As you probably know, online sports betting is becoming more and more popular these days. There are a lot of reasons for that and one of the most common reasons for this increased popularity is that online sports betting is fast and simple. It is also much safer than it was in the past, and virtually every sport you think of is covered today. But as easy as it is, there are some online sports betting terms that you need to understand before you jump into the action.

Over and Under

Of the many online sports betting terms that you will see at the sports book sites, over and under is one of the most popular. To understand what this term means, you must first understand that books will set a total point score for many games. This is the predicted number of points that the teams are expected to achieve during the game. By using the over and under system you can bet on whether the final score will be over the estimate or under the estimate.

Against the Spread

This is another popular term that you hear in online sports betting areas. You might see this posted as ATS on the boards, but it means the same: against the spread.

Back to Back

This is a term that is used when teams play consecutive games or when teams are playing on consecutive days. You will often see this on the online sports betting boards as BB.

Changing the Line

Anyone who has watched an online sports betting board knows that the line will change at times. The reason the line changes is that the book is making an effort to balance out the cash that is being placed on either side of the action. In other words, if one team is getting a lot of action, the book may change the line in order to get more action on the opposing team.

Watching the line is important. If you see a line being changed significantly at your online sports betting parlor you might want to look into why that is happening. In some cases, the big change in the line means that other people know something that you do not know. You should make it your business to find out what that information is before you make your wager.

Betting Lines

When you begin using online sports betting parlors make sure you read the policy they have on the betting lines. These can change from one place to another and so you need to keep abreast of what the policy is for any parlor you are new to using.

You also want to know what the vig is for your parlor. The vig is simply the commission that the online sports betting parlor charges for handling your action. Most places set the vig at around ten percent or so.