What Does Action Mean In Sports Betting and Wagering?
In the world of sports betting the word action has a couple of different meanings - related, but different.
The first use of action is to describe a wager of any kind. If you have action on a game then you have bet on it in some way. It could be that you have bet a side or a total, or you could have a prop bet or some other form of exotic bet that involves the game in some way. It just means that you a particular interest in how the game turns out. You could call someone an action junkie if they seem incapable of watching or enjoying a game without some action of some sort on it. You can also use action in this sense from the perspective of the sportsbooks. You can say that action on the game has been heavy, or that action is heavily tilted towards one team.
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The other usage of action that is common involves baseball betting. Starting pitchers are obviously crucially important when handicapping baseball. When betting sides in baseball you have two options. Listed pitchers means that your bet is only valid if the two pitchers that are scheduled to start the game actually do so. If one is injured or otherwise unable to start then the bet is void and your money is returned in full. The other way to bet is an action bet. In this case you are making a bet on the teams and not the pitchers, so if one or both pitchers is a late scratch you will still have a bet on the game, and the odds are still the same as they were when you placed the bet.
For instance, consider a game between the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels with the pitching matchup of Justin Verlander vs. Jered Weaver. You have bet on the Tigers. Let’s say that Verlander is a late scratch - he has to take Kate Upton to a fashion show. If you had bet listed pitchers then your bet is void, even if you are fine with the pitcher named to replace Verlander and would be willing to bet on him at the same price. If you have made an action bet, though, then you would still be backing Detroit regardless of who is pitching.
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