Glossary

The maximum three-dart score, three treble twenties.

Acca insurance returns your stake as a free bet if one leg of your accumulator loses (min. five selections).

An accumulator is a bet structure where you make multiple selects and add them into one big bet. All your selections must win in order for you win the accumulator at higher odds than if you bet on each individual pick.

An all-in bet in horse racing is when you back a horse on the ante-post market. It’s short for ‘all in run or not’. It usually carries higher odds because you don’t get your money back if the horse doesn’t run.

An allowance race in horse racing is a type of race where special ‘allowances’ to the weight are given to horses depending on a number of criteria, including the jockey’s experience level and the age and sex of the horse.

An All Weather racecourse or track is an artificial surface, usually made from sand and other material. It is more durable than turf and can be used in all weather conditions.

An alphabet is a multiple bet type most commonly found in horse racing that consists of six selections across 26 bets: 2x patents (14 bets), 1x yankee (11 bets), 1x six-fold accumulator.

An also ran is a horse, greyhound, car or athlete that finishes a race but doesn’t finish in any of the winning/paying positions. For example, a horse finishing 13th in a 16-horse race is an also ran.

Amateur jockeys are not professional riders and do not get paid for their work. They are different to a conditional jockey who is starting out in a career in racing.

American odds show how much you win from a $100 bet if the odds are positive. They show how much you need to bet in order to win $100 when they’re negative. Use our odds converter if you get stuck.

Ante-post betting is when you back a horse to win or place in a race before the card has been announced. You run the risk of losing your stake if the horse doesn’t run but benefit from higher odds. Ante-post examples include betting on the Grand National in January, or the Cheltenham Gold Cup in December.

Apprentice jockeys is a term used often in racing when profiling new jockeys that are starting to make a name for themselves in the UK and Irish racing world. An apprentice jockey is a rider aged between 16 and 25 who is working their way up the ladder towards becoming a full professional. They race during the Flat season, as opposed to conditional jockeys, who race in the National Hunt season.

Arbitrage is a betting technique where you place multiple bets on the same event at different odds, in order to win whatever the outcome. It’s often used in tennis betting when the match odds swing both ways.

With Asian corners, there are three outcomes. Bet over, under or exactly the correct number of corners in a football match. For example, you could bet -10 corners, +10 corners, or exactly 10 corners.

The Asian goal line works like an over/under bet but offers more options, such as quarter goal, half goal and full goal. You’re betting on the total number of goals scored in a game.

Asian handicaps level the odds between two options by adding a handicap to the final score. However, unlike a traditional handicap, Asian handicaps eradicate draws/ties so that there’s only two possible outcomes: win or lose. Find out more about Asian Handicap bets here.

When you bet on an athlete, team or horse to win it’s called ‘backing’ them. You can back a football team to win, a horse to place, a tennis place to hit the net – anything really!

A bagel in tennis is when a player loses a set without winning a single game. So, they lose 6-0. To suffer a double bagel is to lose a match 6-0 6-0.

A banker is a bet that you have full confidence in winning. For example, a banker might be a horse at short odds in the second race of your five-fold acca.

Us Europeans might call it a budget but Americans call it a bankroll. Basically, a bankroll is the money you have to fund your betting activity.

The bar price in betting is a line that indicates the odds of all other runners, individuals or teams not mentioned in the odds. For example, the EPL title odds might say Manchester City 1/4, Arsenal 2/1. Liverpool 4/1, Bar 9/1.

You might see BF on a racecard. This shows the horse was a ‘beaten favourite’ in a previous race, which might sway your bet.

Paddy’s Beat The Drop game gives players the chance to win thousands of pounds. Split your pot on sports predictions, and keep going until you win. Read more about Paddy Power Beat The Drop here!

Slang for a score of 26 — twenty, five and one.

Paddy offers Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK and Irish horse racing from 8am to the day of the race. This means you’ll get the starting price (SP) if it’s bigger than your current odds when the race begins.

A bet is the act of staking money on a sporting outcome, with the promise of a higher payout if that outcome occurs. For example, if you bet on England to win the World Cup and they do (yeah right!) then you’ll win your bet and receive a payout relative to your odds.

Paddy Power’s bet builder allows players to structure a multiple bet and avoid clashes. Create your perfect bet and maximise your odds across multiple sports. See our bet builder tips here!

Bet Calculators show how much you stand to win from a bet depending on your stake, Simply enter the odds, your stake and other conditions surrounding the bet, to see your potential payout. Check out the Paddy Power Bet Calculator here!

A bet slip is traditionally the paper ticket punters receive when placing a bet at a shop or racecourse. These days your online bet slip is where you enter your stake and confirm your bet. You can see all bet slips in your account page at Paddy Power.

A betting exchange is different to a traditional, fixed odds bookmaker. Betting exchanges allow punters to bet against each other. The bookmaker earns a slice of all bets as a fee for ‘hosting’ the betting exchange. Some people prefer betting exchanges over fixed odds sites because of the variation on bet types and prices.

Bookmakers set betting limits to help reduce the risk to players and cap the maximum payout. At Paddy Power, you can set your own deposit limit. There is a £500,000 max win limit applied to all shop bets.

A betting market is another name for the list of odds on a specific outcome. For example, the First Goalscorer odds in a match between England and Germany is just one of many betting markets Paddy Power will offer.

Betting odds show how much you stand to win from a bet, relative to your stake. The higher the odds, the more you win if the outcome you bet on occurs. However, higher odds are also less likely to happen, which is why the payout is higher. See more in our How Odds Work guide here!

A betting ring is an area of a racecourse or track where bookmakers take bets from punters. Most betting rings are set up in front of the grandstands, close to the course.

Betting taxes can be applied on player winners and bookmaker profits. In the UK, players are not taxed on their betting winnings, but bookmakers pay various betting and gaming duties. American punters are taxed on their betting winnings, at varying rates depending on their state of residence.

Betting without removes the favourite in a horse race or other outright odds market. It’s ideal when there’s a huge favourite, such as Manchester City winning the Premier League. Betting without still pays if the favourite doesn’t win.

A black type race is a historic term for a high-profile race. If a horse wins a black type, their name will be printed in bold on future racing and breeding reports. Read more about black type races here!

Blinkers are equipment horses wear during races to keep their focus. The aim is to prevent the horse from being distracted by events in its peripheral vision, such as the crowd at a racecourse. Check out Paddy’s guide to blinkers here!

A bookie is a slang term for bookmaker. Bookies set odds on sports events like horse races and football matches, and facilitate bets. If you bet with a bookie and win, they will pay your profit. If you lose, they keep your stake.

Booking points is a bet type available when betting on football. A yellow card is worth 10 points and a red card 25 points. You can therefore bet on how many booking points will accumulate in a game. For example: +60.5 booking points in an Old Firm derby. Read more about how booking points work here!

Bookmakers create betting markets and accept bets from punters. Also known as bookies, if you bet at a bookmaker you receive a payout from them if your bet wins. If it loses, the bookmaker keeps your stake.

Both Teams to Score is a football bet, where you back both teams in a match to score a goal. It’s a simple bet and perfect for games where goals are expected to flow! Read more about Both Teams to Score here!

Both Teams to Score & Win is a bigger bet than the traditional BTTS market. Here, you bet on both teams to score a goal and choose which team wins the game.

A break in snooker is the score a player records at a single visit to the table. If a player pots four reds and three blacks before missing a pot, then their break is 25.

A break in tennis occurs when the non-serving player or doubles partnership wins a game against the server. Breaks in men’s singles tennis are hugely significant and can cause the odds to swing wildly. The women’s singles game is less reliant on breaks of serve.

Horse racing boasts five British Classics that run during the summer in the flat season. These are Group 1 races that are highly prestigious. The five Classics are: 2000 Guineas Stakes, 1000 Guineas Stakes, The Oaks, The Derby, St Leger Stakes

A horse is brought down if it falls due to another horse, rather than it falling on its own. You’ll see () on a racecard to indicate a horse having been brought down.

The bullseye is the centre of the dart board and worth 50 points. In darts, players must finish either on a double or the bullseye.

A National Hunt flat race for young or inexperienced horses.

A bumper horse race is run during the National Hunt season but without any jumps. It’s used to help horses transition from flat racing to jumps, and get accustomed to the softer ground experienced over the winter months. Read our Bumper Horse Race guide here!

A Burlington Bertie is a slang term for odds of 100/30.

Scoring more than the remaining total, voiding the throw.

Buying points are used in spread betting to move the line in your favour. The odds shift for each additional point on the line you buy. It’s more common in America when betting on basketball and baseball. Read more about Sports Spread Betting in our detailed guide!

Winning by a nose is the shortest official distance a horse can win a race by.

A Canadian is made up of five selections, which come together to create 26 bets. That includes 10x doubles, 10x trebles, 5x four-folds, and 1x five-fold. Read our Canadian Bet Guide here for more info.

A carpet is a slang term in horse racing for odds of 3/1. A double carpet refers to odds of 33/1.

You can earn a cash back bonus with Paddy Power during selected promos. Our Money Back as Cash if You Lose promotion gives players their stake back as cash up to the value of £/€10. Read more about cash back promos here!

Cash out is an option when betting live at Paddy Power to end your bet early and ‘cash out’ your winnings. For example, you might bet on Scotland to beat Brazil at 4/1 and ‘cash out’ when Scotland take the lead in the 21st minute. You won’t earn your full winnings but at least you earn a payout. You can cash out on most live sports at Paddy Power, including football, NFL, basketball and tennis.

A century is scored when a batter makes 100 runs in a cricket match. A popular bet is to back an opening batter to score a century in a test match.

A century break in snooker is when a player scores 100 or more from one visit to the table. You can bet on century breaks at Paddy Power.

Chalk refers to the betting favourite. If a horse is the chalk then it is the big favourite in a race. This slang term is very rarely used these days.

The Champion Hurdle is one of the most iconic races at the Cheltenham Festival. It is a Grade One National Hunt race with a £440,000 purse.

A steeplechase run over large fences.

The combination of darts used to finish a leg on a double.

Cheekpieces are strips of sheepskin attached to the bridle and sit on a horse’s cheek. They partially obscure the peripheral vision of a horse so that it’s less likely to be distracted. Read all about cheekpieces in horse racing here!

Horses that run in a Claiming Race are up for sale, and can be ‘claimed’ for a set price before the race begins. Read more about claiming races in our guide!

Classes in horse racing indicate the standard of a race. Flat racing uses class bands created through the Official Rating system to operate seven classifications. Class 1 races feature the best-rated horses in the country. See our guide to horse racing classifications here.

A clean sheet is a football term generally used for goalkeepers who get through a game without conceding a goal. If England beat Germany 2-0, then England’s goalkeeper kept a clean sheet. You can bet on clean sheets and other goals markets with Paddy Power.

The clerk of the course is responsible for all grounds conditions at a race course, such as the turf, fences, hurdles, stables, and facilities.

The closing line value (CLV) is the difference between the handicap line that a bettor bets on, and the line when the market closes. For example, you bet on the Patriots to beat the Jets with a closing line of -3 points. The line then shifts to -1 point before kick off, meaning you secured a positive CLV.

A co-favourite is a horse, athlete or team that is priced as the favourite in the market alongside someone else. For example, England and France might both be co-favourites at 4/1 to win the World Cup. It’s also known as a joint-favourite.

A colt it a male racehorse aged four years or younger that hasn’t been castrated. They often end up running in the Grand National and other major National Hunt races.

A combination forecast allows you to make between three and six selections in a race and state that any of these picks can finish in the top two places. If you choose three horses then you’ll make six forecast bets overall.

A combination tricast allows you to make multiple selections in a race and state that any of these picks can finish in the top three places. You can choose more than three horses and accept that some of your bets won’t win.

Connections in horse racing are anyone who is directly associated with a horse. This primarily means the owner and trainer. A horse with ‘good’ connections may have a better chance of winning their race.

Contrarian betting is a US strategy that suggests you bet against the popular choice. For example, if everyone is backing England to win the ICC World Cup, the contrarian bettor would back India at wider odds. Contrarian betting offers bigger rewards if you win, but naturally comes with bigger risks.

A conversion in rugby is when a player kicks the ball through the posts following a try. Do it successfully and the player earns an extra two points for their team in rugby league and rugby union.A penalty conversion in rugby union is worth three points.

A corners match bet lets punters bet on which team will earn the most corners in a football match. Read about football corner betting here!

Correct score betting is when you predict the exact score of a sporting event. This could be the correct final score in football, the correct set score in tennis, or even the correct score in a cricket Test series.

Coupled horses is a practice used in France and America where your bet covers more than one horse. Horses that are owned or trained by the same person can be ‘coupled’ and effectively run as one entry.

A cover bet is a secondary bet that punters place to ‘cover’ their potential losses, should their initial bet lose. For example, you might bet £20 on England to beat Germany 2-0 but also throw a ‘cover’ bet for Germany to score, so your risk is reduced.

A dam is the mother of a horse. The dam is listed on the horse’s card, so owners, trainers and punters know the lineage of the horse. If a three-year-old’s dam won the Cheltenham Gold Cup a decade ago, then that suggests this young horse will be a good runner too. Read about sires and dams here!

A dead heat is a betting term when two athletes or horses cross the finish line at exactly the same time. In horse racing betting, dead heats are given when a photo finish cannot split the runners. See what happens to your bet when a dead heat happens.

Decimal odds show how much you get back (return) from a £1 bet. For example, if you bet £1 on England to beat Germany at odds of 3.00, then you return £3 (£2 profit + £1 stake) should they win.

Deposit methods are the types of payment transactions available to punters at a betting site. Deposit methods include debit card payments, Apple Pay, PayPal transactions, and e-wallets. Check out the current Paddy Power deposit methods here!

There are two definitions of ‘derby’ in sport. The term originates from the Epsom Derby, a horse race that first ran in 1780. Big horse races – such as the Kentucky Derby and Irish Derby – still use the term to this day. For team sports, a derby is a match where two rivals based closely together face each other. Examples include the Merseyside Derby in Liverpool, and the Old Firm in Glasgow.

A dime in sports betting is slang for a $1000 bet.

The dime line is an American betting term that suggests there is only 10¢ difference between two teams. For example, in baseball the favourite might be priced at -130 and the underdog at +120. The difference is effectively the house edge.

Distance in horse racing is the winning distance between the first and second horse. The winning distance can range from a nose to any amount of lengths.

A dividend is the payout punters earn when winning a tote bet. These are different to straight-up bets because you win a share of all winning bets in a big pool. Tote betting is primarily focused on horse racing.

A double is a combination bet where you back two outcomes. For example, you could bet on England to beat Germany and Scotland to beat Spain in a double bet. Read more about bets in a double here!

A double 20 in darts is a common throw when a player hits the very top position of the dart board. Players must finish a leg on a double, and double 20 often becomes the easiest throw to make.

A double carpet is a slang term in horse racing for odds of 33/1. A carpet refers to odds of 3/1.

A double chance is a bet where you back two of three outcomes. It’s most common in football betting, where you back Home/Draw, Draw/Away or Home/Away. The odds are smaller because you have two chances of winning the bet, not one. Check out our double chance in betting guide for tips on mastering this bet.

A basketball player nails a double double if they achieve two of the following five outcomes in a game: records the most points, most rebounds, most assists, most steals, or most blocked shots.

A double result is the American version of the HT/FT bet. You bet on which team is winning at half time, and which team wins the overall game.

A double twenty, worth 40 points.

Dozen winning margins is a rugby league bet, where you back a team to win within a specific score margin ranging in 12s. For example, you can bet on Leeds to beat Warrington with margin of 1-12 points.

A draw in betting is any result where the final score is even. For example, a 1-1 draw in football, or a 12-12 draw in rugby. A cricket Test match can be a draw, as can a darts match. If you’re betting on the draw in a match bet situation then it will look like this: ‘X’.

Draw No Bet is a market at Paddy Power usually applied to football, where your bet on the end result is void if the match ends in a draw. For example, you can bet on England to beat Germany Draw No Bet. If England win, you win. If Germany win, you lose. If it’s a draw, you get your stake back.

Want to avoid an unpopular bet? Betting odds drift when they get longer, which implies fewer people are betting on that outcome. It’s common in horse racing, where a horse’s price can drift (expand) because no-one is interested in betting on it. Say a horse is priced at 4/1 but then goes out to 6/1. That’s a drift.

Ever fancied splitting your stake across two selections? Dutching, or Dutch Betting, involves backing more than one outcome in an event to either spread your risk or enhance your chances of claiming a win. For example, you bet on two horses to win the same race. So long as one wins, you secure a profit. There are types of Dutch Betting, including basic, set-profit and set-stake.

An e-wallet is a payment option available at sports betting sites like Paddy Power. You transfer money to that e-wallet and then deposit into your betting account. You can also withdraw via the same method. Top e-wallets available at Paddy Power include: NETeller, PayPal, PaySafeCard and Skrill. Read more about Paddy Power payment methods here!

Each Way betting is when you split your stake in two when backing a pick. Common in horse racing, half your stake goes on your pick to win, and the other half on it to place. If your horse wins, both sides of your Each Way bet pays out. If it places, only the second half of your bet wins, at a fraction of the total odds. Read more about Each Way betting here!

The English 1000 Guineas, more commonly known as the 1000 Guineas Stakes, is a Group 1 flat horse race for three-year-old fillies. It is one of the five British Classic races run throughout the flat season.

The English 2000 Guineas, also known as the 2000 Guineas Stakes, is a Group 1 flat horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Newmarket every spring and is one of the five British Classic races run throughout the flat season.

Enhanced Odds is a type of sports betting promotion where the odds of an outcome are purposely widened. For example, Paddy might enhanced odds – or an odds boost – on England to beat Germany. Instead of being priced at 2/1, their enhanced odds push the price out to 5/1.

The Epsom Derby is one of the oldest horse races still in existence. First run in 1780, it is a one-and-a-half mile race for three-year-old colts and fillies staged during the flat season. It is one of the five British Classics that run each summer. The Derby lends its name to other big events – such as the Kentucky Derby or a demolition derby – and is the origin of ‘derby’ in the sense of a rivalry.

Esports are a collection of video games where professional and amateur gamers compete against each other. Top Esports include COD, Fifa and League of Legends. You can bet on Esports at Paddy Power and follow your favourite gamers and teams in global tournaments.

A European Handicap in betting is where you add or deduct a whole number to the final score of a sporting event, such as a football match. So, if you bet on England to beat Germany with a -2 handicap, they need to win by three goals or more for you to win your bet.

Evens is another term for odds that carry a 50% probability. The odds are 1/1, meaning you earn as profit whatever your stake is. An Evens bet looks like 2.00 for decimal odds, and +100 for American odds.

An Exotic bet is an American term for all types of combination bets on horse racing. Rather than placing single bets on a win, place or show, exotics require you to make selections across two or more races. Types of exotic bet include Exacta, Trifecta and Superfecta.

Expected Goals is a metric used in football analysis to display how many goals a team should have scored in a game, compared to how many they actually scored. Unsurprisingly, Expected Goals have no bearing on the end result or your bet!

Extra Places is a horse betting promotion, where your Each Way bet covers more places than usual. For example, a race featuring eight horses might only have three places for the EW bet. But the ‘Extra Places’ promo extends that to four places.

Betting on the Fastest Lap in F1 is a simple bet where you back a driver to record the quickest single lap time in a grand prix. Said driver earns a single point for recording the fastest lap and you can earn a decent profit if you predict it right? Betting on the Fastest Lap is often a good choice when one driver is dominating the race odds.

The Favourite in betting is whichever team, horse, or athlete has the shortest odds to win an event. For example, France might be the favourite to win the World Cup. The shorter the odds, the more likely that bet is to win.

Fell is a term found on race cards in horse racing that indicates a horse fell in a previous race. This helps you gauge the horse’s ability, particularly over jumps.

The Field in betting means the rest of the competitors not listed in the odds. For example, you could bet on England, Germany, Spain or The Field to win the next World Cup.
Betting on The Field means you win your bet if England, Germany and Spain fail to lift the trophy. It’s a common bet in individual sports, such as tennis and golf.

A Field Goal is scored in American Football when a player kicks the ball through the upright posts, either via a placekick or dropkick. A field goal is worth three points.

A Filly is a female racehorse aged four years or younger. Races open to fillies only include the 1000 Guineas and the Kentucky Oaks.

You can bet on the first and last goalscorer in a football match, rugby match (point scorer), or other sport where individuals score. Strikers are more likely to be first and last goalscorers in football compared to defenders.

First Corner is a football bet available at Paddy Power, where you bet on which team will be awarded a corner first. It’s a decent bet if you think one team will start faster than the other.

A First Half Bet is also known as a Half Time bet, where you predict which team or individual is winning at the halfway stage of a game or match. It’s a common bet in football and NFL.

Fixed Odds is a bet type that most bookmakers deal with. Rather than offering an exchange (where punters bet against each other) a fixed odds bookmaker offers a price and punters bet on against the bookie. Paddy Power is a fixed odds bookie, while Betfair operates an exchange.

A Flag Bet is a combination of 23 bets created from the following selections: six doubles, four trebles, one four-fold accumulator, and six up-and-down singles. It’s most commonly used in horse racing. Learn more about how flag bets work in our guide here!

Flat Betting is a strategy where you bet exactly the same amount on every bet you place, regardless of the odds. For example, you always bet £5 no matter what the bet is. The point of Flat Betting is to remain consistent with your stakes, so you can budget better.

Fold’ is a term that helps show how many bets you have combined in an accumulator bet. A four-fold is an acca with four selections. A six-fold is one with six.

Forecast betting in horse racing is where you predict the top two finishers of a race. A straight forecast (SF) is where you predict the first and second finishers in the correct order. A reverse forecast (RF) means the horses can finish in either order. Forecasts are a good way to start developing your betting knowledge without it getting too complicated!

Form describes the latest results of a horse, athlete or team. A football player might be described as being on ‘good form’ if they have scored five goals in three games. Likewise, a horse that has won or placed in each of its last six races is deemed to be a great form. Form is one of the main factors that affect betting odds and is something most punters look to before placing a bet.

Fourballs is a type of golf match. Four players each have a ball, and each hole is decided on who sinks their ball first. The Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup use the fourballs format for some matches, where two players from each team compete with a ball of their own across 18 holes. Read our guide to fourballs and foursomes in golf here!

Foursomes is a type of golf match. Four players compete in teams of two, with each team having one ball. Each hole is decided on who sinks their ball in the fewest shots. The Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup use the foursomes format to score tournament points. Read our guide to fourballs and foursomes in golf here!

Fractional odds look complicated but they’re not too difficult to figure out. Fractional odds show how much profit you earn from a certain stake. For example, if you bet £1 on England to beat Germany at odds of 4/1, then you earn £4 profit should they win. Odds like 15/8 and 7/2 get more complicated, so why not use our odds calculator to help understand what’s going on?

A snooker match is split into frames. Each frame is a single game where the player who scores the most points win the frame. Matches are determined in a best-of-X format. So, if a match is best-of-15 then a player needs to win eight frames to win the contest. With frame betting, you can either bet on who will win a particular frame, or bet on the correct final score in the match.

A free bet is any type of betting promo where you don’t stake any of your own money. For example, Paddy’s welcome offer hands out £30 in free bets when you sign up and bet a fiver. Your free bets are credited to your account and come with a few T&Cs. If you win a free bet, you keep the profit (not the stake too).

The Full-Time Result is a bet most commonly used in football, where you predict the outcome of a match. You’re not betting on the score, just on the result. Sports like rugby and NFL have slightly different Full-Time Result odds compared to football because draws are so rare.

A furlong is one-eighth of a mile, 660 feet, or 201 metres. It is a distance commonly referred to in horse racing. For example, the Grand National distance is 4 miles and 2½ furlongs.

GamCare is a UK-based charity that supports people suffering from gambling addiction and other related issues. For more information visit the GamCare website or Paddy’s Safer Gambling page.

A game in tennis is part of the sport’s scoring system. A player needs to win four points to win a game, and six games to win a set. Points in games go as follows: 15, 30, 40, Game. If both players reach 40-40 then a deuce is played, where a player needs to win two points in a row from deuce to win the game.

A gelding is a male horse that has been castrated. Most National Hunt horses are gelded. Discover the difference between race horses here!

Goalscorer is a common term found in football betting, which refers to the player who scores a goal. Types of goalscorer bets include first/last goalscorer and anytime goalscorer. Check out these goalscorer betting tips!

The going is a term in horse racing to describe the conditions of the racecourse. For example, if there is heavy rain on the course then the going might be deemed ‘heavy’. If it hasn’t rained for a month then the going could be ‘firm’. Here are the types of going in horse racing.

The Gold Cup usually refers to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is one of the most prestigious races in horse racing. It is the crowning event at Cheltenham Festival each year and is open to Grade 1 National Hunt horses aged five and up. Check out the latest Cheltenham Tips for advice on Gold Cup betting.

A Goliath bet consists of eight selections that come together to make 247 total bets: 28 doubles, 56 trebles, 70 four-folds, 56 five-folds, 28 six-folds, eight seven-folds and one eight-fold acca. If you plan to place a Goliath then why not use Paddy’s Goliath Bet Calculator!

Go The Distance is a sporting term where a horse, athlete or team completes the event in question. A horse is said to be able to ‘go the distance’ when it’s tipped to win a gruelling race. A boxer can ‘go the distance’ and compete across all 12 rounds before the match is settled on points. In baseball, a pitcher ‘goes the distance’ if they pitch all nine innings.

Grade Races are a select class of horse race, where the runners all have an Official Rating. There are three Grades (One, Two and Three) that host the very best National Hunt horses. A horse can move up a grade by winning and placing in races, which increases its OR. Read more about how grade races work here!

The Grand National is perhaps the most famous horse race in the world. It features 34 horses running 4 miles and 2½ furlongs over 30 jumps at Aintree Racecourse. Fans often bet on the Grand National or create sweepstakes with friends, family and colleagues each year.

Group Races are types of races run in the Flat season. They are the best races and are divided into Group 1, 2 and 3. Horses have to earn their place in Group Races by winning other races to increase their Official Rating. Read more about Group Races here!

Group Round Betting in boxing is when you bet on the fight to stop across a certain band of rounds. For example, you could group rounds 1 and 5 together and bet the fight will finish in one of those rounds. Group Round Betting is a great way to widening your chances of winning a boxing bet, although the odds are shorter than single round betting.

A Half Time Full Time bet is where you predict the result at half time and full time, usually in a football game. There are nine possible HT/FT outcomes: Home/Home, Home/Draw, Home/Away, Draw/Home, Draw/Draw, Draw/Away, Away/Away, Away/Draw, Away/Home. Learn more about types of football bet here!

When you bet on the Half Time Result, you predict which team or individual will be winning a match at the halfway stage. This is most common in football, rugby and NBA betting where there is a distinct half time.

Half Time Score in betting is when your predict what the correct score will be at the halfway stage of a match. It’s a common bet in football, hockey and NFL, although sports like rugby and basketball is harder to predict due to the high scores.

Betting on the Half With Most Goals is a football bet where you predict which half features the most goals. Premier League games generally feature more goals in the second half.

A halter in horse racing is a loose-fitting set of straps attached to a horse’s head when they are in the stables. The halter is replaced by a bridle when the horse is preparing to race. Read our guide to horse racing halters here!

A race in which horses carry different weights to level their chances.

A handicap is a type of betting market where the score is adjusted to even out the odds. In football, England might be given a -2.5 goal handicap in a match against Estonia. If you back England to win -2.5 then they’ll need to win by three goals for you to win your bet. The point of a handicap is to reduce the odds of an outsider and inflate the odds of a favourite, to make both options more interesting to bet on. Here’s all you need to know about handicap betting.

A handicap in horse racing is a type of race where horses carry different weights, in order to even out the contest. Inexperienced horses may carry less weight to give them a chance to compete. The racing industry has official handicappers who determine what weight horses should run with.

A handicapper determined what weights horses should run with. Many races allow deductions to the official weight that each horse carries, so that inexperienced horses and jockeys have a fighting chance to win. Read about how weights in horse racing works here!

A betting handle is the total amount of money placed on market. For example, if 100 people each beat £10 on the Preakness Stakes then the total handle is £1,000.

Hedging in betting is the idea of splitting your stake across more than one outcome, in order to cover you if your big bet doesn’t win. For example, you might stick £10 on England to beat Germany but hedge your bet with a £2 stake on Germany to score twice (and therefore probably deny England a win).

A heinz bet consists of six selections that come together to make 57 total bets: 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, 6 five-folds and one six-fold acca. If you plan to place a heinz then why not use Paddy’s Heinz Bet Calculator!

The hook is a term used in spread betting for the last half-number on a spread. For example, if the spread moves from -4 to -4.5 then that final -0.5 is the hook. You might hear the spread being referred to as ‘-4 plus the hook’.

Horse ratings are calculations that determine how ‘good’ a racehorse is, for handicapping purposes. If a horse is highly rated then they can enter bigger races. Lose a few races and the horse’s Official Rating will fall. Read more on why horses have different ratings.

A jump race over smaller obstacles than a steeplechase.

Hurdles and fences are jumps that racehorses vault when running in National Hunt races. Hurdles are shorter, coming up to a minimum height of 3ft 6in. Fences are taller and made of more robust material, and start from 4ft 6in. The highest fence in horse racing is The Chair at the Grand National, which is 5ft 2in. Read about hurdles and fences in Paddy’s guide!

IBAS is an independent dispute service that oversees issues between punters and licensed UK bookmakers. Punters can raise disputes with IBAS via their website. Please note that IBAS has no ability to act on disputes with unlicensed bookmakers of those situated outside the UK.

Implied probability is the percentage likelihood of a bet happening. For example, an Evens bet of 1/1 (2.00) has a 50% probability. The bigger the odds, the less chance of the bet winning.

Betting on an event while it is in progress.

In-play betting is when you bet on live odds as a sports event unfolds. Examples of in-play betting include betting on live football midway through the first half, betting on golf midway through a round, or betting on athletics midway through the marathon. Paddy Power offers extensive in-play betting odds on thousands of sports events each year. Odds change in real time as events unfold, meaning you can time your bets to the opportune moment and lock in the best price.

A joint-favourite in betting occurs when two or more selections are given the lowest odds in the market. So, if England, France and Spain are all 5/1 to win the World Cup then they are joint-favourites. You’ll most often see joint-favourites denoted in horse racing, when two horses lead the market together.

A Jolly is another term for favourite and is used primarily in horse racing betting.

Juice is a slang term in betting for the automatic fee taken by a bookmaker for accepting your bet. It’s a more common thing in US betting where punters bet on points spreads against others. The juice – also known as vigorish – acts as the fee tthe bookie takes for hosting the bet between players.

Juveniles are young horses that are still learning to race. A two-year-old horse is a Juvenile in the Flat season, while the National Hunt juveniles are three years old. Juvenile races help these horses become accustomed to race courses before they begin their racing careers. Check out Paddy’s guide to juvenile horses here!

The Kelly Criterion is a complicated betting system designed to show punters the optimum size of their stake when placing a bet. Here’s the formula: f = (bp – q) / b (f = bet size based on a percentage of your budget; b = the decimal odds; p = probability of winning the bet; q = probability of losing the bet). It’s not a common betting system in the UK and Ireland.

The Kentucky Derby is the most famous horse race in North America and the first leg of the US Triple Crown. It’s a two-minute bolt around the Churchill Downs racetrack and is open to three-year-olds only.

The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes is one of the most prestigious horse races in the UK and Irish calendar, and runs at Ascot every summer. It has a £1.25m prize pot and is open to three-year-olds and up.

King of the Oche is a darts bet where you back a player to win a match, throw the highest checkout, and claim the most 180s. It’s a go-to bet for many punters when a big favourite to taking on an underdog and the match odds are too slim to worth bothering with.

A boxer is knocked down if they are sent to the canvas by a punch from the opposing boxer. Slips and trips don’t count as knock downs. This is important to know for boxing betting fans who put money on a boxer going down at some stage in the contest.

Knuckling is an issue race horses suffer when their hind legs straighten so much that they are at risk of tripping over. It’s not pleasant for the horses and needs to be addressed. Read more in our guide to when a horse knuckles here.

A lay bet – or laying a bet – is when you bet against something happening. It’s a common bet option in exchanges, where you can bet for or against something. For example, you could lay England beating Germany at the World Cup, rather than backing Germany to win.

Laying the points is a term associated with spread betting, where you back the favourite by an amount greater than the spread. It’s a common phrase in US betting but not so much in the UK and Ireland.

A single game within a set, won by reaching zero on a double.

Length is the measure of distance in horse racing that refers to the length of a horse. If a horse wins by eight lengths, it means the runner-up was eight lengths of a horse behind when the winner passed the post.

Odds lengthen when they get bigger in response to no-one betting on that selection. For example, if punters overlook a horse in the ante-post betting markets then the horse’s odds will lengthen. If punters start backing the horse again, its odds will shorten.

You might hear a lot of talk about lines in sports betting. Here in the UK and Ireland we don’t really ‘do’ lines but it’s a big thing in North America. The line is effectively an index and refers to the difference between two outcomes. So, if the Jets are expected to beat the Browns, the line might be -8.5 for New York and +8.5 for Cleveland. This is the line in the point spread, where the bookmaker believes there’s an equal chance of both outcomes.

Line shopping is an American term for shopping around various bookmakers to find the best odds on an event. They call it line shopping because of the moneyline (match odds) and other totals bets that are popular in the US. Here in the UK and Ireland we’d call it ‘shopping around’.

Listed horse races sit under the top brand of Group races in the UK and Ireland (such as Grade races for National Hunt, and Class races for Flat) and apply weight penalties for horses depending on their rating. They are decent races to bet on because the level is usually very competitive.

Live betting in a catch-all term for any betting market that features in-play odds while a sports event is playing out. This could be live odds midway through a football match, a golf tournament, or an athletics race. Live betting odds move depending on what’s happening in the event. If England go 1-0 up against Germany, for example, then their live betting odds to win the match will fall.

Bookmakers like Paddy Power offer live streaming on thousands of sports events every year. Live streaming is when video footage of the event in question plays in real time alongside the odds. You can bet on live odds using the stream to help your decision making. Bookmakers require you to sign in to access live streams and, in the case of horse racing, you’ll also need to place a bet.

Long odds is another term for an outside bet, where a punter wins big money off a small stake. The term originates from horse racing with the idea that odds get longer as the distance between your stake and your potential profit grows. So, if a horse’s odds shift from 4/1 to 19/1 to win, they are now deemed to have long odds.

A long shot in betting is slang for a bet that has little chance of winning. The probability of a long shot might be less than 15%. For example, Finland are a long shot to win the next World Cup.

A Lucky 15 bet consists of four selections that combine to make 15 different bets. These are: 4 singles, 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 fourfold acca. It’s most commonly used in horse racing. You need at least one selection to win in order to claim anything back from a Lucky 15 bet. Here’s how to calculate a Lucky 15.

A Lucky 31 bet consists of five selections that combine to make 31 different bets. These are: 5 singles, 10 doubles, 10 trebles, 5 four-folds, and 1 five-fold acca. It’s most commonly used in horse racing. You need at least one selection to win in order to claim anything back from a Lucky 31 bet. Use Paddy’s Lucky 31 bet calculator here.

A Lucky 63 bet consists of six selections that combine to make 63 different bets. These are: 6 singles, 15 doubles, 20 trebles, 15 four-folds, and 6 five-folds and a six-fold acca. It’s most commonly used in horse racing. You need at least one of your six selections to win in order to claim anything back from a Lucky 61 bet. Learn more about Lucky 63 bets here.

Darts slang for double one, the hardest common finish.

A horse yet to win a race, or a race confined to such horses.

A maiden in cricket is when a bowler completes an over without losing any runs. You can bet on maidens in Paddy Power’s live cricket odds.

A maiden is a horse that has never won a race. Once they win a race, they’re not a maiden. This is important because you can bet on maiden horse races, where the entire field is made up of runners that are yet to taste victory. Learn about maiden horses here!

A typical golf tournament features a cut at the midway point, where half the players are ‘cut away’ from the field and don’t continue the final two days of action. Players need to shoot a low-enough score over two days to ‘make the cut’. You can bet on the cut at Paddy Power when betting on golf.

A mare is a female racehorse aged four and over. There are some races reserved specifically for mares, including the Mares’ Hurdle and the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase at Cheltenham, and the Warfield Mares’ Hurdle at Ascot.

A match in tennis is made up of points, games and sets that culminate in someone (or a doubles pair) winning. Matches are either players across three or five sets. Players need to win six games to claim a set.

Matched betting is where you bet on all outcomes of an event, using a bookmaker’s free bets and offers to help you. For example, you might bet £10 on Chelsea to beat Liverpool and use your free bets to back the draw and Liverpool.

A maximum break in snooker is when a player scores 147 uninterrupted at the table. They need to pot all 15 reds accompanied by blacks, before sweeping up the rest of the colours. You can bet on maximum breaks and other outcomes when betting on snooker at Paddy Power.

Bookmakers apply maximum payouts to most sports in order to help reduce punters from overspending when they bet. For example, the maximum payout for a single football bet is £1m. You can read about Paddy Power maximum payouts here.

Middling is a hedging strategy when spread betting, where you bet on both sides of the spread in the hope of locking in profit regardless of the outcome.

The minimum bet is the smallest amount you can place on an event in order for the bet to be accepted. The minimum stake at Paddy Power is usually £/€0.10. However, if you trigger a promotion the minimum qualifying bet might be £/€5 ot £/€10.

Mobile betting is a term for all bets placed on smartphones or tablets, usually through an app. For example, you can bet on mobile via the Paddy Power app on iOS or Android.

A Money Back as Free Bet deal means you get your stake back as free betting funds if your selection loses. For example, you trigger a Paddy Power ‘Money Back as Free Bet’ deal for an upcoming England game. If England lose then your bet is refunded as a free bet, so you can use it again.

A moneyline is an American term for the match odds of a sports event. For example, if you bet on Scotland to beat Italy in the rugby, then you’ve bet on the moneyline.

A monkey is slang for a £500 bet.

The minimum bet is the smallest amount you can place on an event in order for the bet to be accepted. The minimum stake at Paddy Power is usually £/€0.10. However, if you trigger a promotion the minimum qualifying bet might be £/€5 to £/€10.

NAP is a horse racing tipster’s best tip of the day. It derives from a French card game called Napoleon. Read more about NAPs in our guide here!

A NAPs table is primarily associated with horse racing, where it functions as a league table that compiles the daily “NAP” selections (best bets) from various newspaper tipsters and racing pundits. 

The National Hunt is horse racing’s winter season. The majority of races involve hurdles or fences, which are easier to jump on soft winter racecourses. The summer racing season is called the Flat season. Want to know more? He’s a guide to the three different types of National Hunt race.

Next Goal betting is a simple bet on which team or player will score the next goal. It’s commonly found in football odds, but can also be applicable to ice hockey and handball. You can bet on which team will score the next goal, or a specific player.

A nickel is sports betting jargon for a $500 bet. It’s the American equivalent of a monkey in UK and Irish betting.

A perfect leg of 501 completed in nine darts.

A non-runner is when a horse previously available to bet on withdraws from a race before it starts. In this instance the horse is a non-runner and your stake is returned. However, if you bet on the futures market then the bet is deemed lost. Read about Paddy Power non-runner rules here!

The November Handicap takes place at Doncaster Racecourse every November and marks the end of the Flat season. The race is run over 1m 3f 197y.

A novice chase is a steeplechase race across jumps and ditches open to horses that are yet to win a National Hunt race that season. These horses are deemed novices. The most famous of these races is the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham. Read more about novice chase races here!

A novice hurdle is a race across hurdles open to horses that are yet to win a National Hunt race that season. The most famous of these races is the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, which is open to horses aged four and up. Read more about novice chase races here!

A nursery race is a handicap race for two-year-old horses, sometimes known as a juvenile race. They run in the Flat season and give handicappers a chance to assess horses before they’re three years old. Read more about nursery races with Paddy here!

Oaks races are open to fillies only and originate from the Epsom Oaks, which has run at Epsom Downs since 1779. The term has since spread to other filly-only races, including France’s Prix de Diane, the Irish Oaks, Australia’s Victoria Racing Club Oaks, and the American Oaks. Discover the difference between derby and oaks races here!

The line behind which a player throws, 7ft 9¼in from the board.

Odds show you the chances of something happening, and display how much you stand to win if you bet on that outcome. For example, odds of 4/1 show you’ll win £4 for every £1 staked on a winning bet. Read Paddy’s guide to how odds work here!

Odds-against means the profit you make from a bet is greater than your stake. It derives from the idea that the bookmaker is ‘betting against’ an outcome, which is why they’re happy to pay more if you, the punter, win the bet. The opposite to odds-against is odds-on.

Odds-on means the profit you make from a bet is smaller than your stake. It derives from the idea that the bookmaker is ‘betting on’ an outcome, so they’re unwilling to fork out much if you, the punter, win the bet. A horse that is 1/4 to win is odds-on. The opposite to odds-on is odds-against.

Odds compilers set the odds for sporting events. They use reams of statistical data to find the likelihood of outcomes. So, if England are 1/3 to beat Germany at the World Cup then that’s because an odds compiler has data to suggest they’ll get the job done.

A horse is deemed On the Bridle when it accepts the bit between its teeth and its headgear falls naturally back to the jockey. It’s become a slang term for a horse that is running well. If a horse is Off the Bridle then it’s having issues while running. Read more about horses being on the bridle in our guide!

An optional claimer is a horse race where the competing horses may or may not be put up for sale before it starts. It is a mix of allowance and claiming races, and aims to bring horses of the same standard together. For more info, check out Paddy’s guide to optimal claimers.

OR in horse racing stands for Official Rating. Each horse is given an OR based on their form. If a horse wins races, its OR goes up and it can enter into higher classes of race. Read all about ORs in our guide ‘Why do horses have different ratings?’

Outright is a type of bet that focuses on long-term markets. Examples include which team will win the World Cup, or which athlete will win the 100m final. Outright bets can take months or years to settle, so the odds are usually higher than match or live bets.

An outsider is any selection in sports betting that has less chance of winning than other options. For example, a horse priced at 60/1 to win a race would be considered an outsider. Outsider bets offer higher profit potential, but are less likely to win.

An Over/Under bet is where you bet below (under) or above (over) a statistical line. For example, you could be on over 2.5 goals in a football game. So long as three goals are scored, you win your Over/Under bet. Or you could bet on the highest checkout in a darts match being over 160. If a player nails a 170 checkout then you win your Over/Under bet!

Own goals refer to any instance where a player scores a goal or point for the opposing team. Most commonly found in football betting, own goals do not affect first goalscorer markets. If an own goal is scored then first goalscorer bets carry over to the next goal scored.

A parlay bet is any bet where two or more selections are combined together. It’s the American version of an accumulator or combination bet. Parlays multiply all odds together to create bigger profit potentials. However, your risk also increases with every selection you add.

A patent bet consists of three selections that combine to make seven different bets. These are: 3 singles, 3 doubles and 1 treble. It’s most commonly used in horse racing. You need at least one selection to win in order to claim anything back from a patent bet. Here’s how to calculate a patent.

Bettors receive a payout from a bookmaker when a winning bet settles. For example, if you bet on England to beat Germany at the World Cup and they cruise to a 4-0 victory (yeah, right!) then you’ll win your bet and earn a payout.

Penalty Awarded is a type of football bet, where you bet on a match to feature a penalty, or a team to earn a penalty. So long as a penalty is given and VAR doesn’t reverse the decision, you win your bet!

A photo finish is a term used when the result of a horse, dog or athletics race cannot be determined by the naked eye. In this instance, slow-mo replays and single-image photos are used to find a winner. Photo finishes can sometimes delay the result of a race, but not for long.

Betting picks are the choices tipsters make. For example, Paddy’s tipster Jason Weaver will offer six picks from a race at Newmarket. These are his tips for the day.

Place betting is the act of betting on horses to finish in the top few places of a race. It’s different to win betting, where you back a horse to win. With place betting, you bet ‘each way’ on a horse, so that your stake splits in half. The first half backs it to win, the second half backs it to place. You can see the number of places and the payout split for a place finish on the race card. And guess what? Paddy offers extra places on selected races every day!

A podium finish bet backs a driver to finish in the top three of an F1 Grand Prix. Podium finishes are a smart way to back drivers you know probably won’t win, but will compete towards the front. It’s not like an each way bet in horse racing. Your stake isn’t split and you win if your driver finishes first, second or third.

You can race ponies but few bookmakers ever take bets on these events. Instead, a pony in betting refers to a £25 bet.

A betting pool is a type of bet where punters add their stakes on an event into one big pot. The pool organiser, usually the Tote, holds all the money and pays out dividends to the lucky punters who back the correct outcome. Pool betting can be more profitable than straight odds bets, if you pick the right selection. In America, tote or pool betting is known as pari-mutuel wagering.

Post position in horse racing betting refers to the stall number a horse is positioned in for a race. Post positions, particularly in US horse racing around oval tracks, can influence betting. Horses in posts 1 or 2 might be too close to the rail and get pushed back. Those in posts 19 or 20 might have too much ground to make up out of the gate. Those in the middle? Well, that’s the Goldilocks Zone.

Price in betting is another word for odds. You might hear someone saying the ‘price’ of England to beat Germany is 2/1. Or a horse might be ‘priced’ at 10/1 to win the Grand National.

The Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe is France’s most famous horse race. It is a Group 1 Flat race that takes place every October at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris. Famous Arc winners including Frankie Dettori on Enable (twice) and Thierry Jarnet on Treve (twice).

A promo code in betting is a code you can use to trigger a promotional offer at a bookmaker’s website or app. You might, for example, enter a free bet promo code. Read more about Paddy Power promos here!

Promotions in betting refer to any boosts or offers available to punters at a bookmaker. For example, welcome bonuses and free bets are promotions, as are odds boosts, extra places, and Refer a Friend deals. Read more about Paddy Power promotions here!

A prop bet is an American term for all side bets not directly focused on the outcome of a game or match. For example, betting on corners in football, the number of home runs in baseball, or the colour of an election candidates tie during a TV debate are all considered prop bets. Prop stands for proposition, and derives from the practice of proposing side bets to the main event.

A horse is pulled up when the jockey decides it is unsafe to keep racing, and so pulls the reins to stop the horse from running any further. It occurs most often in National Hunt races when horses leap over jumps, and is part of a jockey’s duty of care. If the horse you back pulls up in a race then you lose your bet.

A punt is another term for a bet, and a punter another term for a bettor. It’s a slang term that originates from baccarat, where you could bet on the Punto/Punt option, meaning to back the player. To take a punt on something is to gamble on an outcome without any guarantee it will happen.

A prop bet is an American term for all side bets not directly focused on the outcome of a game or match. For example, betting on corners in football, the number of home runs in baseball, or the colour of an election canddiate’s tie during a TV debate are all considered prop bets. Prop stands for proposition, and derives from the practice of proposing side bets to the main event.

A push in betting is when a bet settles without either the punter or the bookmaker winning. In this instance, you get your stake ‘pushed’ back to you, like you were playing cards. This might come from a result, such as in Asian Handicaps when betting on football.

Pushed out is a horse racing term to signify when a horse breaks from the pack to lead the race, usually in the final stages. If the horse you’ve backed ‘pushes out’ then you’re probably on for a winner. Read our pushed out guide here!

A racecard is the lineup of horses competing in a race. It shows each horse’s name, number, jockey, connections, form and odds. Punters use racecards to determine which horse to back. Here’s our guide to reading a racecard.

Basketball punters can bet on rebounds in all NBA games. A rebound is awarded to whichever player collects the ball after an unsuccessful shot attempt. Rebounds are awarded for both defensive and offensive plays.

A ‘refer a friend’ bonus rewards punters for recommending their mates to the same bookmaker. The Paddy Power Friends With Benefits offer rewards players with £20 when their friend signs up, deposits and stakes £10.

A horse is deemed to have refused in a race when it doesn’t leave the starting gate or won’t jump a hurdle or fence. You will see R on a racecard if the horse refused in a previous race. Your bet is counted as lost if a horse refuses.

Request a bet is a service many bookmakers provide, where punters can ask for odds not currently displayed. For example, you might request the odds of a lesser-known golfer to shoot below 65 in the first round of the Masters. At Paddy Power, our request a bet service is called #WhatOddsPaddy.

Return is the money that returns to you after a successful bet. It your total profit + stake. So, if you bet £10 on England to beat Germany at 3/1, your total return is £30 + your £10 stake = £40.

A reverse bet is when you make a prediction on the winning order of a race, and include an option for that order to be flipped. For example, if you place a forecast bet in horse racing, you bet on the first and second-placed horses. A reverse forecast means the horses can finish in either order. Reverse bets carry smaller odds but you have more chances of winning.

Betting sites someones apply a rollover requirement to bonus funds, in order to prevent money laundering. Say, for example, you get a £10 free bet with a 5x rollover requirement. You need to re-bet that £10 figure five times before you can access your winnings. Rollover requirements are also known as turnover requirements or, in the US, wagering requirements. Learn more in Paddy’s sports betting rules guide!

A round robin is a multiple bet consisting of three selections, which form to make 10 bets: 3 double bets, 1 treble bet and 3 up-and-down single-stake pair bets (which create 6 in total). It’s a complicated bet structure because of the up-and-down single-stake pairs, making it accessible onto the experienced bettors.

Rule 4 is an odds recalculation method that applies primarily in horse racing when a favourite is withdrawn before a race. The odds of all remaining horses aren’t correct if a favourite withdraws, so Rule 4 is applied. Each horses’ odds are recalculated and deductions made to all payouts based on that calculation. Read more about how Rule 4 works here!

A runner is a slang term used in horse racing to denote a horse competing in a race. For example, if the field for a race at Cheltenham is cut from 10 to eight following two late withdrawals, then there are only eight runners remaining.

A safety car is deployed in Formula One when an incident occurs on the track – such as a crash – that requires the drivers to drive slowly under Yellow Flag conditions. The safety car can result in drivers bunching up, so a leader’s 30-second lead is reduced to nothing. This can have a huge impact on F1 bets.

Scalper is a term for someone who bets on exchanges and picks up small changes in the odds to build a winning position no matter the result. For example, a scalper might bet on two candidates to win the US presidential election at different times in the campaign when both candidates are underdogs. They build a profile where they win on either outcome.

Schooling in horse racing refers to training a horse to correctly jump over fences and hurdles. A horse is deemed to be properly schooled when it can compete in National Hunt races. Sometimes horses are ‘schooled in public’ where they are put into a race without being ready. If race stewards notice this then trainers can be heavily fined. Read all our horse schooling here!

The score in sport is the number of points, goals, or any other numerical format that shows who is winning in an event. You can bet on the final score in football, rugby, tennis, and many other sports.

A scorecast is a type of football bet where you back a player to score first and predict the correct result of a match. For example, betting on England’s No.9 to score first during a win over Germany at the World Cup is a scorecast bet.

A scrimmage yards bet is when you back a player to set a combination of rushing and receiving yards in an American Football game. You can either bet over or under a set number. For example, +/- 110.5 yards.

A selection is another term for a choice of bet. It’s a term primarily used in horse racing betting, where you make your ‘selections’ across a handful of races in a day and add them into an accumulator or combination bet.

A group of legs; a player must win a set number to take it.

A set in tennis is made up of individual games. A player or doubles partnership needs to win six games to win a set, or seven games if the set goes to 5-5. Sets can also be determined by tie-breaks. You can bet on sets in tennis at Paddy Power. Here’s a guide to betting on straight sets!

Set-profit Dutching is a type of Dutch bet where you target a specific profit margin. Say you want to win £10 on a horse race. You split your bet by Dutching between two horses, with a large proportion of your stake on the favourite, and a smaller proportion on the outsider. Your aim is to balance your bets so you get the same payout no matter the outcome, ideally £10. Read Paddy’s guide to Dutch betting for more info.

Set-stake Dutching is a type of Dutch bet where you don’t budge from the size of your bet. Say you have £10 to bet on a horse race. You split your bet by Dutching between two horses, with a large proportion of your stake on the favourite, and a smaller proportion on the outsider. It doesn’t matter what the profit is, you stick to the ratio of your stake split, in order to maintain consistency and control of your balance. Read Paddy’s guide to Dutch betting for more info.

A shadow roll is a strip of padded sheepskin or other material that runs across the bridge of a horse’s nose. It partially blocks the horse’s vision to the ground, so it doesn’t get distracted or spooked. A horse wearing a shadow roll will have ‘SR’ stated on their race card. Read more about how shadow rolls work with Paddy!

Hitting the single, double and treble of the same number.

Shorten in betting is a term for odds that get smaller. If a horse is 8/1 to win a race but then their odds move to 4/1, then they’ve shortened. Likewise, if a horse goes from 4/1 to 8/1, then its odds have widened.

A sin bin in sport is an area outside the field of play, where players who commit an offence must go to sit out their punishment. In rugby, players who receive a yellow card are sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes. Naughty! Sin bins can dramatically affect betting odds, especially in rugby and ice hockey, because a one-player deficit can hurt a team.

A single bet is one selection, so effectively one bet. It’s a term most commonly used in horse racing betting when discussing bet types. You might place a single bet on a race, or a multiple bet covering more than one horse.

A sire is the father of a horse. Punters like to know the sires of racehorses, as it can indicate a good pedigree that might make the horse a more viable bet.

Special bets are a group of bet types that don’t fit into other categories, and might be unique to one sport or event. For example, you might have special bets on a match between England and Germany, where you can bet on a player to score twice and hit the bar, or on a manager to be sent off. Paddy Power has a specials tab when betting on football, cricket, and many other sports.

A sportsbook is a betting site, app or shop run by a bookmaker in the US. It’s basically the American term for a bookie. You can bet at online sportsbooks or visit what they call a ‘brick and mortar’ sportsbook, which is a super-sized betting shop.

If a horse spreads a plate it means its shoe has come off or been dislodged before a race. If there’s time, the horse will be re-shod and the race delayed slightly. Read more about what happens if a horse spreads a plate here!

Spread betting in sport requires you to bet on an outcome, with your final payout or stake based on the accuracy of the bet. It’s not popular in the UK and Ireland, and is more a feature of US sports betting. When spread betting, you have to pay more if your guess is wildly inaccurate, while you win more if it’s nailed on. It all gets a little complicated, so why not read Paddy’s guide to sports spread betting here!

A horse suited to short, fast races up to six furlongs.

In betting, your stake is the money you’re willing to risk in a bet. For example, if you bet £1 on England to beat Germany at the World Cup, then your stake is £1.

Starting price is a bet option available in horse racing betting. You can opt to bet on the current odds of a horse, or on its starting price. If you back the SP, you’re agreeing to accept whatever the final odds are when the race starts. Sometimes the SP can be higher than the current odds, sometimes lower.

A stayer is a term used in horse racing to describe a horse that will likely go the distance in a long race, such as a steeplechase. Stayers develop improved stamina after the age of five, which is why many Grand National winners are aged between eight and 11.

Steam in betting is an American term used to describe a sudden change in the odds on the same event across various bookmakers. Say, for example, a horse is 7/1 to win the Preakness Stakes among 10 betting sites. Suddenly it’s odds crash to 3/1 on most of the sites. This steam leaves bettors scrambling to find value.

A steamer is a bet, usually a horse, that suddenly has reduced odds due to an influx of support from punters. In horse racing, a steamer might come from 12/1 to 4/1 within the space of a few minutes as bettors back the selection in heavy numbers. The opposite of a steamer is a drifter.

Steam in betting is an American term used to describe a sudden change in the odds on the same event across various bookmakers. Say, for example, a horse is 7/1 to win the Preakness Stakes among 10 betting sites. Suddenly its odds crash to 3/1 on most of the sites. This steam leaves bettors scrambling to find value.

An official who enforces the rules of racing on the day.

A steward’s enquiry occurs in horse racing when the race stewards (the referees for the day!) spot something they need to assess after the race is over, or are alerted to an issue. Stewards may call an enquiry to see if a jockey overused their whip, if a horse was being run dangerously. Read Paddy’s guide to steward’s enquiries here!

A straight bet is a simple bet where you back a team, athlete or horse to win, lose or draw. You’re betting on the result of the event, not the score.

A straight forecast is when you bet on the exact two finishing positions of a horse race, in the exact order. The opposite of a straight forecast is a reverse forecast, where your two selections can finish first and second in either order.

A straight sets bet in tennis is where you back a player or doubles partnership to win a match without losing a set. In doing so, they win the match in ‘straight sets’. Read Paddy’s straight sets betting guide here!

Stud is a term in horse racing for when a male racehorse retires and is sent on a breeding programme. They are said to have ‘gone to stud’ and their owners can charge stud fees. Racehorse owners try and pair up mares and stallions in the hope of breeding lightning-fast horses from lightning-fast genes. Now check out Paddy’s guide: What does it mean when a horse goes to stud?

A super flag bet consists of five selections that combine to make 46 different bets. These are: 10 doubles, 10 trebles and 5 fourfolds, 1 fivefold, and 10 paired Single Stakes About Bets. It’s most commonly used in horse racing in the US.

A super heinz bet consists of seven selections that combine to make 120 different bets. These are: 21 doubles, 35 trebles, 35 fourfolds, 21 fivefolds, 7 sixfolds, and 1 sevenfold acca. It’s most commonly used in horse racing. You need at least two selections to win in order to claim anything back from a super heinz bet. Here’s how to calculate a Super Heinz.

A teaser bet is available in the US, where you effectively place an accumulator on various points spreads and are allowed to tweak the spread in your favour, albeit taking a reduced payout at the same time.

Tic-Tac is a form of sign language bookmakers once used at horse races to indicate to each other what their latest odds on each horse were. Doing this meant no bookie was wildly off the others in terms of pricing each horse.

A tie in cricket betting is not the same as a draw. Whereas a draw in cricket occurs when both sides fail to complete their innings, a tie in cricket happens when the scores are level at the end of the match. Ties are rare, which means the odds of a tie in cricket are huge. Draws, particularly in England due to the weather, are much more common.

A tipster is a betting expert who does their research and offers betting tips to other punters. Paddy has plenty of horse racing tipsters to follow, while you can get football tips, NFL tips, and advice on many other sports at Paddy Power News!

Boxing, UFC and other martial arts sports often have a TKO bet option. TKO stands for Technical Knockout, when a fighter is struck down and is able to get back on their feet, but it still counted out by the referee who deems them unfit to continue fighting. It’s a common bet option in boxing, especially the heavyweight division.

A score of 100 or more with three darts.

A tongue tie is a piece of equipment horses wear during races to keep their tongues from falling back in their throats. The aim is to prevent the horse from choking itself when it is running. Check out Paddy’s guide to tongue ties here!

To Score In Both Halves is a bet, where you can a player or a team to score in the first and the second halves of a match. It’s a common bet in football, particularly when a game features a heavy favourite against a weak defence.

Totals in betting is another term for over/under bets, where you back a number to fall above or below a particular line. For example, you might bet on the total number of goals scored in a World Cup match, at either above or below 3.5 goals. Or you might bet on the total number of points an NBA player scores in a game, above or below 20.5.

The Tote is a betting organisation that pools bets on a particular event into one big pot. Winners aren’t paid out in odds value, but instead earn a share of the Tote pot as dividends amongst themselves. So, 10,000 punters bet on a horse race but only you and nine other people back the winner, then you all earn a 10% of the final pot.

A touchdown is a score in American Football when a player takes the ball into the end zone. It’s worth five points. You can bet on touchdowns and loads of other NFL bets at Paddy Power.

To Win Both Halves is a bet, where you back a team to win the first and second halves of a game. It’s different to the HT/FT bet because your team needs to win both halves, rather than be leading at HT and then win the match. It’s a great bet if you’re backing a heavy favourite whose odds to win are too short to worth bothering with.

The bet ‘To Win Either Half’ backs a team to win at least one of the halves of a game, usually in football. It’s a great option if you’re backing an underdog, and also means a team could earn you a win if they’re 4-0 down at half time.

Betting on a team to Win From Behind means backing on them to win a game having been losing at one stage. For example, you might back England to beat New Zealand from behind in a rugby game. So long as England win having at one stage been losing (which is likely!) then you’ll win your bet.

If you bet on a team To Win To Nil, it means you’re backing them not to concede and win the match. This is a pretty simple bet in football when you’re backing heavy favourites and want to squeeze extra value out of the odds. It’s not recommended for rugby betting!

A treble is a combination bet where you back three outcomes. For example, you could bet on Ireland to beat France, England to beat Germany and Scotland to beat Estonia in a treble bet. Read more about treble bets here!

A Treble 20 is an area of a dart board worth 60 points. It forms the intersection between the 20 slice of the board, and the treble ring. Throw three treble 20s to get a maximum 180 from a single round at the oche.

A bet on three selections, all of which must win.

A tricast is where you correctly pick the first three finishers of a race in the correct order. It’s a common bet option in horse racing and greyhounds. Read more about how tricast bets work here!

There are a lot of triple crowns in horse racing. A horse wins the US Triple Crown when it wins the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in a single year. The English Triple Crown consists of the St Leger, the 2000 Guineas, and the Derby. Read Paddy’s guide to the Triple Crown in horse racing here!

A triple double in NBA betting is a statistic for a player who reaches double digits in a game across three of the following five stats: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

A trixie bet requires you to make three selections and combine them to create four separate bets: 3 doubles and 1 treble. You need at least two of your three selections to win, in order to earn a trixie payout. Read more about how trixie bets work here!

The UK Gambling Commission is the regulator for all gambling activity in the United Kingdom. The UKGC approves and issues licences for bookmakers and casinos, oversees the lottery, and ensures disputes are properly dealt with. Sites not issued a UKGC licence are not regulated in the UK, and therefore are illegal sites.

A Union Jack is a multiple bet consisting of nine selections, which form to make 56 bets: 8 trebles, 24 doubles and 24 singles. You win a return so long as one of your nine selections win.

A value bet is any bet where you think the odds offer greater value than the actual chances of the outcome. For example, if England are 5/1 to beat Germany but you think they should be priced shorter at 2/1, then this is a value bet worth considering.

VAR (video assistant referee) is an additional official in football who is able to advise on overturning decisions made on the field based on video replays. The VAR can suggest on-field referees reassess decisions like red cards and fouls that lead to penalties. They can also overturn decisions such as offsides. VAR was meant to reduce the controversy in football but supporters and pundits always find something to complain about!

Vig is short for vigorish, which is the take a bookmaker will earn from hosting a bet. For example, if you were to bet on the toss in cricket, it’s a 50/50 bet, right? Well, the bookmaker builds in a profit margin for taking all bets, which is why coin tosses are priced at 5/6 rather than Evens

Virtual sports are computerised simulations of sports like football, tennis and basketball that you can bet on. It has become hugely popular in horse racing and greyhounds betting, and was a TV hit in 2020 when the Grand National was run virtually due to Covid-19.

A bet cancelled with the stake returned.

A wage is the amount of money or value that a better is willing to risk on a particular bet’s outcome. This can range from small bets on simple games to large sums wagered on complex sporting events.

A wagering requirement (also known as turnover requirement) is sometimes added to promotional funds provided by a betting site. You are required to re-bet your bonus amount a number of times before you can withdraw your winnings. For example, if you get a £10 free bet with 5x wagering, then you’ll need to bet £50 in total before you can withdraw.

In horse racing, a jockey must keep the same weight throughout the race in order to ensure fairness in the handicapping system. Therefore, jockeys ‘weigh out’ by weighing themselves plus their equipment before the race. After the race, the jockey takes all their equipment again and ‘weights in’ to ensure they didn’t sneakily shed any weights.

A weight cloth in horse racing is a piece of material that falls over the saddle, where jockeys can add their weights. Handicappers set the weights that must be added to saddles, and these weights come in the form of lead pieces that slip into the weight cloth.

Weights in boxing refers to the different weight categories across the sport. Boxers are split into these categories to make fights fair. In men’s professional boxing weights range from strawweight (47.6 kg) up to heavyweight (+90.7kg).

Weights in horse racing are small pieces of lead that are placed in a weight cloth on a horse’s saddle. Weights are added as part of horse racing’s handicapping system, which aims to even out the ability of horses in a race. If a horse has a high rating, for example, then it will receive more weights.

A betting welcome offer is a deal for new players, who receive free bets, extra cash, better odds, or another perk as a prize for signing up to a betting site. Check out Paddy Power’s latest welcome offer here!

Wind surgery is a process in horse racing where a horse has an operation on their windpipe to help with its breathing. Horses will have WS on their racecard if they are coming back from wind surgery. Read more about wind surgery in Paddy’s guide!

Winning Margin in a term on betting that can be used to set a market. For example, in horse racing you can bet on the winning margin of a race – whether that be a nose, a head, a length, or more. In other sports, the winning margin might be the correct number of goals a football team wins a match by, or the points band an F1 driver wins the world title by.

A wire-to-wire bet is when you back a team or individual to be leading at each break in a game. It’s most commonly found in NBA betting, where you back a team to lead at the end of each quarter. In that sense, it’s a lot like a HT/FT bet in football.

A withdrawal is the process of taking your money out of your betting account. You can withdraw your winnings to the bank account you made your deposit, or to e-wallets like PayPal. The UK does not permit cryptocurrency withdrawals, and any site offering this service is not regulated by the UKGC.

A horse can be withdrawn from a race before it’s even begun, which can affect your bet. If the race card was already published and you placed your bet on the withdrawn horse then you get your stake refunded. If you bet on the ante-post market then you lose the bet. If the withdrawn horse had low odds then Rule 4 might kick in.

Bookmakers will sometimes use X to symbolise a draw in betting. That’s because one way to describe a match bet is a 1X2 bet. Here, “1” symbolises a home win, “X” a draw, and “2” an away win.

A Yankee bet consists of four selections that combine to make 11 different bets. These are: 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 fourfold acca. It’s most commonly used in horse racing. You need at least two selections to win in order to claim anything back from a Yankee bet. Learn more about Yankee Bets here!

A yearling horse is aged between one and two years old and it’s yet ready for proper racing. Read Paddy’s yearling horse guide for everything you’d ever want to know about them!