Docs Website

50 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

What Does it mean? Doc's Sports How-To Sports Betting Library

Be sure to read our Sports Betting Terms Explained.

nickel


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

It today's world, the English language has taken a back seat to slang. Whether it be on social media, instant messaging platforms, through text or email, every body is using some sort of slang which saves them the slightest bit of time and makes them sound like a goof. In sports betting, it is no different. There is a short form for pretty much anything you can think of including the currency used to place a bet.

sportsbook layout


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

When it comes to the betting industry and the lines set by linemakers, the early birds really do get the worm. The opening line is the purest line you will find which makes the "closing line" the end result of the betting action. Typically, the closing line has no real impact on a sportsbook, since very few bettors will actually be able to bet into that line.

wise guy


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

Without getting to philosophical or anything, the world will always have leaders and followers. It's just human nature. Some people are born to go against the grain and question the status quo while most are content with just floating downstream to avoid rocking the boat. In the sports betting industry, it is no different. The leaders are the ones making smart bets and getting the sportsbooks to react to their action, while the followers are usually mixed in with the general betting public and stuck betting on favorites with terrible lines and odds. In the sports betting industry, we call the aforementioned leaders "wise guys" and we call the followers squares.

Garrett Gomez riding Lookin At Lucky


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

To understand an exacta wheel we need to start with a refresher on what an exacta is. It is one of the simplest kinds of exotic bets available in horse racing - only the quinella is simpler. What you have to do is pick the horses that are going to finish first and second in a race, and pick them in the correct order. An exacta can also be known as an exactor, perfecta or forecast bet.

Calvin Borel aboard Rachel Alexandra in the 2009 Preakness.


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

An exacta is one of the simplest of the exotic bets available at the horse races. It is a bet in which you have to correctly pick the top two finishers in a race, and correctly pick the order in which they can finish. The only exotic bet that is simpler is the quinella - when you pick the top two horses but don't have to worry about the order. Though exacta is the most common name for this type of bet, it can also be known depending upon where you are as the exactor, perfecta, or even as a forecast bet. All different names for the same thing.

two one dollar bills


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

We live in a society where greed and the desire to make as much money as possible is the new norm. In the sports betting industry, it is no different. Bettors are very rarely satisfied with a modest 1-0 or 2-0 day, while profiting a small amount. Instead, we have terms like "double bet" where bettors decide to risk more than they normal would on a single bet and try to increase the bankroll with one big payout. If they are successful in doing so, great. If not, the bankroll suffers a major hit and it'll be much harder to make up the lost money. This is why bettors should tread carefully when thinking about making a "double bet".

Dollar Sign


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

If you've ever been to a store during one of their huge "sales" you are often times looking to buy products at a discounted price. Buying at a discounted price not only saves you money, but it gives buyers a chance to feel like they got plenty of value for the money they spent. The same can be said in the sports betting world. Value is one of those things that bettors chase and live for. If they see value in a certain play, they are absolutely going to play it. If not, they may wait until another opportunity with the same value presents itself - much like waiting for something to go on sale again at a different store.

steam


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

In sports betting, blindly tailing a sharp or betting syndicate may seem like a great idea since they are perceived to "know what they are doing." However, doing so is usually a solid way to drain your bankroll since you do not have key pieces of information as to why they are doing it. A "steam move" is something sharps and betting syndicates use for a number of reasons, including profit and to create a new line to bet into. As a new bettor, you never wanted to be fooled by a false "steam move" and find yourself on the wrong side of a game.

Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers.


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

Have you ever found yourself stuck in the middle of two bickering friends, both of whom have a completely different side of story? If you have, I'm sorry, but the right or wrong, fact or fiction details of the problem is usually a grey area and it's up to you to figure out who to believe. In sports betting, there are two sides to every game and it's very easy to determine who the favorite and underdogs is. Generally speaking, favorites and underdogs are separated by a few things like the rosters, current form or home/road splits. In some cases, underdogs can reach "longshot" status over a number of different things.

tug of war


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

When you hear someone use the term "push" they are referring to the result of game or event that ends right on the listed point spread or finishes in a draw. Pushes are the most common in sports that use the point spread like basketball and football. However, a push can also happen when betting on certain run lines in baseball or spreads in soccer.

Stephen Curry of Davidson.


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

In today's world, convenience is king. Being able to do something without having to exert any extra time or energy is how most millennials live their life. However, being a successful handicapper is far from convenient. The amount of time and energy all great handicappers put can't be measured because it never stops. They are always looking for their next move and always looking for the right opportunity to maximize their profit. The "single action" betting option offers some semblance of convenience. This is a great bet if you know you are going to be away from the sportsbook or computer for a time period and can't get your bets in.

sportsbook layout


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

The sports betting term "sportsbook" refers to a company, or even just a single person, who accepts bets on sports. They will take your bets and pay you if you win. They take a commission on winning bets. More formally, sportsbooks can be known as race and sports books. In Europe and elsewhere they are known as bookmakers, which can be shortened to bookies. In North America we'll frequently refer to sportsbooks as just books.

square man


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

In order to become one of the heavy hitters in the sports betting industry, you must start out at the bottom and work your way up, earning respect and tailoring your betting methods along the way. Once you become established and can prove a solid winning percentage to your peers, you can shake the moniker of being called a "square" and graduate to a "sharp." However, this switch doesn't come easy. Everyone thinks they can be the next best gambler, but in reality they are all just "squares" betting high-priced favorites and playing four or five-team parlays.

Edinson Volquez gets the start for the Reds tonight against St. Louis.


by Doc's Sports - 10/11/2014

There is absolutely nothing worse in this world than getting less than you deserve. That holds true not only in every day life, but in the sports betting industry as well. Every time a bettor places a bet at sportsbook or online, they have no choice but to accept the odds offered to them. Most times, sportsbooks offer up odds that are much lower than what should be offered. This not only effects the potential payout, but could affect the bankroll, as a bettor may be inclined to bet more in order to win more money. This is why knowing how to find 'true odds' is so important. It helps bettors to understand the difference between odds that have value and odds that don't.

plus sign


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

At the start of each betting week or day the sportsbooks list the games they are taking action on - the rundown. Sometimes games that are being played aren't listed, and there are lines available - you can't bet on them. If there is enough public demand for action on that game, though, the books may choose to list odds for the game and start taking bets on it. That is an added game.

yankees hat


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

Those crazy Brits - they do love to bet on sports. The Super Yankee is a crazy type of mega-bet involving multiple games that British bookmakers will take. It can be found in some spots online as well. Word is that is has its name because an American soldier once made the bet and won handsomely. It can also be referred to as a Canadian.

empty pockets


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

If you hear someone being described as a "stiff" when relating to sports betting it refers to an individual who does not pay his debt or the money he owes from lost wagers. This scenario likely describes a scenario between a bettor and his old-school bookie, as those are the only relationships in the sports betting world that don't require cash up front. You've seen this one TV a million times if you haven't experienced it first hand - and it always seems to wind up with broken legs for someone.

Kentucky Derby contenders will Run for the Roses.


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

A "reverse" is a little used term in horse racing. To understand it we first need to know what an exacta is. The second most simple of the exotic bets in horse racing, the exacta is a bet in which you have to pick the top two finishers in a race and pick them in the correct order. You could, for example, bet that horse #4 is going to win, and #6 is going to finish second. If that happens then you have a winning bet, and a payoff that is typically quite a bit higher than a win bet. If one or both of the horses in the winning combination are longshots then exacta payoffs can be quite large.

parlay card


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

A progressive parlay operates much like a standard pointspread parlay, but with a twist - they are harder to lose. In a progressive parlay bettors choose between four and 12 teams. Like a standard parlay, bettors win and get a sizable return if they select all of the games correctly. Where these bets differ is that bettors also get a payout - albeit a much smaller one - if only most of their picks are correct. Typically, in 4-, 5- or 6-team progressive parlays you get paid with one wrong, while you can make two mistakes in 7-,8- or 9-team parlays and three with 10, 11 or 12 teams.

basketball hottie


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

A basketball pleaser is something that sounds dirty, but really isn't. It's basically the opposite of a teaser, which, come to think of it, also sounds dirty. Like a teaser or a parlay, a pleaser is a multi-game bet in which you have to win every game in order to make money. In a parlay you bet the pointspread as it is posted. In a teaser you make the pointspread more favorable for you, but get a much lower return as a result. In a pleaser you are moving the pointspread so that it is more favorable for the sportsbooks, but in return for making the win harder for you, you enjoy a significantly higher potential profit. More risk, more reward.

Crooked Line


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

Generally speaking, when betting on sports, we are all at the mercy of the sportsbooks. Whatever lines or prices they put out, we must abide by them and decide if they are worth betting or not. Fortunately for bettors, there is a way around this and it comes in the form of "alternative lines." This option allows us to find a line we would like to bet and bet it. Easy, right? The setback to this is that the lines we choose typically come with very high odds, thus draining the bet of any real value.

crystal ball


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

In the sports betting industry, anyone can claim they are the "best" handicapper in the world. Unfortunately, majority of people making these claims casual bettors that work a 9-5 job and have no time to dedicate to handicapping games. They spend more time ripping up tickets more than they do cashing them. If you fall into that category, I recommend seeking the help of a professional bettor AKA "tout."

graph


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

Much like in baseball where the traditionalists complain that the new wave of players are taking over and disrespecting the game, sports betting is slowly becoming geared to the younger generation of players. The demand for quick results and instant gratification have taken the sportsbooks by storm and sportsbook have replied by offering up more and more obscure bets. However, one of the simplest form of betting has remained the same and that is betting on the "over/under" for a particular game or event.

tug of war


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

I'm sure all you all know what a tie is in sports - when two teams or individuals finish a game with the same number of points, and there is no winner. Mercifully, it is pretty tough for ties to happen in most sports. In basketball and baseball they just keep playing until there is a winner. Hockey uses a shootout to end ties in the regular season, and plays until it's over in the playoffs. Football can have ties - at least in the NFL - but new overtime rules make it tougher all the time for one to actually happen. Only soccer consistently delivers ties - a contributing reason why it isn't as popular here as other sports.

Dollar Sign


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

With a betting system you are using a series of rules or criteria to replace subjective decisions to guide your betting. Using trends from past results of games or events, you attempt to find the most logical ways to wager similar future games. Essentially, you are looking for situations where, consistently over time, after x has happened, y has tended to happen. Then, when you next see x happen you can bet on y. To find these systems, if you chose to develop them yourself instead of getting them from others, you would use some form of data mining. There are countless types of betting systems.

lolipop


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

A "sucker bet" in sports betting refers to a wager considered to be unwise because the bookmaker has an overwhelming advantage. Let's call it like it is - you have to be an idiot to make these bets consistently, and you will feel like an idiot when you realize just how bad the bet was. Basically, these are bets that, over the long term, cost significantly more than they have any chance of making.

sportsbook


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

Every serious bettor already knows that parlays are the highest risk bet you can make. With every team added to the parlay card, the probability of cashing that parlay ticket decreases exponentially. The worst thing about making a parlay bet is missing a massive payout by going three-for-four. Fortunately for bettors, there is a way to ensure that you can make some money while losing by a single team playing parlays.

nfl pointspreads


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

The term "against the spread", commonly referred to as ATS, is one of the more commonly used sports betting terms. To bet against the spread is simply to bet on a pointspread. Most commonly, you will talk of your record against the spread, which means the number of games you have bet in which the team you bet on covered the spread compared to the games in which the team did not cover.

calculator


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

Arbitrage is a concept that comes from the financial world. It means to look for price differences in two or more markets such that making deals in both markets at the same time guarantees a profit regardless of what happens next. Arbitrage in the sports betting world is a very powerful concept - the only way that you can be sure of making a profit while betting on sports. Arbitrage bets will also be known as arbs, or as surewins or surebets.

Wilson Football.


by Doc's Sports - 10/10/2014

The term "ATS" is an acronym for against the spread. ATS is one of the most commonly used non-words in sports betting. If you are betting ATS then you are making a bet involving a pointspread - as opposed to a moneyline bet, a totals bet, a proposition bet, or another type of exotic bet. You can bet ATS in football or basketball, and that is the most common way to bet. ATS betting is not typically available on baseball or hockey. You can also use ATS in regards to your record in bets against the spread.

<< Prev | 1 2 3 4 5 ... 6 | Next >>

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers