Knowledge Base
Glossary
Plain-English definitions for the terminology used across Football Compass.
- American Odds
- American odds use a positive or negative number: positive odds show profit on a $100 bet, while negative odds indicate how much you must bet to win $100.
- Asian Handicap
- Asian handicap is a handicap system that eliminates the draw option and gives teams a fractional advantage or disadvantage to balance odds.
- Bankroll Management
- Bankroll management means deciding how much money to set aside for betting and how to size each stake.
- Bet Builder
- A bet builder allows you to combine several outcomes from the same match into a single custom wager.
- Both Teams to Score
- Both teams to score is a bet that wins if each side scores at least one goal during the match.
- Cash Out
- Cash out lets you settle a bet before the event ends, either locking in a profit or cutting a loss.
- Correct Score
- Correct score is a bet that predicts the exact final score of a match, such as 2-1, with higher odds due to the difficulty.
- Decimal Odds
- Decimal odds are a single number (e.g., 2.50) that includes your stake; multiplying your bet by this number gives your total return.
- Double Chance
- Double chance is a bet that covers two of the three possible match outcomes, such as a team to win or draw, increasing your chance of winning.
- Draw No Bet
- Draw no bet is a market where you pick a team to win; if the match ends in a draw, your stake is refunded.
- Fractional Odds
- Fractional odds show profit relative to the stake, expressed as a fraction (e.g., 3/1), where the numerator is profit and the denominator is the amount bet.
- Free Bet
- A free bet is a promotional token that lets you place a bet without using your own money; winnings usually exclude the free-bet stake.
- Futures
- A futures bet is placed on an event that will be decided later, such as which team will win the World Cup.
- Handicap
- A handicap assigns a numeric advantage or disadvantage to a team to make bets more even, often used in soccer betting.
- In-play Betting
- In-play betting lets you place bets after a match has started, with odds that change as the game unfolds.
- Juice
- Juice, also called vig, is the commission a bookmaker charges on a bet, usually built into the odds.
- Moneyline
- A moneyline bet is a straight wager on which team will win the match, with odds usually presented in American format.
- Odds
- Odds represent the payout multiplier for a winning bet, reflecting the implied likelihood of an outcome.
- Over/Under
- An over/under bet predicts whether the total goals or points in a match will be over or under a line set by the bookmaker.
- Parlay
- A parlay combines multiple selections into one bet; all selections must win for the bet to pay out, offering higher odds but increased risk.
- Prop Bet
- A prop bet is a wager on a specific event inside a match, like which player scores first, unrelated to the final result.
- Spread
- The spread is a handicap set by the bookmaker to level the match, giving the favorite a negative point value and the underdog a positive one.
- Stake
- The stake is the amount of money you risk on a bet.
- Value Bet
- A value bet occurs when the odds offered are higher than the true probability of the outcome, giving an expected positive return.