Both Bobby Abreu and Derek Jeter are their several teams most valueable player’s in my opinion. Abreu is a large under the radar type guy and is an ex-Yankee. Might he get his retaliation in this series as the Yankees opted not to re-sign him at the close of his contract. Abreu was the catalyst for any come from behind victory for the Angels with his ability to get on base. He was 5-9 with 4 runs, 4 walks, and an RBI against the Red Sox. I don’t reckon Jeter needs any presentation, but he was 4-10 with 4 runs, 3 walks, and 3 RBI’s against the Twins. Both players I would not mind putting my sports betting advice behind with my sports picks.

The MLB lines on the series between the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees show the Yankees as -167 chalk to advance to the World Series.

Pitching

The Yankees have the best overall starter in CC Sabathia, who was 12-2 since the All-Star break. After that the Yankees go to A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettite, and Joba or Chad Gaudin who was very sound down the stretch. It’s been said that New York might go to a three man rotation with Sabathia starting game 4 and game 7. Pitching on short rest would be nothing new for Sabathia as he did so on a regular basis down the stretch for Milwaukee last season in dominant fashion. However, against the Angels this year Sabathia was 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA as the Angels hit lefties very well you have to ask that if he starts three games the Angels should be able to pick up at least one win.

For the Angels it begins with John Lackey and then Jered Weaver then comes Scott Kazmir and Joe Saunders. The keys are with Weaver who has struggled on the road before, but has been steady at home. Can he pitch well as the visitor, that will be the question. Also Kazmir has a career 2.67 ERA and they may be waiting for him to slow down the left handed power bats in the Yankees line up. Starting pitching definitely goes to the Angels in this match up for me.

Bullpen advantage to the Yankees. Seems very apparent with the best closer in league history and playoff history in the closer role for the Yankees in Mariano Rivera. Yankees were ranked 14th in MLB in bullpen ERA while the Angels ranked 23rd. It seems as though the Yankees will continue to use Joba out of the pen giving them a very solid top 3 relievers in Joba, Hughes, and Rivera to close out games. However, the Angels bullpen led round one in bullpen ERA as Fuentes saved two games against the Red Sox and they collectively had 1.42 ERA giving up a total of just six base runners on 4 hits and 2 walks. The Yankees come in second with a 1.80 ERA, but foes are hitting .341 and I think the Angels who have good bats could do some damage.

Edge: Angels

Hitting

From top to bottom the Angels have potent hitters in terms of getting on base. They may not pose a power threat with home runs compared to the Yankees who have hit 71 more home runs than the Angels, but the Angels led the Majors in hitting with a .285 average.

Yankees actually are ranked second and nine points in front of the next team in the league on the list with a .283 average just two points behind the Angels. As I remarked the Yankees hit 71 more home runs and many could say it’s because of their home stadium, but they have several sluggers such as Nick Swisher who hit more home runs as a visitor opposed to at home. Yankees have the leagues highest OPS at .839 as they walked 663 times this year compared to the Angels 547.

Plainly we are considering some top-notch hitters in this series and it should be a lot of fun. Nonetheless, the edge will have to go to the Yankees. They have arguably the best post season and clutch batter ever in Derek Jeter and their power to hit a home run and change the game is throughout their batting order.

Edge: Yankees

Intangibles:

Most teams might be a little overtaken by playing at Yankee stadium in the playoffs. However, the Angels are not.  They were unphased in Boston when they came from two runs behind to win versus one of MLB’s best closers Johnathan Paplebon.

Actually the Angels are the only team in the American League with a winning record over the past nine years vs. the Yankees and the Angels were responsible for eliminating the Yankees in the 2005 playoffs.

While the Angels have the emotion and heart and the will to win this one as they are playing for their SP Nick Adenhart who died earlier this season they do not have the edge with all of the presence the Yankees have including the leadership between Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Yankees have to be charged in the fact that Alex Rodriguez finally got over his playoff slumps as he hit .455 with six RBI’s in the ALDS.

The point is he is no longer the savior in the lineup with Texeira hitting right behind him. Teixera like Abreu will be confronting his past team and it should make the series that much more fascinating.

Edge: Yankees

Pick: Yankees in 7 games I suppose it’s time for the Yankees to get back to the World Series. It will be an entertaining series when they face off against their former coach Joe Torre if the Dodgers also come through. This series will be one of the better ones of all time. I think the Angels are still not getting enough respect and they can certainly steal a game or two in New York which will make this series all that much more fascinating. If you are one to play series prices the value is certainly on the Angels side. Particularly with the success the Angels have had against Sabathia and in New York.

Pitching

As of Tuesday morning the starting pitchers have still not been declared but it looks like Cole Hamels will make the start for Philadelphia.

Overall the Dodgers have the edge as they led the Majors not only in overall ERA, but in bullpen ERA. On the flip side the Phillies were ranked 7th overall and 13th out of their bullpen. The weaknesses are distinct in the bullpen as the Phillies had a lot of questions on who would be closing out games, but those queries have all been answered if you believe Lidges 2 saves were the real deal against the Rockies.

We will probably see Wolf, Padilla, and Kershaw, and possibly Garland or Billingsley if the Dodgers decide to go to a 4 man rotation which is what squads commonly do at this point. While the Phillies will go with Hamels, Lee, Happ, Martinez, and maybe Blanton. So we have 5 probable pitchers on each side.

Dodgers SP who might struggle:

Randy Wolf – who will be the ace of the Dodgers once more gave up 6 ER in Dodgers Stadium in June to the Phillies on 6.1 innings and 8 hits. However, the Phillies are hitting just .261 off Wolf and Wolf owns left-handed hitters which the Phillies have abundance of.

Jon Garland – Phillies are hitting .309 off him and in two starts this year one, at home and once on the road, he went 11.1 IP allowing 8 ER on 16 hits.

Phillies SP who might struggle:

Joe Blanton -  Dodgers sluggers have a .295 average off Blanton in 129 AB. However, Blanton pitched solid in his 1 start vs. the Dodgers as he went 6.1 innings and gave up just 1 ER.

Edge: Dodgers

Hitting

Both of these squads have first ballot hall of famers in the center of their lineups in Manny Ramirez and Ryan Howard. It can be argued that Utley is also a Hall of Famer. Their are two extreme divergences between these teams and that is power vs. average. The Phillies are ordered #21 in average while the Dodgers are in the top 5 at #4 in the majors. Does that mean the Dodgers are the better offensive team? No, not necessarily.  Sometimes in these big games what matters is clutch hitting and a home run late in a game.

The Phillies have the edge in the power category as they have 224 HR compared to 145 for the Dodgers. I think the Dodgers have more power than many believe, but it will come into play in this series. While the Dodgers play small ball the Phillies can smash a 3 run HR for a quick offensive explosion. Small ball in my opinion does not always transform into big clutch hitting. If we are talking selective clutch hitting you have to give it to the Phillies who came from behind with 2 outs and trailing 4-2 in Game 4 to win 5-4. It was the middle of the lineup that got it done in Howard and Werth.

Edge: Even

Bench

Whenever you have two strong players coming off your pine like Jim Thome or Juan Pierre you have the two ingredients of a bench player that you require. Juan Pierre is a player that can get on base and perhaps steal a base. Jim Thome is a guy who can come in a key match up and hit a HR to tie or get your team the lead. Philadelphia on the other hand have Miguel Cairo, Ben Francisco and Matt Stairs none of which should scare the steady Dodgers bullpen.

Edge: Dodgers

Pick: Dodgers in 6 games – Look for the Dodgers to take advantage of this series when they are at home. Philadelphia’s bullpen will really damage them in this match up. The Phillies took advantage of the Rockies weakness vs. LHP and this won’t be the case against the Dodgers as LA hit .270 vs. LHP and RHP, but score +.59 more runs per 9 innings vs. lefties than RHP. Bottom line pitching wins championships and the Dodgers with their pen have the major advantage!

Rick Porcello has not been the same pitcher on the road that he has been at home. It’s not a drastic difference with a 3.87 home ERA and an ERA of 4.20 on the road, but he has pitched significantly worse at Minnesota than he has at home against the Twins. In two road starts he is 0-3 giving up 7 ER in 10 IP while allowing 15 hits and 3 BB’s. Twins collectively own a .290 average against Porcello led by Jason Kubel who is 8-11 in his career. Kubel was a major reason why the Twins won on Sunday as he hit two home runs, both three run home runs and went 3-4 with 6 RBI’s! Porcello who is 6-6 on the road and the team was 7-8 in his road starts. Pitching on the turf was not good for Ricky as he had a 6.60 ERA in 3 starts this year on turf. It will be Porcello’s most challenging spot as a rookie in the biggest game of his life facing a Twins team that is 20-6 in their last 26 games vs. right handed starter.

Scott Baker will go for the Twins on Tuesday for the 5th time this year. The 28 year old veteran will go up against the Tigers who he has a 6.75 ERA. I do not believe that the Twins deserve to be at -163, but that’s the odds we roll with on Tuesday. Baker who is 6-5 at home with a 4.55 ERA pitches better on the road despite his team being 10-6 in his home starts. He will have to duplicate what he did against the Tigers in his last outings which was go 5 innings and give up 0 ER on 5 hits and 3 BB’s. Tigers collectively have a .289 average led by Magglio Ordonez who is 18-39 against the RHP. Baker has identical numbers to what Porcello has on the road against the Twins as he has at home. He’s gone 10.2 IP giving up 9 ER on 15 hits.

You might think there is an advantage in the bullpen? However, looking at the match up both bullpens are pitching strong with the Twins having a 2.34 ERA in their last 10 and the Tigers having a 3.58 ERA in their last 10 games. This game is going to come down to one player stepping up and coming up with a big hit. I think both of these pitchers will come out like they did last week, and will pitch quality innings in the biggest game of the year for them. Will the Twins finally over come the Tigers for the division or will the Tigers jump on the plane again to face the New York Yankees?  If you want to win your bet on this game, then take a look at the free baseball picks on our site or else take a look to see who Freddy Wills is taking with his MLB picks today.

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There are tough NLDS matchups either way for Colorado, whether it’s the Philadelphia Phillies (92-66, 7.27 units) in the East or the St. Louis Cardinals (91-68, 7.33 units) in the Central. It will help, however, if the Rockies can secure home-field advantage. They’ll need to win the division first, and then hope they finish with a better record than either Philadelphia or St. Louis. It can happen, although the Dodgers are 12-3 against Colorado this year. It looks like the Rockies will once again play the role of Cinderella in these playoffs. Just two years ago, they won the NL pennant as a Wild Card team.  Profit on this year’s playoffs when you make your bets at Bodog using their 10% bonus money!

At least we know the identities of all four NL playoff teams. The Minnesota Twins (83-76, -0.71 units) still have a chance of catching the Detroit Tigers (85-74, 0.19 units) for the American League Central crown. A tiebreaker is possible here, since the Twins lead their season series 11-7 against the Tigers. Minnesota has three games left at home against the 65-94 Kansas City Royals, although Game 2 features likely Cy Young winner Zack Greinke (2.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) starting for K.C. The Tigers can clinch the division by taking two of three at home from the 77-82 Chicago White Sox.

Whoever comes out on top will get to face the New York Yankees (102-57, 13.14 units) in the ALDS. They’re the big story of the regular season, overcoming early adversity to post the best record in the majors with the most potent hitting (5.65 runs per game, 241 home runs, .842 OPS). The pitching staff, which has been a concern most of this decade, is a respectable 12th in team ERA at 4.26, doubly impressive in new Yankee Stadium with its propensity for the long ball – the park factor for home runs there is 1.254, way above last year’s 0.982 at old Yankee Stadium. Watch for the Yankees to be the World Series favorites on our updated MLB futures odds.

The Boston Red Sox (92-67, 8.74 units) are your AL Wild Card representatives, and we know they’ll be facing the West-clinching Los Angeles Angels (94-65, 18.76 units) in the first round of the ALDS. It’s believed Jon Lester (3.41 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) will start Game 1 for Boston against John Lackey (3.83 ERA, 1.27 WHIP). Boston eliminated L.A. in the first round in 2007 and 2008. It doesn’t get much better than Yankees-Red Sox, but this year might be different. The Angels will have home-field advantage and are 5-4 against Boston this year, including 4-2 at Angel Stadium.

While we celebrate the elite teams, handicappers can’t forget about the most disappointing teams of 2009 – disappointing if you didn’t fade them, that is. The Washington Nationals (56-103, -31.42 units) will once again finish the season with the worst record in the majors, losing over 100 games for the second year in a row. The Cleveland Indians (65-94, -28.43 units) look like they’ll end up as the least profitable club in the American League in a season that began with legitimate hopes of winning the Central race – even noted seamhead Rob Neyer thought so.

We’ll wrap up the regular season by tipping our cap to the great individual performances of 2009. Twins catcher Joe Mauer has a batting average of .367 and will win the MLB batting title. Albert Pujols of the Cardinals has 47 home runs, three more than Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder and Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks. And two pitchers will go for Win No. 20 this Friday: CC Sabathia (19-7) of the Yankees and Adam Wainwright (19-8) of the Cardinals. Wainwright has a shot at the NL Cy Young, but teammate Chris Carpenter (17-4) has the name recognition and the better ERA at 2.24 to Wainwright’s 2.58. We’ll bet both men would prefer to win the World Series.

There are teams that are currently involved in pennant races as teams begin the final stretch of the season, and many teams out of it. Teams like Minnesota and the Dodgers have been hot the last month, with win streaks that got them back in the playoff race. Winning is enjoyable for bettors, of course, and enjoyable for professional athletes. Would you rather show up for work on a winning team that might make the postseason? Or one that is out of it? Teams out of it are more likely to be going through the motions, lacking motivation.

Look what Arizona did this week, trading Shawn Green to the Mets. He’s a fine talent, but an expensive one, so the D-Backs sent his contract off to New York. That gives the appearance that the organization might be packing it in.

In my analysis Wednesday I notes, “The Diamondback’s playoff aspirations are fading fast as the team has now lost 5 of their last 6 games. To make matters worse they traded Shawn Green in a clear move to start playing their younger players. In our eyes and those of the fans it’s obvious that Arizona doesn’t feel it can catch the LA Dodgers for the playoffs. That can’t be a good sign for Diamondback backers.”

The Giants topped the D-Backs, making it 6 losses in 7 games – and a win for myself and my clients. I recall a few weeks ago that Red Sox players were miffed that the front office didn’t make any moves at the trading deadline to bolster the team’s chances. This didn’t sit well with some veteran players who only have a few years left to play and contend for another title, such as Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek. Not making a trade can hurt a team just as dumping a player can signal that the front office might be looking ahead to next year.

Another important wagering angle is to go against pitchers who are making their first start after coming off the DL. Pitching effectively requires practice and timing. Pitchers coming off the DL are often lacking that. That same night I bet against Toronto noting, “We find Toronto and Gustavo Chacin in that situation. Chacin hasn’t pitched since June 9th when he lasted just 3 innings against the Tigers. He hasn’t faced major league hitting in 10 weeks and is sure to be rusty in his return.” He was as Oakland romped, 6-0. Chacin didn’t make it out of the 2nd innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 walks and 5 runs!

In both those plays, the teams I backed were on some kind of hot streak. Oakland had won 3 of Esteban Loaiza’s last 4 and 6 of his last 9 starts. He had a solid 3.88 career ERA vs the Blue Jays and he has beaten them in 3 of his last 4 starts. As for the Giants against Arizona, the Giants had won 7 of their last 9 and countered with Jason Schmidt. He and his teammates have defeated Arizona an amazing 15 straight times! He has a career 3.19 ERA vs the Diamondbacks. San Francisco has dominated this series winning 34 of 52 meetings including 17 of 24 at home. There are many factors to utilize when examining baseball games, one only has to learn what to look for and how to apply it.

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The thing that is the most remarkable about the Yankees is that they have ripped opponents by the combined score of 80-52, yet the Bronx Bombers are just 6-6. One thing that stands out is that they are 0-3 in one-run games. By contrast, the new-look Red Sox (pitching and defensive-oriented) are 9-4 despite outscoring their opponents by a mere five runs. The Sox are 6-1 in games decided by one or two runs and 5-0 when they score four runs or fewer. Who knows how this will stack up over the course of an entire season.

Granted, it’s still early, but by examining trends like this we can explain many things from a handicapping point of view. Boston is 7-4-1 UNDER the total the last 12 games, which makes sense because the offense is not as good as recent years, but their pitching and defense is very strong. Boston is No. 2 in the AL in team ERA (3.87). The powerful Yankees offense is a big reason they are 8-4 over the total, a trend that is likely to continue, especially if their pitching comes back to the pack. Get ready for a lot of high scoring Yankee games as the weather gets warmer and the season progresses!

Behind those teams, the surprising Detroit Tigers have the third-best team ERA in the American League at 3.87. Newcomer veteran Kenny Rogers, Nate Robertson and Mike Maroth have been very good as starters, a combined 5-2. The trio has good control and giving the team 6-7 innings each start. They are a big reason the Tigers are 8-3 under the total, too.

The Atlanta Braves are 9-3 over the total and the big surprise to everyone is how bad their pitching has been. Their 5.72 team ERA is second worst in the NL, a big contrast to the years past! John Smoltz and John Thomsen have pitched well, but starters Kyle Davies, Tim Hudson, Jorge Sosa and Horacio Ramirez have been completely awful. Do they miss longtime pitching coach Leo Mazzone? Mazzone moved on to the Orioles this off-season, but the Orioles pitching has a 5.12 team ERA and is in the middle of the pack in the AL, and their 61 walks is the most in baseball. Maybe he just needed to be in Atlanta with his man Bobby Cox.

Toronto has to be delighted with the offensive performances of newcomers Lyle Overbay and Troy Glaus, who are both hitting over the .300 mark. The improved offense is a reason why the Blue Jays are 8-3 over the total averaging 6.2 runs per game. And speaking of totals, the Cincinnati Reds are 8-4 over the total. Is this a fluke? Nope: The Reds lead the league in home runs and slugging, while the pitching is 12th in the 16-team National League. It’s important to sift through the facts between trends and statistical anomalies. If there are solid reasons behind trends, they can continue to be betting angles to keep a close eye on.

Action
Action means bets. Having action means having a bet.
Action has a special meaning for baseball bets: Its means the bet counts even even if there is a change in starting pitchers. If there is a pitcher change accompanied by a baseball odds change, the action bettor will receive the new odds. The default is that the listed pitchers must start; to have action no matter who pitches, you must specify action when you make your bet.

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Advantage Player
An advantage player is a bettor who is willing to make a bet only if the bet is perceived as yielding a positive EV.

Against the Spread
There are two common ways of betting sides: the moneyline and against the spread. To bet against the spread is to make a wager that will be decided by adding points to one team or the other after the game is played.

Air Move
When a sportsbook changes the line on a game in response to other books’ changing the line, that line change is described as an air move. The opposite of an air move is changing the line in response to bets received.

Angle
An angle is a decision rule for making bets, Unfortunately, most published angles are the result of data mining, and fail to predict results of future games.

Arbitrage
To arbitrage is to make a combination of bets such that if one bet loses another wins. There is an implication of having an edge, at no or low risk. Arbitrage can also be used as a noun. Hedge has a similar meaning, but does not carry the implication of having an edge.

ATS
ATS is the acronym for against the spread.

Bar
To be barred from betting at a sportsbook is to be told that no more bets will be accepted from you.

Bases
Bases means baseball. An alternative to saying you are betting on baseball games is to say you are betting bases.

Baskets
Baskets means basketball. An alternative to saying you are betting on basketball games is to say you are betting baskets. An alternate expression is hoops.
Beard
A beard is a person who makes sports bets for someone else; that someone else is usually a skillful handicapper.

Betting Exchange
A betting exchange is a form of betting available on the internet. You and another person can bet on anything you wish at whatever odds you agree upon. The winner will pay a commission to the internet sportsbook.

Bettor
A bettor is an individual who makes bets. This text assumes that bettors will be making a sports bets against a book.

Board
A board is the list of bets available in a sportsbook. In the old days, all books had actual boards on which clerks would write the latest odds. Nowadays most suck boards have been replaced by electronic displays that are updated by computer, but they are still called “boards.”

Bonus Hustler
To offshore sportsbooks, a bonus hustler is someone who has opened an account for the express purpose of obtaining bonuses, and who does no intend to gamble.

Book, Bookmaker
A book or bookmaker is a person or company that accepts bets against the lines created by linesmakers.

Bookie
The dictionary says bookie is the same thing as bookmaker, but Nevado’s legal sportsbooks don’t call themselves bookies. Bookies carries the implication of illegality.

Buck
To a sports bettor, a buck is a bet size. For a bet on a dog, a buck is $100. for a bet on a favorite, a buck is whatever amount of money must be risked to win $100.

Chalk
To bet chalk is to bet the favorite

Cherrypick
To cherrypick is to bet only those games on which you think you have an edge.

Circled
When a game is circled, the maximum bet on that game is lower than normal. The circling generally is due to uncertainty of some sort, perhaps the weather or an injury to a key player.

Correlated, Correlation
Correlation is the degree to which the results of two bets are related. Zero correlation means the results are not related at all. Correlated is the adjective form, and correlation is a noun. An example of two bets that are correlated is the Giants to lead at the half and the Giants to win the game. Sportsbooks do not like to write correlated parlays.

Cover
To cover is to beat the spread. For example, if Detroit is favored by 7 and wins the game by more than 7, Detroit is said to have “covered.” If Detroit losed that game or wins by less than 7, it failed to cover.If the underdog wins, or loses the game but by less than the spread, the dog is said to have covered.

CTR
CTR is the acronym for Currency Transaction Report. This is a form the US government requires be filled out whenever a financial institution (which includes casionos and sportsbooks) has a transaction (or series of transactions with one individual within a 24-hour period of time) involving over $10,000 in cash.

Data Mining
Data mining is derogatory. It means sorting through a huge volume of data, extracting decision rules that seem to favor one team over another, but without regard to whether or not there is any cause-and-effect relationship. Data mining is the sports-betting equivalent of sitting a huge number of monkeys down at keyboards, and then reporting on the monkeys who happened to type actual words.

Dime
A dime is a bet to win $1000.

Dog
Dog is short for “underdog.” If the better team wins the game, the dog is the team that loses. The opposite of the dog is the favorite.

Dollar
A dollar is a bet to win $100.

Early line
The early line is the first line posted for a game.

Edge
Having an edge means having the best of it. If you make only bets on which you have an edge, you will win and you will lose but in the long haul your winnings will overwhelm your losses.

Even money
Even money means you risk a dollar to win a dollar. Even money is also expressed as EV or as PK. It could be, but is not, expressed as -100 or +100.

Exotic
Exotic bets are the same thing as prop bets.

Fade
To fade a bet is to accept it, as in the sportsbook fades your action.

Fan
A fan is somebody who bets on a team because he likes the team. To a fan, the spread is an umimportant detail.

Favorite
The favorite is the team that is more likely to win. If there are a large number of contestants, suck as in a golf tournament, the top few contestants can all be referred to as favorites. The opposite of the favorite is dog.

Field
Betting on golf tournaments and other sports events that have a large number of entrants often allows for a bet on the field. The field is the group of all the entrants not listed with their own odds. The field can contain a large number of entrants, but typically each entrant has only a tiny chance of actually winning the event. If an entrant had a good chance of winning, he or she would not be lumped into the field.

Final Margin
The final margin is the final score of the favorite and the the final score of the dog. If the dog won, the final margin is negative. The final margin can be compared to the line to see which team won for betting purposes.

Final Score
The final score of the game is the actual results as determined on the field, court, diamond, etc.

Final Total
The final total is the sum of the two final scores in a game. If San Francisco wins 35-14, then the final total is 49.

Foots
Foots means football. An alternative to saying you are betting on football games is to say you are betting foots.

Front running
Front running is watching betting lines via computer, and betting in the direction of line moves at a sportsbook that shows the old number

Futures
Futures are bets that will be decided by multiple contests, or by a contest that is more than about a week away. An example of a futures bet is a wager on wether the Yankees will win more than 92 games in the upcoming season.

Good Bet
To an advantage player, a good bet is a bet theat offers a positive EV.

Handicap
To handicap is to assign a probability to the likelihood of winning a contest or series of contests. A person who handicaps is a handicapper.

Handle
Handle is a word used by bookmakers to describe the total amount of money wagered. Handle usually refers to total bets over multiple games, whereas action usually refers to total bets on one game.

Hang
When managers of sportsbooks speak of hanging a line, they mean posting it for all to see and bet into.

Hedge
To hedge is to make a combination of bets such that if one bet loses another wins. Hedging is usually done fore defensive purposes, such as betting to lock in a profit after winning the first eleven games on a twelve-team parlay. Hedge can be used as a noun or a verb. Hedge does not carry the implication of having and edge.

Hook
When a line on a football or basketball game includes a half point, the half point is called a hook.

Hoops
Hoops means basketball. An alternative to saying you are betting on basketball games is to say you are betting hoops. An alternate expression is baskets.

House Edge
The house edge is another name for the vig.

Juice
Juice is another word for vig.

Laying
You are said to be laying odds if the amount of money you are risking is more than what you will win if the game goes your way. You are said to be laying points if the spread takes points away from your team. If you are laying points or laying odds, you are betting the favorite. The opposite of laying is taking.

Leach
A leach is someone who watches a computer for line moves, and when he sees one he quickly bets the appropriate team at an offshore sportsbook that has not yet moved the line. That activity is called front running.

Line
The line is the spread and terms of a bet. If the terms are standard, e.g. -110, then the line is the spread.

Linesmaker
A linesmaker is a person who creates lines and totals for bookmakers.

Maverick line
When a sportsbook creates its own line on a game and that line is different from the line carried by other sportsbooks, that independent line is called a maverick line.

Middle
To have a middle is to have bets on competing teams and for there to be at least one possible outcome that results in winning both bets, Middle applies to bets on totals as well bets on sides.

Money line
When you bet the money line, the winner of the game is the winner of th bet. Betting the money line is one of two common ways of betting on a side to win; the other common method of betting a side is against the spread.

Nickel
A nickel is a bet to win $500. A big nickel is a bet to win $5000.

Off
If a game if off, the sportsbook is no longer writing bets on it. Perhaps the game has already started, or perhaps there is major uncertainty as to the weather conditions or an injury to a key player.

Off the board
To make parlay or teaser bets on games listed on the board is called betting off the board. Sometimes you have two ways to bet the same combination of teams: off the board and on parlay cards. Before betting one of them, check to see if the other offers better odds or a better spread.

Opening line
The opening line is the earliest line posted for a given sports event.

Originator
When a syndicate bets so much money on one game that the line moves, the originator is the first person to bet that game for that syndicate.

Over
To bet over is to bet that the final total will exceed the total posted for betting purposes.

Parlay
A parlay is a bet involving two or more events. You can also use the word as a verb; to parlay is to use the proceeds from one bet as the wager on another bet. You can parlay sides and totals. You can mix sports in a single parlay. All you teams must win for your parlay to win. One loser and the parlay is lost. A push on one game generally causes your parlay to convert to a parlay with one fewer game; for example a three-team parlay with two wins and a push would be paid as a two-team parlay.

Parlay card
A parlay card is a set of sides, totals, and prop bets printed on a special card. The numbers on the parlay card apply only to bets on the card, and might be different from bets listed on the board. Typically you must select at least three items if you want to make a bet on a parlay card.

Pick
A pick is a bet recommended by a handicapper.

Pick ‘em
Pick ‘em can mean two things. It can mean the same thing as even money. It also can mean the spread is zero, as in “Giants is pick ‘em against the Ravens this weekend.”

PK
PK is an abbreviation for pick ‘em.

Player
If an employee of a sportsbooks calls you a player, the implication is that you are a big bettor. Being called a player is not a compliment, but its not as derogatory as being called a sucker.

Points, point spread
Points and point spread are alternate terms for spread.

Power ratings
Power ratings are numbers that handicappers assign to teams to estimate how likely one team is to beat the other or by how many points.

Prop bet
When a major sporting events come along, some linesmakers let their imaginations run wild as they offer an interesting menu of bets, such as which player will score first.

Public
A public means unsophisticated bettors. Their bets are call public money. The public includes fans and squares and people who make a bet just to make a game more exciting.

Puck line
The ice hockey version of betting against the spread is the puck line. On games in which one team is a big favorite, the puck line typically adds 1.5 goals to one or subtracts 1.5 goals from the other team.

Punter
A punter is a bettor, specifically a bettor who takes on sportsbooks or racebooks. The term can be but is rarely used to refer to participants in casino games.

Push
A push is a tie against the spread. Generally you get your money back on pushes.

Reverse teaser
A reverse teaser is a parlay in which each team gives up points compared to the normal spread.

ROI
ROI is the acronym for return on investment.

Run line
The baseball version of betting against the spread is the run line. On games in which one team is a big favorite, the run line typically adds 1.5 runs to one team or subtracts 1.5 runs from the other team.

Scalp
This word has several meanings. One use is to bet both sides on the money line in such a way as to guarantee profit. For example, if New York is playing Chicago and you bet New York -140 and Chicago +155, you have a 15 cent scalp. Another use of scalp is to describe what a bookie might do if he thinks a line is going to move. Suppose a bookie takes a bet on Dallas -6 from a sharp, and predicts that other bookie soon will be calling to also place bets on Dallas. If the bookie immediately bets Dallas -6 with other bookies and simultaneously changes the line at which he accepts bets to Dallas -7, he is said to be scalping.

Sharp, sharpie
A sharp is what sportsbooks call an advantage player. Sharp can also be used as an adjective. If someone calls you a sharp bettor, smile; you have received a compliment.

Side
To bet a side is to bet on one team against the spread. Another meaning of side is to have bets on both opposing teams such that there is at least one score that will give you a win on one bet and a push on the other.

Smart money
Smart money is money wagered by shaprs.

Soft
When a line is called soft, the implication is that not many sharp bettors have looked at it. Sharp bettors making big bets tend to move lines to the point where it is difficult for other bettors to make a bet with an advantage.

Sportsbook
Sportsbook is another word for book.

Spread
A spread is a number set by a sportsbook to allow betting at 10:11 on each of two teams. The spread is also called the line or the points.

Square
A square is a sucker who has read the sports sectin of the local newspaper. The implication is of being informed, but using the same information in the same way as everybody else does.

Straight up
Since bets against the spread are common, you need two ways to describe which team won a game. You need to distinguish between which team actually won the game and which team won against the spread. Sometimes they are the same team and sometimes they are not. Winning straight up means winning without regards to the spread.

Sucker
A sucker is a bettor who will make bad-EV bets without realizing how bad the bets are.

Syndicate
A syndicate is a group of people making a joint effort to win money betting sports.

Total
The total is a number set by a sportsbook for total points to be scored by both teams during a game. You can bet that the final total will exceed the total 9called the “over”) or that the final total will be less than the total (called the “under”). Betting overs or unders is referred to as betting totals.

Tout
A tout is someone who sells baseball picks. The connotation is of someone who has no ability to pick winners but sells that ability anyway.

Under
To bet the under is to bet that the final total will fall short of the total.

Vig or vigorish
Sportsbook generally don’t give suckers a positive expectation bet, or even a break-even bet. The vig or vigorish is the sportsbook built-in edge over bettors. The vig is what you must overcome if you are going to win money betting on sports.

Wiseguy
A wiseguy is a successful and well established sports bettor.