The online sports betting world is full of acronyms, words, phrases, and lingo that often serves to confuse even the most experienced player. You would think these websites would publish a glossary so that new or bamboozled customers could search for words they were unsure of, but you would think wrong. Thankfully, we are here with a handy guide to some of the most common lingo online sports betting sites use today.

Accumulator

An accumulator, often called a Parlay in the United States, is a combination of four or more single bets that combine into one larger bet that ultimately offers much larger odds and, therefore, potentially much more significant winnings.

The critical element of an accumulator or parlay is that every one of your selections must come true, or the bet does not pay out. Some companies, like the online sports betting giant sportsbook.ag offer your stake back if one leg lets you down. Others award a bonus if you enjoy five or more winning selections. Accumulators are a high-risk, high-reward bet and are extremely popular during horse racing meetings or major soccer competitions and tournaments such as the English Premier League or the FIFA World Cup.

American Odds

American sports betting sites use American odds in their markets. They are displayed as +300 or -300, or any number the bookmaker sees fit. They show how much you would receive per $100 bet or how much you would have to bet to make $100 profit.

For example, betting $100 on a +300 market would yield a $300 profit. In order to win $100 from -300 odds, you would need to wager $300.

Handicapping

Handicapping is prevalent on American sports betting sites, particularly in combat sports or team sports like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. Bookmakers make a sporting contest a more even event by giving one team a theoretical advantage or a head start in the game.

For example, the Buffalo Bills may be facing the New Orleans Saints. The Bills would be definite favorites, so the bookie may handicap this game by giving the Saints a 14-point start, evening the odds. In this scenario, if you backed the Bills to win, they would have to win by 15 points in the real-life game for your bet to pay out.

Over/Under Markets

Over/Under markets are common in almost every sport, but especially team sports. The bookmaker sets the line for how many of a specific event will occur during a game. In soccer, over/under is popular in the goals scored market. The bookie may offer you a price for their being over or under 2.5 goals. Obviously, there cannot be 2.5 goals in a soccer match (the .5 prevents the bet from ending in a tie), so if your bet would win if you backed the under and two or fewer goals were scored, while you bet would win if you backed the over and there were three or more goals scored in the game.

Proposition Bets

Proposition bets are those placed on outcomes that are not directly tied to the result of a game. They include markets linked to the game, such as which player will score first. However, prop bets come into their own during the annual NFL Super Bowl. You can make prop bets on how long it takes for the American national anthem to be sung, to the color of the Gatorade poured over the winning coach at the end of the game!