Knowledge Base
Glossary
Plain-English definitions for the terminology used across Match Daily.
- Arbitrage
- A betting strategy that exploits differing odds across bookmakers to guarantee a profit regardless of the outcome.
- Asian Handicap
- A spread betting system that eliminates the draw outcome and gives a goal advantage or disadvantage to each team, expressed in fractions or whole numbers.
- Bankroll
- The total amount of money you have set aside for betting.
- Bookmaker
- The company or individual that sets the odds and accepts bets.
- Cash out
- A feature that lets you settle a bet before the event ends, locking in a profit or cutting a loss based on the current score.
- Closing line
- The final odds offered just before a match starts, considered a benchmark for betting value.
- Cover
- When a team wins by more points than the spread, they are said to have covered the spread.
- Fade
- To bet against a popular pick or a team receiving a lot of public support.
- Half-time bet
- A wager placed on the outcome of only the first half of a match, separate from the full-time result.
- Hedge
- Placing a second bet on the opposite outcome of an original wager to reduce potential loss or secure a guaranteed profit.
- In-play betting
- Placing a wager on a match after it has started, with odds that change as the game unfolds.
- Juice
- The commission or fee that a bookmaker takes on a bet, built into the odds.
- Kelly Criterion
- A mathematical formula used to determine the optimal size of a bet relative to your perceived edge.
- Moneyline
- A bet on which team will win the match, with payouts adjusted based on each team's perceived chance of winning.
- Odds
- The number that tells you how much you can win relative to your stake, and how likely a particular outcome is thought to be.
- Over/Under
- A bet on whether the total number of goals, points, or other stats in a match will be higher or lower than a number set by the bookmaker.
- Parlay
- A single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and pays out only if all the selections win.
- Point Spread
- A margin of victory set by the bookmaker to level the playing field between two teams, used for betting.
- Public money
- The portion of bets placed by casual bettors, often used to gauge market sentiment.
- Push
- A tie result in a bet where the stakes are refunded because the outcome exactly matches the line.
- Stake
- The amount of money you risk on a bet.
- Steam
- Rapid line movement caused by heavy betting action, indicating where most of the money is being placed.
- Unit
- A standardized measurement of bet size, usually representing a small percentage of your bankroll.
- Value bet
- A bet where the odds offered are higher than the true probability of the outcome, giving the bettor a theoretical edge.