Knowledge Base
Glossary
Plain-English definitions for the terminology used across Fan Strategy.
- Arbitrage
- Arbitrage is the practice of betting on all possible outcomes of an event to guarantee a profit regardless of the result.
- Back
- To back a bet is to wager for an outcome, expecting it to happen.
- Banker
- A banker is a selection expected to win easily, often used to anchor larger multi‑bets.
- Bankroll
- Your bankroll is the total amount of money you have set aside for betting.
- Bet Builder
- Bet Builder is a tool that lets you combine different markets from the same match into one custom wager.
- Cash Out
- Cash Out allows you to settle a bet early, either locking in a profit or limiting a loss before the event ends.
- Correct Score
- Correct Score is a wager that predicts the exact final score of a match.
- Double Chance
- Double Chance covers two of the three possible match outcomes, increasing your chance of winning.
- Dutching
- Dutching splits your stake across multiple outcomes so that you earn the same profit regardless of which one wins.
- Free Bet
- A free bet is a bonus credit you can use to place a wager, with any winnings usually returned without the stake.
- Handicap
- A handicap gives one team a virtual advantage or disadvantage to create equal betting appeal.
- Hedge
- Hedge betting involves placing a bet on the opposite outcome to reduce risk or lock in a profit.
- In-Play
- In-Play betting lets you place wagers on a match while it is actually happening.
- Juice
- Juice is the commission a sportsbook charges on a bet, usually reflected in the odds.
- Lay
- To lay a bet is to wager against an outcome, typically on a betting exchange.
- Line Movement
- Line movement refers to changes in the point spread or odds over time as bettors place wagers.
- Margin
- Margin is the bookmaker’s built-in profit margin, often expressed as a percentage of each bet.
- Odds
- Odds indicate how likely an outcome is to happen and how much you can win if the bet wins.
- Over/Under
- Over/Under is a bet on whether a specific statistic, like total goals, will be higher or lower than a set number.
- Parlay
- A parlay combines two or more selections into a single wager; every selection must win for the bet to pay out.
- Spread
- A spread is a points handicap that evens the contest between two teams by adding or subtracting a number of points.
- Stake
- The stake is the amount of money you risk on a particular bet.
- Steam
- Steam describes a rapid shift in odds caused by heavy betting activity on one side.
- Value Bet
- A value bet occurs when the odds offered are higher than the true probability of the outcome, giving you an edge.