A plain-English glossary of the terms you meet in match previews, pools coupons and commentary - what each one actually means, with a quick example.
A bet on the total number of goals by both teams combined. Over 2.5 wins if the match ends with 3 or more goals; Under 2.5 wins with 2 or fewer. The half (the ".5") means there can never be an exact tie on the line, so the bet always wins or loses outright.
ExampleA 2-1 result (3 goals) wins Over 2.5. A 1-1 result (2 goals) wins Under 2.5.
Same idea on a lower line. Over 1.5 needs 2+ goals in the match; Under 1.5 needs 0 or 1. A popular "safer" goals line in low-scoring leagues.
ExampleA 1-0 game (1 goal) wins Under 1.5. A 2-0 game wins Over 1.5.
Over 3.5 needs 4+ total goals; Under 3.5 needs 3 or fewer. Used for matches expected to be high- or low-scoring.
ExampleA 3-1 result (4 goals) wins Over 3.5.
BTTS - Yes (often written GG, "goal-goal") wins when both teams score at least one goal. BTTS - No (NG, "no-goal") wins when at least one team fails to score.
ExampleA 2-1 result is GG (both scored). A 3-0 result is NG (one team blanked).
A team keeps a clean sheet when it concedes zero goals in the match. Offered as its own market ("Team to keep a clean sheet").
ExampleA side winning 1-0 or drawing 0-0 has kept a clean sheet.
Your selected team must win and not concede. Both conditions have to be true.
ExampleA 2-0 home win settles "Home win to nil". A 2-1 win does not.
The classic three-way market on 90-minute result. 1 = home win, X = draw, 2 = away win.
ExampleBacking "1" wins if the home team is ahead at full time.
Covers two of the three results at once, for lower odds. 1X = home win or draw; X2 = draw or away win; 12 = either team wins (no draw).
Example"X2" wins if the away team wins or the match is drawn.
A bet on a team to win, with the draw taken out. If your team wins you are paid; if it is a draw your stake is refunded (the bet is void); if your team loses, you lose.
ExampleBack Home DNB: 1-0 pays out, 1-1 refunds your stake, 0-1 loses.
Predict the result at both half-time and full-time. Written as two symbols, e.g. X/1 = draw at the break, home win by the end. Higher odds because both parts must be right.
Example"X/1" wins if it is level at half-time and the home side wins the game.
A 90-minute tie. In football pools, a score draw (1-1, 2-2 and so on) is the key result coupons are built around - see our weekly pools results.
ExampleA 2-2 final score is a score draw; 0-0 is a no-score draw.
A handicap gives one team a virtual head start or deficit in goals before kick-off, to level an uneven match. The bet settles on the adjusted score rather than the real one.
ExampleWith Home -1, a real 2-0 win becomes an adjusted 1-0 - still a winning bet.
A whole-goal handicap that keeps the draw as an option. After applying the handicap, the bet can still settle as home / draw / away - three outcomes.
ExampleAway +1: a real 1-1 becomes an adjusted 1-2 away "win" on the handicap.
A handicap that removes the draw, usually in half or quarter goals (-0.5, -1, +1.5, -0.75). Quarter lines split your stake across two lines. On a whole-number line, an adjusted tie refunds the stake (a "push").
Example-0.5 is the same as a straight win bet; the team must win by 1+.
-1.5 means your team must win by 2 or more goals. +1.5 means your team must either win, draw, or lose by only one goal.
ExampleUnderdog +1.5 wins the bet on a 2-1 defeat (lost by one) or any draw/win.
Several selections combined into one bet. The odds multiply together for a bigger potential return, but every leg must win - a single loss means the whole bet loses.
ExampleFour 1.50 selections combine to 5.06 odds; one upset and it all goes.
Predict the exact final scoreline. High odds because it is hard to hit precisely.
ExampleBacking 2-1 only wins if the game finishes exactly 2-1.
A named player must score at any point in the match. Related markets: first goalscorer and last goalscorer.
ExampleAn "Osimhen anytime" bet wins whether he scores first, last or in between.
Totals markets on events other than goals - e.g. Over 9.5 corners or Over 3.5 cards (bookings), settled the same way as goal totals.
ExampleOver 3.5 cards needs 4 or more bookings across the match.
The same price written three ways. Decimal 2.50, Fractional 6/4, American +150 all mean the same thing. Decimal is simplest: stake x odds = total return (stake included).
ExampleA 1,000 naira stake at 2.50 returns 2,500 (a 1,500 profit).
Your stake is the amount you put on. Returns = stake x decimal odds and already include your stake back. Profit is returns minus stake.
ExampleStake 500 at 3.00 -> returns 1,500, of which 1,000 is profit.
When a bet is cancelled and your stake returned - neither a win nor a loss. Happens on a Draw No Bet that ends level, or a whole-number Asian Handicap that ties after adjustment.
ExampleHome DNB in a 1-1 game: stake refunded, nothing won or lost.
An option some bookmakers offer to settle a bet early, for a value they calculate from the current state of play, before the match ends.
ExampleLeading an acca with one leg left, you might cash out for a smaller sure return.
The selection you are most confident in - the one you build an accumulator or a pools coupon around. In the pools it is the result you treat as near-certain.
Example"Banker of the week" is a tipster's single strongest pick.
Odds-on means a price below 2.00 (evens) in decimal - a likely result that returns less than double your stake. Odds-against is above 2.00 - an underdog price returning more than double.
Example1.40 is odds-on (favourite); 3.50 is odds-against (underdog).
Got a question about a term, or a match you want to talk through?
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