Betting terms and meaning: a glossary for Nigerian punters

Football betting terms and meaning start with the result markets, the ones on the first row of every match card.

1X2

1X2 is the full-time result: 1 is a home win, X a draw and 2 an away win. SportyBet settles it on regular time, so extra time and penalties play no part. A ₦1,200 stake on 1 at 1.75 returns ₦2,100 if the home side wins.

Double chance

Double chance covers two of the three results on one pick: 1X (home or draw), X2 (away or draw) or 12 (either side wins). A ₦2,000 stake on X2 at 1.45 returns ₦2,900 if the visitors avoid defeat.

Draw no bet (DNB)

DNB backs a team to win and returns your stake if the match ends level. Bet9ja prints it as 1 DNB or 2 DNB; the draw no bet meaning guide covers the home, away and half-time versions.

1UP and 2UP

1UP on SportyBet pays out as soon as your team leads by one goal, at 1-0 or 2-1 for example, whatever the final score. An ₦800 pick at 2.40 that goes 1-0 up and then loses 1-2 still returns ₦1,920. 2UP needs a two-goal lead.

Handicap (1H, XH, 2H)

A handicap takes goals off the favourite before settling. On Bet9ja, with Enyimba at -1, 1H wins if Enyimba win by two or more, XH wins on a one-goal Enyimba win, and 2H wins on a draw or a win for the visitors.

Asian handicap

Asian handicap removes the draw with half and quarter lines. On SportyBet, a team giving 0.25 that draws loses half the stake and gets the other half back, so ₦2,000 returns ₦1,000. The 0 line settles exactly like draw no bet.

HT/FT

HT/FT asks for the half-time and full-time result together. X/1 on Bet9ja means level at the break, home win at the end; 1/2 means the home side leads at half-time and the away side wins.

Correct score

Correct score pays only on the exact final score, so the odds run high: 2-1 at 8.50 turns ₦500 into ₦4,250. Bet9ja’s half-time version settles on the score at the interval.

Goal markets ignore who wins and count goals instead, either in total, by team or by half.

Over/under

Over/under bets on total goals against a line with a half, so the bet always wins or loses. The two-goal line is explained in full in the over 1.5 meaning guide; Bet9ja writes the lines in short form, such as O2.5 and U2.5.

GG/NG

GG (goal goal) wins when both teams score at least once; NG (no goal) wins when one or both sides fail to score. A 1-1 settles GG, while 2-0 and 0-0 settle NG. ₦1,500 on GG at 1.80 returns ₦2,700.

Multigoal

Multigoal pays when the total falls inside a range. On Bet9ja, 2-3 goals wins on a 2-0, 1-1 or 2-1, and a 0-0 loses every range. SportyBet runs home and away versions as well.

Total goals

Total goals on Bet9ja (TOT GOALS) asks for the exact number of goals in the match, from 0 up to 6+. It pays more than a line bet because one goal either side of your pick loses.

Both halves over/under (BHO1.5)

Bet9ja’s BHO1.5 needs at least two goals in each half, so a 3-1 with three goals after the break loses. BHU1.5 is the reverse: no more than one goal in either half.

Home and away team goals

Team goal markets count one side’s goals alone. SportyBet calls them Home Team Over/Under and Away Team Over/Under, and Bet9ja’s G. Home offers 0, 1, 2 or 3+ goals for the home side.

Slip terms describe how selections combine and how a bet gets settled, and most of them show up the first time you open a betslip.

Single

A single is one selection on one slip. The return is stake times odds, so ₦3,000 at 2.20 pays ₦6,600, and the result of any other match has no effect on it.

Acca (accumulator)

An acca links several selections in one slip and multiplies their odds; every leg must win. SportyBet allows up to 50 selections on a slip. Four legs at 1.50 give total odds of 5.06, so ₦1,000 returns ₦5,063.

System bet

A system bet splits a slip into smaller combinations, so one losing leg need not sink the whole bet. SportyBet allows up to 15 selections in a system bet and lets you mark a banker that goes into every combination.

Booking code

A booking code is a short reference that loads a saved slip. SportyBet has Load Code in its menu, and Bet9ja lets you book a slip while logged out; the bet takes the odds that apply when you pay. Step-by-step use is in our guide on how to bet on football.

Cash out

Cash out settles a bet before the last match ends, for an amount the bookmaker offers at that moment. On a ₦1,000 acca worth ₦8,000 if it lands, an offer of ₦5,200 with one leg to play takes the risk off the table for less money.

Void

A void selection is cancelled, for example when a match is postponed or a result cannot be verified. SportyBet counts a void leg at odds of 1.00, so a ₦2,000 acca at 6.00 with one 1.50 leg voided pays ₦8,000.

SportyBet and Bet9ja quote decimal odds, the format that shows your total return for each ₦1 staked, stake included. At 2.50, ₦4,000 returns ₦10,000.

The same price is 3/2 in fractional odds, the British format that shows profit against stake, and +150 in American odds, the profit on a 100 stake. A minus sign in American odds, such as -200, shows the stake needed to win 100.

Implied probability turns odds into a percentage: divide 1 by the decimal odds. Odds of 2.50 imply a 40% chance, and 1.25 implies 80%. Add up the implied chances of 1, X and 2 on any match and the total comes out above 100%; the extra is the bookmaker’s margin.

Type any price into the converter to see it in all three formats with its implied chance. A lower margin means a bigger payout on the same pick. The bookmakers themselves, licence by licence, are ranked in our guide to the best betting sites in Nigeria.

Rollover and minimum odds decide what you must stake before bonus money becomes withdrawable cash.

Rollover, also called wagering, is the number of times the bonus must be staked. A ₦4,000 bonus at 6x needs ₦24,000 in qualifying bets. Minimum odds set the lowest price that counts, per leg or for the whole slip, and bets below it add nothing to the rollover.

A free bet is a stake the bookmaker gives you. When it wins, you keep the profit, but the free stake itself is not paid back: a ₦1,000 free bet at 3.00 pays ₦2,000.

The offers themselves, with their rollover and expiry side by side, are compared in our guide to betting sites in Nigeria with welcome bonus deals.