Knowledge Base
Glossary
Plain-English definitions for the terminology used across Football Compass.
- Accumulator
- A single bet that links multiple selections; every selection must win for the bet to pay out.
- Asian Handicap
- A point spread that gives one team a virtual advantage or disadvantage to balance the match.
- Bankroll Management
- The practice of deciding how much of your total betting funds to risk on each wager.
- Bet Builder
- A tool that lets you combine several different betting markets into one single wager.
- Both Teams To Score
- A wager on whether each side will manage to score at least one goal during the match.
- Cash Out
- An option to settle a bet early, either locking in a profit or limiting a loss before the event ends.
- Correct Score
- Predicting the exact final score of a match, which usually offers higher odds than simpler markets.
- Dutching
- Spreading your stake across several outcomes so that you profit no matter which one wins.
- Edge
- The advantage a bettor has over the bookmaker, often calculated as the difference between true odds and offered odds.
- Half-Time/Full-Time
- A bet that asks you to predict the result at both half-time and full-time of a match.
- In-Play Betting
- Placing a wager on a match after it has already started, with odds that update as the game progresses.
- Juice (Vig)
- The built-in commission that bookmakers include in the odds, ensuring they profit over the long term.
- Kelly Criterion
- A mathematical formula that suggests the optimal percentage of your bankroll to risk based on your perceived edge.
- Lay Bet
- Betting against a particular outcome, such as backing a team not to win, usually on a betting exchange.
- Match Odds
- The price offered for each possible result of a match – win, draw, or loss.
- Odds Comparison
- Checking the odds from different bookmakers to find the best price for a chosen market.
- Over/Under
- A bet on whether the total number of goals scored will be higher or lower than a set number.
- ROI
- The percentage profit or loss relative to the total amount wagered, used to evaluate betting performance.
- Spread Betting
- Betting on the margin of victory rather than the outright result, with profits or losses scaled by the difference.
- Stake
- The amount of money you put on a bet.
- Steam Move
- A rapid, significant shift in odds caused by heavy betting activity on one side.
- Tipster
- A person or service that provides predictions and recommendations for upcoming matches.
- Units
- A standardized measure of bet size, often equal to 1% of your total bankroll, used to track performance.
- Value Bet
- A bet where the odds offered are higher than the true chance of that outcome happening.