Bet Builder Terminology: Complete Glossary for Beginners
Available in US
Entering the world of bet builders means encountering a distinct vocabulary that can be confusing for newcomers. Terms like legs, related contingencies, and void selections get thrown around in guides and discussions with the assumption that everyone knows what they mean. Many punters learn this terminology through trial and error, sometimes discovering what a term means only when a bet settles differently than expected. This guide explains the essential bet builder vocabulary in plain language, covering both universal terms and platform-specific variations you will encounter across different bookmakers.
Core Bet Builder Terms
Bet Builder is the generic term for a betting product that allows you to combine multiple selections from a single sporting event into one wager. The name describes exactly what the product does: it lets you build a customized bet rather than choosing from pre-set markets. Different bookmakers use different branded names for essentially the same product, but bet builder has become the most widely recognized term across the industry.
Same Game Parlay (SGP) is the American equivalent of bet builder, predominantly used in the United States. FanDuel popularized this term when it launched the product in 2019. Same game parlay emphasizes that all selections come from the same game, distinguishing it from traditional parlays that span multiple games. If you are betting with US-facing sportsbooks, you will see SGP used interchangeably with bet builder.
Same Game Multi is another term for the same concept, used mainly in Australia and some European markets. The term highlights that you are placing a multi, which is Australian slang for an accumulator, on a single game. Sportsbet and other Australian operators tend to use this terminology.
Legs refers to the individual selections within a bet builder. A bet builder with five legs contains five separate predictions that must all come true for the bet to win. The term comes from accumulator terminology, where each selection is a leg supporting the overall bet. Some platforms use selections instead of legs, but the meaning is identical.
Selections are the individual picks you add to your bet builder. Each selection is a specific outcome you are predicting: a team to win, a player to score, over 2.5 goals, or whatever market you choose. The number of selections determines the complexity and combined odds of your bet builder. Most platforms allow between 2 and 12 selections per bet builder.
Correlation and Pricing Terms
Related Contingencies describes outcomes within a single event that influence each other’s probability. If you bet on a team to win and also bet on their striker to score, these are related contingencies because one outcome affects the likelihood of the other. Traditional accumulators prohibit combining related contingencies, while bet builders are designed specifically to allow them, with pricing adjusted accordingly.
Correlation is the statistical relationship between two outcomes. Positive correlation means the outcomes tend to happen together, like a team winning and their forwards scoring. Negative correlation means the outcomes tend to happen oppositely. Bet builder algorithms adjust odds based on the correlation between your selections. Strongly correlated selections result in lower combined odds than simple multiplication would suggest.
Correlation Adjustment is the reduction or increase in combined odds made by the bookmaker’s algorithm to account for how your selections influence each other. When you add a positively correlated selection to an existing bet builder, the odds increase less than you might expect because the algorithm recognizes the selections are not independent.
Combined Odds are the final odds displayed for your complete bet builder. These odds represent the multiplied and correlation-adjusted price for all your selections landing together. Combined odds update in real time as you add or remove selections from your bet builder.
Margin is the house edge built into betting odds. Every bet carries margin that ensures bookmaker profitability. Bet builder margins tend to be higher than single bet margins because margins compound across multiple selections and because the complexity of correlation pricing allows operators to embed additional edge.
Settlement Terms
Void means a selection is canceled and treated as if it never existed. A selection becomes void when the outcome cannot be determined, typically because a match is postponed, a player does not participate, or some other circumstance prevents normal settlement. Void rules are among the most important terms to understand because they directly affect how your bet is settled.
Void Selection Rules vary significantly between bet builders and traditional accumulators, and between different bookmakers. In many bet builders, if any single selection becomes void, the entire bet builder is voided and your stake is returned. This differs from traditional accumulators, where a void selection is simply removed and the bet continues with adjusted odds.
Push is the American term for a void outcome, commonly used when a selection lands exactly on a line. If you bet over 2.5 goals and exactly three goals are scored, some markets treat this as a push. In bet builders, push outcomes are typically treated the same as voids, with settlement rules varying by operator.
Dead Heat occurs when two or more selections tie for a finishing position in a market where only one winner is expected. In bet builders containing dead heat outcomes, returns are divided by the number of participants who tied. If your player tied for most corners won with one other player, you receive half the return for that leg of the bet.
Settlement is the process of determining bet outcomes and paying out winners. Bet builders are typically settled automatically once the match concludes, though some player prop markets may require additional verification time. Settlement occurs based on official data sources specified in each bookmaker’s rules.
Platform-Specific Terminology
Build A Bet is Sky Bet’s branded name for their bet builder product. The term evolved from their earlier RequestABet feature. Other than the name, Build A Bet functions identically to bet builders on other platforms, allowing customers to combine selections from single matches.
#YourOdds is William Hill’s branded bet builder offering. The hashtag naming convention reflects the product’s origins in social media request systems. William Hill’s #YourOdds allows combining markets from the same match with correlation-adjusted pricing.
RequestABet was Sky Bet’s original social media service where customers could tweet desired bet combinations and receive custom prices from traders. This manual process was the precursor to automated bet builders. While the term is now somewhat historical, you may still encounter it in discussions of bet builder origins.
Bet Builder Plus or Bet Builder+ refers to enhanced versions of standard bet builders offered by some operators. These typically include access to additional markets, higher selection limits, or integration with promotional offers. Bet365 and others use these naming conventions for expanded bet builder functionality.
Multi Match Bet Builder describes a product that allows combining bet builders from multiple different matches into a single larger bet. This hybrid product carries the correlation adjustments within each individual match and the compounding probability reduction across matches. Not all operators offer this functionality.
Market and Selection Terms
Player Props are betting markets based on individual player performance statistics rather than match outcomes. Player props include markets like anytime goalscorer, player shots on target, player tackles, player cards, and similar individual statistics. Player props are popular bet builder components because they allow betting on specific player performances.
Match Result is the straightforward market on which team wins or whether the match ends in a draw. Also called 1X2 in European notation, where 1 represents home win, X represents draw, and 2 represents away win. Match result is one of the most common bet builder selections.
Both Teams to Score (BTTS) is a popular market predicting whether both teams will score at least one goal during the match. BTTS can be combined with other goal-related markets in bet builders, though correlation adjustments apply when combining it with over/under goals or match results.
Over/Under Goals markets predict whether the total goals in a match will be over or under a specified line, typically 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, or higher. These markets are frequently included in football bet builders and interact with other goal-related selections.
Anytime Scorer is a market predicting that a specific player will score at least one goal during the match. This differs from first scorer, which requires the player to score the opening goal. Anytime scorer markets are subject to participation rules if the player does not play or is substituted.
Booking Points is a market based on accumulated yellow and red cards, where yellow cards typically count as 10 points and red cards as 25 points. Total booking points can be bet as over/under or as team comparisons. This market is common in football bet builders.
Many users wonder about the difference between a bet builder vs. an accumulator.
Feature and Function Terms
Cash Out is a feature allowing you to settle a bet before all selections are determined. Cash out value fluctuates based on how your bet is progressing. Bet builder cash out availability varies by operator; some offer full cash out functionality while others restrict it for bet builders.
Partial Cash Out allows taking a portion of the available cash out while leaving the remainder of your stake running. Not all operators offer partial cash out on bet builders. Those that do allow you to lock in some profit while maintaining exposure to the full potential return.
Edit Bet is a feature allowing modification of a bet after placement, typically by adding or removing selections. Edit bet functionality is generally not available for bet builders at most operators because the correlation-adjusted pricing would require complete recalculation.
Auto Cash Out allows setting a threshold at which cash out triggers automatically. If available, you can specify that your bet builder should auto cash out if the value reaches a certain amount. This feature protects against late collapses in bets that were progressing well.
Understanding this terminology provides the foundation for navigating bet builders confidently. When you see unfamiliar terms in bet builder rules or discussions, you can refer back to these definitions rather than guessing at meanings. The vocabulary may seem extensive initially, but most terms describe straightforward concepts that become second nature after placing a few bet builders.
Return to the BuildBetGuide homepage for more guides.
