Sporting Terminology

Ace

In tennis, volleyball or other racquet sports, an ace is a legal serve that isn't touched by the opponent. The serving player or team wins the point.

Break (Snooker)

In snooker, a break is the total point score achieved by a player in a single visit to the table.

Booking

A term used in soccer to indicate when a player has been given a Yellow or Red card by a referee. The player is 'booked' when receiving the card.

Buzzer Beater

When a game is decided with a winning score on the final play of the game

Clean Sheet

A soccer term describing a game or period in which a team or player has not conceded a goal.

Dead Heat

When two or more participants finish with the same results.

Fantasy Match

A fictitious match between two teams that are not really playing against each other. The result will be decided by the amount of goals scored respectively by the two teams in the actual matches they are playing on that day.

Fantasy Points

Points awarded to players based upon real life statistics for on field events. Different statistical categories will award different Fantasy Point values. For a breakdown of Fantasy Point calculation, visit DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports Rules and Scoring here.

Favorite

The outcome that is most likely to occur. The selection within an offer that features the lowest odds (shortest price) or where a Handicap/Point Spread is applied, the selection with the negative handicap applied to their score.

Game

Also known as a 'Match'. A contest in which people or teams compete against each other in a particular sport or competition.

Hat Trick

A Hat Trick occurs when a player obtains 3 or a given outcome. Generally, a Hat Trick refers to a player scoring 3 goals, touchdowns, home runs, etc.

Home Run

In baseball, a batter scores a home run by hitting the ball in such a way that they are able to make a complete circle of the bases and reach home in one play.

Injury Time

The referee may make an allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention or other stoppages. This added time is commonly referred to as stoppage time or injury time and it is added to the end of the match.

KO/Knock Out

A knockout in fighting/boxing is awarded when one participant is unable to rise from the canvas within a specified period of time after a knockdown. A technical knockout (also referred to as a TKO) is when the referee decides that a fighter cannot continue the match even though he didn’t fail the count.

Match

Also known as a 'Game'. A contest in which people or teams compete against each other in a particular sport or competition.

Match Result

A Bet on the winner of a match or game.

Neutral Site/Ground/Venue

An arena, court, ring, rink or field where neither side has a home advantage.

Non-Starter

A participant that fails to compete in an event for which it is eligible to compete in.

Overtime

When a game is tied at the end of normal time there will be overtime until one team wins or the maximum specified overtime periods have expired.

Own-Goal

When a player causes the ball to go into their own team's goal. A goal is scored for the opposition. In Soccer, no player on the team credited with the goal is awarded the goal.

Playoff

The playoffs of a sports league are a series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion.

Promoted

Generally occurring in European sports leagues, promotion occurs when the best-ranked teams in the lower division are promoted to the division above for the following season.

Relegated

Generally occurring in European sports leagues, the worst-ranked teams in a higher division are relegated (or demoted) to a lower division for the following season.

Runner-up

A term for a participant or team that finishes in second place. Sometimes the second-place finisher is called the 'first runner-up', the third-place finisher is called 'second runner-up' and so on.

Shut Out

A term used describing a game or period in which a team or player has not allowed a goal.

Tie/Draw

When two or more participants finish with the same results.

Touch Down

The primary method of scoring in football. To score a touchdown, one team must take the football into the opposite end zone.

Try

A try is the primary method of scoring points in rugby. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area (on or behind the goal line).

Underdog

The team, side or contestant considered to be the least likely to win.