The ultimate guide to football betting terms: D-F

It is time to continue our pursuit of betting terminology genius. Knowing the language will help you grasp systems better. If you get fully educated in the jargon of the bookmaker, it might even be possible that you see your root to beating the odds.

We have reached D in our list of terms. Check out terms A-C here.

Decimal Odds

As the term Decimal Odds suggests, this is where odds are displayed with a decimal point. Your returns can be calculated by multiplying your stake by the decimal. Therefore, a standard 3/1 bet would equate to 4.0, as you would get your stake returned too. Imagine making a £100 bet. If you win, you would expect the bookie to hand over £400. At 3/1 this would be your winnings plus your £100 stake. Therefore, the decimal odds are presented as 4.0.

Dividend

If you have ever played the Football Pools, then you will be comfortable with the term dividend. A dividend is an amount paid from the tote or the total bet. This is based on the amount available once the winnings are shared.

Double bet

If you make a double bet, then you think you are onto a good thing. You will be offering two more than the usual sum that people bet. You might hear this referred to as a double pop.

Double-Up

A double-up is a route taken by some gamblers who are looking to cover a loss. If they take a hit in the first bet, then they bet enough in the second bet to cover the losses.

Draw

The term draw has two different meanings in footie betting. First, you can bet on a tie between teams, where both sides get the same score. Alternatively, there is the draw of clubs for a round of a cup event – so, Arsenal could be drawn to play Man. City away.

Dutching

Imagine you are out for a meal with friends and you share the cost of the food. This is going dutch. Now, transfer this to betting, and you need to share your bet over more than one outcome. You can, for instance, bet on a win for one team and a draw. There are certain times when this might end up with a profit for you, whatever outcome.

Early Price

These are the odds offered a long way in advance of a football match. You might get better odds in August before a season starts than when the season is underway, and the fortunes of the teams start to play out.

Exposure

Your exposure is the amount you could lose if your bet doesn’t come in. The sportsbook owner also experiences this exposure with each even. It is the amount anyone would lose if the outcome didn’t go their way.

Favourites

This team is most likely to win. If you are going to play systems, then you will be looking for value. There is little value in backing the favourite. Any system looks for a profit over a series of bets. If you think about the idea of favourites, you are going to have to win a lot to cover just one loss.

Fixed odds

You can choose to fix your odds if you believe the price is going to shorten as the match approaches. In normal speak, this means, you can set your odds pre-season rather than allow the odds to change to those at kick-off.

Form

If you are a serious bettor, then you should be studying the form. This is what makes betting on football a game for the skilled rather than the lucky. You look to the record and the current state of the dressing room, and you use this knowledge to inform your selections. You hope that your understanding of the form exceeds the sportsbook owner. With greater insight, you will see where they have made mistakes!

Full cover

This is a bet used in accumulators where all multiple possible bets are covered. So, you can get a return on one of your teams winning, a double – two teams winning, a triple, and so on.

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