The Basketball Gambler

Providing tips for the smart money


Handicapping Glossary

  • Bet – This is when you risk money on the outcome of a basketball game
  • Bookmaker - In sports gambling this is the person who accepts the sports bets
  • Cover - This is when the winner also won by the amount stated in the point spread.
  • Dime Line - This is where the fee to bet is 10% of the amount wagered
  • Future Betting - This is when you make a bet on a sporting bet several months or years in the future. You will receive much better odds but it is also much harder to handicap these future events.
  • Handicapping - This is the process of using information and research to make an educated prediction on who will win the event and then comparing it to the point spread to find disparity.
  • Hedging - This is when a gambler makes multiple bets on both teams so they can minimize their losses.
  • Limit - For sports gambling this is the maximum amount of betting allowed before the point spread is changed or the odds are changed
  • Moving the line - A gambler can pay extra money for a more generous line or point spread
  • Nickel line - This is where the fee for sports wagers is only 5%
  • Parlay - This is a more complex bet that requires multiple teams to win in order to receive the payout. Since you are predicting several winners your payout will be much larger.
  • Point spread - This is the amount of points that the predicted winner needs to win by for your wager to payout.
  • Round Robin - This is a combination of several parlay bets
  • Sportsbook- These are the companies that will accept you bets in person or online.
  • Vig - This is the sportsbook commission that they charge to make your bet. If you win this fee is returned but with no earnings on it.