Sports Betting Glossary
A guide to sports betting terminology and how it relates to the SportsGameOdds API.
Alternate Lines (Alt Lines)
Non-standard point spreads or totals offered at different prices. In the API, alternate lines appear as multiple entries for the same market with different line values.
American Odds
Standard US format using positive/negative numbers. Negative odds (e.g., -110) indicate how much to risk to win $100. Positive odds (e.g., +150) indicate how much you win on a $100 bet.
API Key
A unique authentication token required to access the SportsGameOdds API. Passed via the x-api-key header in all API requests.
Arbitrage (Arb)
Placing bets on all possible outcomes of an event at different bookmakers to guarantee profit by exploiting odds discrepancies. See our Arbitrage Calculator recipe.
ATS
Against the Spread - betting on a team to cover the point spread.
Bad Beat
Losing a bet in an unlikely or devastating way after appearing to have won, such as a last-second score changing the cover.
betTypeID
Identifier for the type of bet: ml (moneyline), sp (spread), ou (over/under), yn (yes/no), eo (even/odd), or prop (proposition). Part of the oddID format. See Bet Types.
Book Odds
Consensus odds across all bookmakers including juice. Fields include bookOdds, bookSpread, and bookOverUnder. Represents the average market price with vig included.
Bookmaker ID
Unique identifier for each sportsbook in the API (e.g., draftkings, fanduel, betmgm). See Bookmakers reference.
BTTS
Both Teams To Score - a soccer bet on whether both teams will score in the match.
Buying Points
Paying additional juice to move the spread or total in your favor. For example, buying a half-point to move from -3 to -2.5. Not commonly available in API data.
Closing Line
The final odds before an event starts. The closing line reflects all available information and is considered the most efficient, accurate price. In the API, closing lines are available via the closing field.
CLV
Closing Line Value - the difference between the odds you received and the closing line. Consistently beating the closing line indicates sharp betting.
Consensus Line
The average or median odds across all bookmakers, useful for identifying the fair market price and spotting outlier opportunities. See our Consensus Odds guide.
Cover
When a team beats the point spread. For example, if the Lakers are -5.5 and win by 6 or more points, they “covered” the spread.
Cursor
A pagination token used to fetch the next batch of results from the API. Provided in the nextCursor field of responses. See Data Batches guide.
Decimal Odds
Common in Europe and Australia. Represents total payout per $1 wagered, including your original stake. Example: 1.91 means a $1 bet returns $1.91 total ($0.91 profit).
DNB
Draw No Bet - a soccer bet where your stake is refunded if the match ends in a draw.
EV
Expected Value - the average amount you can expect to win or lose per bet over the long term, based on probability and payout.
Fair Odds
Consensus odds with the juice (vig) removed, representing a more accurate probability. Fields include fairOdds, fairSpread, and fairOverUnder. See Consensus Odds guide.
Favorite
The team expected to win, indicated by negative odds in American format (e.g., -150).
Fractional Odds
Traditional UK format showing profit relative to stake. Example: 10/11 means you win $10 profit for every $11 wagered.
Futures
Long-term bets on season outcomes like championship winners, MVP awards, or team win totals.
Handle
The total amount of money wagered on an event or market.
Hedge
Placing a bet on the opposite side of an existing bet to guarantee profit or reduce potential losses. Commonly used when the first bet is in a favorable position.
Hook
A half-point in the spread or total (e.g., the .5 in -7.5). Prevents pushes by ensuring one side always wins.
Implied Probability
The probability of an outcome implied by the odds, calculated as (1 / decimalOdds) * 100. The sum of both sides’ implied probabilities exceeds 100% due to the vig (bookmaker’s commission).
Juice / Vig (Vigorish)
The bookmaker’s commission built into the odds. For example, when both sides are -110, the combined implied probability is ~104.76%, with the extra ~4.76% being the juice.
League ID
Unique identifier for each league or competition in the API (e.g., nba, nfl, epl). See Leagues reference.
Line Movement
Changes to odds or point spreads over time. Line movement is driven by sharp money, public betting patterns, injury news, weather conditions, and other market factors.
Live Betting (In-Play)
Bets placed after an event has started, with odds updating in real-time as the game progresses. Use live=true in event queries to filter for live events.
Middle
Betting both sides of an event at different lines, creating a scenario where both bets win if the result lands between the two lines. For example, betting Team A -3 and Team B +7.
ML
Moneyline - a straight up bet on which team wins.
Moneyline
A straight up bet on which team wins the game outright. Negative odds indicate the favorite (amount you risk to win $100), positive odds indicate the underdog (amount you win on a $100 bet). In the API, moneylines use betTypeID: "ml".
O/U
Over/Under - betting on whether the total score will be over or under a set number.
Object
The API’s main pricing unit. An object is a single item returned in an API response. This can be an event (game), a league, a team, a player, etc. A single API query might return multiple objects, so if a query returned 10 events, then it would cost 10 objects. It’s worth noting that we don’t charge per odds market or bookmaker value returned, we only charge per object returned. This makes the SportsGameOdds API 60-80% cheaper than other APIs.
oddID
Unique identifier for each odd in the API, formatted as {statID}-{statEntityID}-{periodID}-{betTypeID}-{sideID}-{bookmakerID}. See our Odds guide.
Opening Line
The first odds posted by a bookmaker for an event. In the API, opening lines are available via the opening field within byBookmaker.
Parlay
A single bet combining multiple selections where all must win for the bet to pay out. Odds multiply together for higher risk and higher reward.
Period ID
Identifier for the time period of a bet in the API: game for full game, h1 for first half, q1 for first quarter, reg for regulation only, etc. See Periods reference.
PL
Puck Line - hockey’s version of the point spread, typically set at ±1.5 goals.
Positive EV (Expected Value)
A bet with a positive expected return, meaning it’s mathematically profitable.
Props (Proposition Bets)
Bets on specific events or player performances within a game, such as “LeBron James Over 28.5 Points” or “First Team to Score.” In the API, props typically use betTypeID: "ou", "yn", or "prop".
Public Money
Bets from recreational bettors. Public money tends to favor favorites and overs, often following popular teams and narratives.
Push
When the result lands exactly on the line and the bet is refunded with no win or loss. Half-point lines (e.g., -5.5) prevent pushes.
RL
Run Line - baseball’s version of the point spread, typically set at ±1.5 runs.
ROI
Return on Investment - the percentage return on your betting bankroll over time.
SGP
Same Game Parlay - a parlay that combines multiple bets from the same game, such as a team to win plus a player prop.
Sharp Money
Bets placed by professional, well-informed bettors. Sharp action often causes significant line movement as bookmakers respect and adjust to these bets.
sideID
Identifier for which side of a bet: home, away, over, under, yes, no, draw, etc. Part of the oddID format. See Bet Types.
Spread (Point Spread)
A handicap applied to the favorite to level the playing field. If Lakers are -5.5, they must win by 6+ points to cover the spread. In the API, spreads use betTypeID: "sp".
Stat Entity ID
Identifies who the stat applies to: home (home team), away (away team), all (both teams combined), or a specific playerID. Part of the oddID format. See Stat Entity reference.
Stat ID
Identifier for the statistic being bet on in the API (e.g., points, rebounds, assists, touchdowns). See Stats reference.
Steam Move
Sudden, significant line movement across multiple bookmakers simultaneously. Steam moves typically indicate sharp money or important new information entering the market.
Total (Over/Under)
A bet on whether the combined score of both teams will be over or under a specified number. In the API, totals use betTypeID: "ou" with sideID: "over" or "under".
Underdog
The team expected to lose, indicated by positive odds in American format (e.g., +150).