Accumulator
- A bet involving two or more selections, with all of the selections needing to be successful for you to win the accumulator. The returns from the first selection are invested on the second selection, the returns from which are invested on the third selection, and so on until the bet finishes.
All-weather racing
- This is flat racing which takes place on an artificial surface.
Alphabet
- A bet consisting of 26 bets involving 6 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 2 patents (14 bets), 1 yankee (11 bets), and 1 six-fold (1 bet). Any one winning selection guarantees a return.
Also ran
- If your selection does not finish in the placings, i.e., first, second, third or fourth in a race it is considered to be an "also ran".
Ante Post
- When you place a bet weeks, months or years in advance of the actual event, these bets are called 'ante post'-bets. This sort of bet can be really successful if your bet is increasingly favoured to win during the time between placing the bet and the actual event, but there is also the chance that you can lose your bet if your selection pulls out.
Bar
- Normally used in Horse Racing, it represents what the lowest odds are for the horses that haven't already been mentioned in the betting forecast.
Bet
- To wager money on the prediction of an outcome of an event.
Block
- A block is a full cover bet involving 9, 10, 11 or 12 selections. All possible doubles, trebles and upward are included in a block. Any two winning selections guarantee a return.
Blinkers
- Horses that are easily distracted while racing are normally fitted with blinkers to the side of their head, which prevent them from seeing anything other than the racecourse ahead of them.
Bookmaker
- A licensed company who accept bets on the result of an event based on the odds they provide you with.
Canadian
- A large bet consisting of 26 bets involving 5 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four folds and 1 five fold. At least 2 of your bets must be successful to get a return.
Classic
- This term is used to describe the five major three-year-old races of the flat season: the 1000 Guineas, the 2000 Guineas, the Derby, the Oaks and the St Leger. Of these, fillies can be entered for all five, but colts cannot be entered for the 1000 Guineas or the Oaks.
Colt
- An un-gelded male horse up to four years old.
Correct Score
- Very popular bet in sports such as football where the total number of typical scores is limited.
Dead-heat
- Two or more runners that are considered to have finished the race together, i.e. the judge cannot separate them even after seeing the photo finish print.
Decimal prices
- The price system mainly used for betting in mainland Europe and Asia. Odds are expressed as decimals (rather than fractions) and winnings including your stake. For example, £10 at 1.90 = £10 x 1.90 making a return of £19.00, including your stake.
Dividend
- This is the agreed payout or return on any bet.
Doubles
- An accumulator which involves only two bets. Both selections must be successful for the bet to win, with returns from the first reinvested on the second .
Double Result
- Betting on the result at both half-time and full-time. This is a more exciting bet and offers longer odds than betting on a typical Win, Lose or Draw. Better odds mean more danger and this is a result of more possible outcomes (9 compared to 3).
Drifting
- When the odds on your selected bet get bigger, your selection is said to be "drifting". This is never normally a good sign unless you know something that nobody else does.
Each Way
- These bets are offered in events with large fields, where even the favourites have fairly high odds. Each way bets are two bets, one for the win and one for a high placing with the placing bet being calculated at a fraction of the win odds.
Exposure
- This is the maximum amount of money that a bookmaker can possibly lose on an event.
Favourite
- The most backed entrant, i.e. the one with the shortest price.
First Goalscorer
- This is a bet you can place on a particular player to score the first goal in a game.
Fixed Odds
- Your means that your bet is fixed at those odds regardless of how much the odds change after you've placed your bet.
Flat racing
- Horse racing without fences. In the UK, the season begins in March and runs through to the end of September on turf but runs all year round on all-weather surfaces. Races are run over a minimum distance of five furlongs and a maximum of twenty-two furlongs.
Fold
- This is the number of selections in an accumulator, a Four-Fold Accumulator for example, is 1 bet involving 4 selections in different events. All must be successful for you to win. Winning returns are reinvested on successive selections.
Fractional odds
- These are commonly used for betting in the UK and Ireland. Fractional odds give you your profit excluding your stake, so your stake needs to be added back in to calculate your total return, e.g., £10 @ 6/4 = £15.00 (this is your profit) plus your stake = £25.00 (this is your total return).
Furlong
- The distance in which horse races are measured. One furlong is two hundred and twenty yards or one eighth of a mile.
Goliath
- This is a huge bet consisting of 247 bets involving 8 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four folds, 56 five folds, 28 six folds, 8 seven folds and an accumulator. At least 2 of your bets must be successful to get a return.
Half time Result
- A bet where you attempt to correctly predict the result of a match at half time.
Handicap
- This is a system that is used to even up a one sided event and hence make it more attractive to you from a betting perspective, for example, the weaker team may start with a one goal advantage. Fractional handicaps also exist (0.5, 1.5 etc.), which mean that there's no possibility of a draw.
Hedging
- You hedge your bets by placing a bet on an opposing outcome to your original selection in order to try to guarantee the win or to cut your losses.
Heinz
- another big wager, consisting of 57 bets involving 6 selections in different events. The bet includes 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four folds, 6 five folds and an accumulator. At least 2 of your bets must be successful to get a return.
IBAS
- Independent Arbitration Betting Service. IBAS is an authoritative, totally independent third party offering adjudication for customers who have an unresolved betting dispute with their bookmaker.
In-running betting
- You can place a bet on an event after it has started. This is an exciting form of betting with the odds changing as the action occurs.
Lay
- When a bookmaker accepts a bet. It's also possible for you to lay bets yourself on betting exchanges.
Lucky 15
- A large bet consisting of 15 bets involving 4 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and 1 four fold. If only one selection wins, as a consolation returns are paid to double the odds. If all four selections win, a bonus of 10% is added to total returns. For the bonus to apply, all selections must win.
Lucky 31
- A large bet consisting of 31 bets involving 5 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 5 singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four folds and 1 five fold. If only one selection wins, as a consolation returns are paid to double the odds. If all five selections win, a bonus of 20% is added to total returns. For the bonus to apply, all selections must win.
Lucky 63
- A large bet consisting of 62 bets involving 6 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 6 singles, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four folds, 6 five folds and 1 six fold. If only one selection wins, as a consolation returns are paid to double the odds. If all four selections win, a bonus of 25% is added to total returns. For the bonus to apply, all selections must win.
Mare
- A female horse five or more years old.
Match Betting
- This is the most popular fixed odds betting market and involves a match between two teams, with winning odds available for both, as well as the draw. The bet will either win or lose depending on the prediction of the outcome of the event.
Multiples
- This is another term for Accumulators and involve more than one selection. The odds for a multiple are calculated by multiplying together the separate odds for the single bets. Often, the only limit to the number of selections included within a multiple bet is the bookmaker's maximum allowable payout on one bet.
Nap
- Journalist, tipster or columnist's best bet of the day or meeting.
Novices race
- A hurdle or steeplechase for horses that have not won a hurdle or chase respectively before 1 May of the current season.
Odds
- These are offered by bookmakers and let you know the possible returns on a winning bet.
Odds On
- This refers to odds that are less than evens and suggest that this selection is highly favoured to be successful. The returns you'll get from backing an odds on bet are not very high unless you wager large amounts.
Outsider
- Similar to a underdog and the opposite of a favourite. An outsider is seen as unlikely to win regardless of the market.
Over
- This is a popular football bet that is also known as an over/under bet. For example, you can bet whether there are going to be over or under 2.5 goals in a particular football match. The half goal may look a bit weird but by introducing this, there can't be a draw and you are left with only two possible outcomes.
Patent
- Is a bet consisting of 7 bets involving 3 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is a single on each selection, plus 3 doubles and 1 treble. Just one successful bet will guarantee you a return. If any 1 of your selections wins, 1 of the single bets gives a return. If any 2 selections win, 2 of the single bets and 1 of the doubles give a return. If all 3 selections win, then all 3 singles, all 3 doubles and the treble give a return.
Permutations/perm
- A term used most frequently in football betting meaning "any", e.g. "perm three from five" means trebles in five selections.
Returns
- The amount the customer collects including the original stake. Sometimes customers mistakenly refer to returns as winnings.
Reversed forecast
- A reversed forecast is 2 bets involving 2 selections in the same race to finish 1st and 2nd in either order.
Scoop 6
- Make a selection in all 6 Saturday Scoop 6 races, as nominated by the Tote. Single line and permutation entries are accepted with a minimum stake unit of £2. A win fund dividend is declared for customers who have selected all 6 winning horses. Winning customers are then eligible to register and play for the bonus fund on the following Saturday.
Singles
- This is the simplest of all bets, with one outcome being backed, and you can generally either win or lose.
Special Bets
- These bets include examples such as, the number of corners and bookings a match will have, or the time of the first and the last goal scorer. These are difficult to accurately predict and sometimes requires more luck than judgment.
Spread betting
- A form of betting where returns or losses are calculated in proportion to how right or wrong the punter is, unlike fixed odds where potential winnings and losses are set at the time the bet struck (or at the time the event starts in the case of SP).
Steeplechase
- Steeplechasing is a form of National Hunt racing run over distances of two miles up to four and a half miles. Horses jump fences of varying height and consistency.
Stewards enquiry
- An investigation carried out by the stewards into any suspected infringements of the rules during a race.
Straight forecast
- A straight forecast is 1 bet involving 2 selections in the same race to finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order.
Straight Tricast
- Is a bet where you have to correctly predict the order of the first three greyhounds in a race.
Superfecta
- A pool bet which involves predicting 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in the same race. To be a successful bet, the selections must finish in the exact order predicted. Should a superfecta bet contain a non-runner, the bet will be void.
Super Heinz
- A big bet consisting of 120 bets involving 7 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 four folds, 21 five folds, 7 six folds and an accumulator. At least 2 of your bets must be successful to get a return.
Super Yankee
- A large bet consisting of 26 bets involving 5 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four folds and 1 five fold. At least 2 of your bets must be successful to get a return.
Tic-tac
- The sign language used by bookmakers to communicate at the race course or the dog track.
Tote
- An alternative-betting medium to starting price, which operates on a pool basis.
Totesuper7
- Select the winners of 7 nominated races. A return is paid for picking either 5, 6 or 7 winners. Minimum stake unit is £2.
Trebles
- A Treble consists of 1 bet involving 3 selections in different events. All of your bets must be successful to get a return. Returns from the first are reinvested on the second and then onto the third.
Trifecta
- A pool bet which involves predicting 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the same race. To be a succesful bet, the selections must finish in the exact order predicted. Should a trifecta bet contain a non-runner, the bet will be void.
Trixie
- A Trixie consists of 4 bets involving 3 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 3 doubles and 1 treble. At least 2 of your bets must be successful to get a return. If any 2 of your selections win, 1 of the double bets gives a return. If all 3 of your selections win, all 3 of the doubles, and the treble give a return.
Under
- This is a popular football bet and is sometimes known as an over/under bet. For example, you can bet whether there are going to be over or under 2.5 goals in a particular football match. The half goal may look a bit weird but by introducing this, the possibility of a draw is removed and you are left with only two possible outcomes.
Underdog
- A team or individual that isn't expected to win, similar to the outsider.
Void bet
- A bet which is declared invalid and stakes returned.
Yankee
- A large bet consisting of 11 bets involving 4 selections in different events. The breakdown of the bet is 6 doubles, 4 trebles, and an accumulator. At least 2 of your bets must be successful to get a return. If any 2 of your selections win, 1 of the doubles gives a return. If any 3 selections win, 3 of the double bets and 1 of the trebles give a return. If all 4 selections win, then all 6 doubles, 4 trebles and the four-fold give a return.
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