll.

Banker – A punter's "sure thing", a lock. In permutation bets, the banker is a selection that must win to guarantee returns.

Bankroll - the total available gambling money held by the player.

Basic Strategy - a playing system adopted by a player with the idea of optimizing his edge over the house in the longer term.

Beard - a person who places bets through another player to hide his identity from a sportsbook or odds-maker.

Beef - a dispute or claim involving a player and his bookmaker.

Best Bet - the horse selected by a handicapper to win a race; or a wager in a game representing the highest odds in favor of the player.

Bet - the amount of money a player voluntarily risks on cards, sports or other games. The bet can be in the form of cash, chips or vouchers. Also see, wager.

Bettor - a person who places or has a bet (US). A bettor is also called a player in the US and a punter in the UK.

Bet Spread - the ratio between the maximum and minimum bet size. A player who uses $50 maximum bets and $5 minimum bets is using a 10:1 bet spread.

Betting Limit - the set minimum and/or maximum amount of money that the player can wager on a single bet. The player cannot bet less than the minimum or more than the maximum amount posted.

Blow Back - a loss of gains/profit after enjoying a plus in the winnings column.

Book - a sportsbook or betting establishment that sets odds and accepts wagers on the outcome of sporting events. Also refers to a bookmaker's tally of amounts bet on each event, and the odds necessary to assure him of a profit.

Bookie - a short term for bookmaker, i.e., the person or shop accepting bets.

Bookmaker - a (UK) person who is licensed to accept wagers on the outcome of various gaming events. Such wagers are based on odds provided to the player by the bookmaker. The equivalent term commonly used in the US is sportsbook.

Bottle - slang for odds of two-to-one in the UK.

BR - an abbreviation for bankroll.

Break-Even Point - the point at which a player's bets approximately equal the payoffs received.

Breeder - the individual who is the owner or lessee of a dam at the time of whelping.

Bridge-Jumper - a player in the US who specializes in large Show bets on odds-on favorites.

Broke Money - compensation money sometimes given by a casino to a broke or busted player.

Buck - a bet of $100 in US funds. A buck is also known as a dollar or a one dollar bet.

Buy - to buy points in order to change the point spread or over/under to the player's advantage. Points are purchased on a half-point interval scale. For each half-point purchases, the juice increases by 10 per cent.

Buy Price - the higher figure quoted by an index bookmaker in spread or index betting.

Buy the Rack - to purchase every possible daily-double or other combination ticket.