Sports Explained: Glossary M

Sportsbook Glossary: Mm

M


Maiden
A horse or rider that has not previously won a race.

Major penalty Ice Hockey
A five-minute penalty.

Man advantage Ice Hockey
When one team is penalized, and one of its players sent to the penalty box, the second team maintains a man advantage for the duration of the penalty (Major penalty) or until a goal is scored (Minor penalty). If two penalties are called on one team there will be a two man advantage. If more than two penalties are called on one team the man advantage is limited to two men.

Margin
The amount a competitor in an event finishes in front of another competitor.

Match penalty Ice Hockey
A five-minute penalty that includes automatic expulsion from the game and, depending on the league, possibly subsequent games. Often called for attempts to deliberately injure an opponent, official or fan.

Middle
This occurs when you bet on both sides of a game and have an opportunity to win both bets. For example if you bet on Team A +10.5 and Team B -7.5, you would win both bets if Team B wins by 8-10 points.

Minor Penalty Ice Hockey
A two-minute penalty.

Misconduct Ice Hockey
A penalty where the offending player is ruled off the ice for 10 minutes, but may be substituted for on the ice. See also game misconduct, gross misconduct.

MLB
Major Baseball League (divided into two leagues: the National and the American).

Mobile Gambling
A form of gambling that allows users to play games of chance or skill for money by using a remote device such as a tablet computer, smartphone or a mobile phone with a wireless internet connection.

Money Line
In sports like baseball, soccer and hockey, there are so few goals scored that it would not make sense to offer a spread. Instead, these sports offer a moneyline in which you bet on whether or not a specific team is going to win straight up.

Money Line Bet
A wager where no point spread is involved.

Mush
A bettor who is a sure loser.

MVP
An acronym for the most valuable player. Leagues present MVP awards to the best regular-season and the most outstanding player either in championship games or series.