When I first started with sports betting, I honestly had no clue about the terms. I thought it was just about picking who wins, and that’s it.
Then I saw people talking about spreads, juice, parlays, and I was like, “what?”
For example:
Moneyline .. this one I understood easily, just betting who wins.
Point Spread .. this confused me at first. I lost a few bets because my team won the game, but didn’t “cover the spread.” That’s when I realized it’s not just about winning, but by how much.
Over/Under .. also called totals, where you bet on the combined score. Took me a while before I got comfortable with this.
Parlay ... I tried this early on thinking it was an easy jackpot, but the risk is crazy. All your bets have to hit, or you get nothing.
Juice/Vig ... didn’t even know this existed when I started. Basically, the house edge that makes sure the book earns no matter what.
Now it makes more sense, but I wish I knew these sooner.
How about you guys? What betting terms confused you at the start? Any tips for newbies on which ones they should master first before placing serious bets?
There are many other sports betting terms that you did not cover such as 3Ways, Asian Handicap, nightingale, etc and each of them represent a way of approaching gambling or an option to bet. You don't have to memorise these terms before you progress in gambling, till date I still find new terms for types of selection I do make without knowing about that they are. For instance, I learnt about FLEX recently which enable you to win if one of your games in the parley fails. There are many things to learn everyday.