Accumulator
A bet involving more than one
event with the winnings from each selection going onto the next.
Accumulators must be placed with the same bookmaker. All selections
must win for a return.
Also-Ran
A horse that lost !
Ante-Post
Betting on an event well in advance. In the case of big
horse races or football tournaments, this could
be a year or more before the event takes place.
AWT
All weather track (fibre-sand).
Backed
When a bookmaker takes a lot of money on one particular
runner, it is said that it has been heavily
backed.
Banker
A selection that a punter or tipster feels is a near certainty.
Bar
This shows what the lowest odds of horses or competitors not
mentioned in the betting forecast
are likely to be - '50-1 bar' means those not quoted
are 50-1 or bigger.
Best Price Percentage
Price percentages are used to calculate over-roundness. A
completely fair book is classified
as 100% overround. However the ‘bookmakers’ profit margins
mean the figure is almost always
above 100%. But, if one aggregates the best prices from different
bookmaking firms on any event, the
percentages become lower. On some occasions, when odds greatly
differ from firm to firm, the best
price percentage may even drop below 100% showing that the best book
on that event is actually
in the punter's favour.
Bismarck
Term used to describe a favourite who bookmakers expect to be "sunk"
or lose and are therefore happy
to lay.
Board Prices
This refers to the currently available odds displayed on the boards
of on-course bookmakers. It is from
these that the starting price for horse races is derived.
Bookmaker / Bookies
The organisation / betting shop offering prices for events.
Boxed in
A horse that cannot overtake another horse because it is blocked by
other horses.
Broke
The outcome of too many losing bets.
Brought Down
A horse that has fell due to another horse clashing with it.
Bumper
A national hunt race event.
Burlington Bertie
A price of 100/30.
Carpet
A price of 3/1.
Conditions Race
A race where horses have to carry weight according to factors
including sex, age, type of race, whether
they are a previous winner etc.
Connections
People that are related with a horse. E.g. the owner and trainer.
Dead Heat
A race where there is a tie for the winner or one of the placed
horses.
Double
A two-leg accumulator with the winnings from the first selection
automatically going onto the second
selection. Both selections need to win to get paid out.
Double Carpet
A price of 33/1.
Draw
The position of a horse in the starting stalls.
Each-way
Betting on both a win and a place. A percentage of the win
odds are paid for the place that usually
ranges from second to fourth depending on the event. For example,
you bet £5 each-way on
Sinndar to win the Derby at 12/1. The first thing to realise is that
your stake is now £10 with £5 on the
horse winning and £5 on the horse getting a place. If Sinndar wins,
your winnings would be £60 (£5
stake x 12) and your stake would be returned too. As well as that
the place section of the bet is also
successful (though there is no differential between the horse coming
first, second or third). Therefore
in addition to Sinndar's £65 for a win, we get a further £20 for
being placed (a quarter of 12
multiplied by the £5 stake plus the original stake). If
Sinndar came either second or third the win section
of this wager would lose but you would still get £20 back for the
place bet.
Evens
A price of 1/1.
Faces
The bookmakers slang for a punter with inside information about
horses.
Favourite
The participant with the shortest odds in the field, who the
bookmakers think is most likely to win.
FC
Short for Forecast.
Field
Some bookmakers may well group all the outsiders in a competition
under the headline of 'field' and
put it head to head with the favourite. This is known as favourite
versus the field betting and is common
in horse and golf betting.
Filly
A female horse about to the age of 4.
Fixed odds betting
Staking a set amount to win a set amount by multiplying the stake by
the odds. As opposed to
spread betting where the amount you can win or lose on a single bet
may vary.
Form
A record of a particular horses previous racing performance.
Furlong
An eighth of a mile (201 Metres).
Gelding
A male horse that has been castrated.
Going (the going)
The condition of the race surface.
Going Down
Horses are on their way to the start.
Green
Used to refer to an inexperienced horse.
Home Stretch
The length of main straight track before the finish line.
IBAS
Independent Betting Arbitration Service. A British organisation who
settle disputes with bookmakers
for punters.
In-running betting
Some bookmakers offer odds for an event while in progress with
prices quoted reflecting the current
state of play.
IronsThe stirrups.
Joint favourites When a bookmaker cannot split two runners for
favouritism.
Jolly
Another term for the favourite in a race.
Juvenile
A horse of 2 years age.
Lame
When a horse is having difficulty walking or is limping.
Layer
An alternative term for a bookmaker, someone who lays or accepts a
bet.
Long Shot
A horse with very high odds.
Maiden
A horse or rider that has not previously won a race.
Monkey
Bookmakers' slang for £500.
Mug Punter
A member of the public who places ill-considered bets.
Nap
A tipster's best bet.
No Offers
When bookmakers are unwilling to offer a price on a participant
(N/O).
Novice
A horse in the early stages of its career after it has won its first
race.
Odds-on
Refers to a price where you have to stake more than the amount you
expect to make as profit.
Odds-against
When the amount you win is more than your stake.
Outsider
A horse with little chance of winning.
Over-Round
In theory, using natural odds, a betting book can be fairly weighted
between bookmaker and bettor.
However bookmaker profit margins mean that they must alter the odds
in their favour. Over-roundness
is a means of expressing to what extent the odds are in favour of
the bookmaker. An evenly weighted
book based on natural odds is expressed as 100%, and the more the
odds move in the bookmaker's
favour the more that figure rises. Thus a book that is weighted 20%
in favour of a bookmaker is
expressed as 120% over-round.
Photo Finish
A close race where the use of a photograph is required to determine
the result.
Pony
Bookmakers' slang for £25.
Pulled Up
A horse that drops out of a race after the off.
Rag
The outsider in the field, normally available at a big price.
Rating
A measure of the performance of a horse on a scale of 0-140. 140 is
the higher rating..
Ready Reckoner
A table showing returns for odds to aid with the calculation of
winnings.
Rule 4
A deduction made from the prices of a horse due to the withdrawal of
another horse.
SP
Short for Starting Price.
Starter
Person responsible for starting a horse race.
Steamer
A runner whose odds are continually shortened in the face of heavy
support.
Steeplechase
A race over obstacles.
Steward
A jockey club official responsible for checking that the rules of
racing are followed.
Stewards Enquiry
An enquiry into whether or not the rules of a race have been broken.
Stud
Where horses are bred.
System
A method of betting that should favour the player.
Tic-tac
The 'sign language' with which bookmakers on the racecourse
communicate.
Tipster
A person or company who recommend horses that are likely to win.
Tissue Prices
Early prices offered before a betting market has been formed.
Treble
A three-leg accumulator. All three bets need to win with the
winnings from the first selection
automatically going on to the second and then onto the third.
Weigh-In
After each race the jockeys on the winning and placed horses must be
weighed to check they are
carrying the same weight as at the start of the race.
Win only
Betting markets where no each-way betting is available.
Yankee
The term used for a bet that consists of four selections, combining
them into six doubles, four
trebles and one fourfold - eleven bets. At least two selections must
win to get a return.
Yearling
A horse from 1 January to 31 December of the year following
its birth. |
