H Betting Terms: Sports Betting Glossary and Definitions

The letter H includes sports betting terms tied to multiple sports, including football, baseball, basketball, golf, and horse racing. These definitions help clarify gameplay situations, betting strategies, and sport-specific terminology commonly used by bettors and sportsbooks.

From concepts like hedging and home advantage to sport-specific terms like hat-trick and hole in one, these terms reflect how bettors interpret performance, game flow, and wagering opportunities across different sports.

This glossary section covers all H-related terms in this entry, preserving the original definitions while organizing them into the updated article layout.

H – Betting Terms Starting with H

Many H-related terms connect directly to betting strategies, gameplay situations, and sport-specific terminology. Understanding them can help you read betting content more clearly across different sports.

Browse the full glossary of betting definitions in our complete gambling terms guide.

Halftime Bet

In-Game Betting | A wager placed at halftime using updated odds or point spreads based on first-half performance. Common across sports like soccer and basketball, halftime betting allows bettors to react to momentum, injuries, and game flow. See strategy examples in soccer half betting, March Madness halftime strategies, and basketball betting tips.

Handle

Total amount of bets taken.

Handicap

Analyze an event for gambling purposes.

Harness Racing

Horse Racing | A form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although in Europe racing under saddle (trot monté in French) is also conducted.

Hat-Trick

Ice Hockey | When one player scores three goals in one game.

Hedging

Placing bets on the opposite side after you have already placed a wager on one side. This can be used to either cut your losses or guarantee a profit. Learn how to apply this strategy in our complete hedging guide.

High Stick

Ice Hockey | The act of hitting a player in the head or shoulders with a stick. A penalty (a single minor if no blood is drawn; a double minor if blood is drawn).

Hit by Pitch

Baseball, also known as HBP | A situation in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is hit by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided that (in the plate umpire’s judgment) he made an honest effort to avoid the pitch, although failure to do so is rarely called by an umpire. Being hit by a pitch is often caused by a batter standing too close to, or “crowding”, home plate.

Hole in One

Golf | A hole in one or hole-in-one (also known as an ace, mostly in American English) is when a ball hit from a tee shot finishes in the cup. This awards the player a score of one for the hole.

Holy War

College Football | American rivalry between the Boston College Eagles and University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a technical nonconference rivalry in college football, but in most sports an Atlantic Coast Conference rivalry. Holy War is also the name given to the rivalry game played annually by the University of Utah Utes and Brigham Young University Cougars.

Home Advantage

It refers to the possible advantage that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans.

Hook

In spread based sports, the hook is an extra half-point that bettors can get. Often times in football, bettors will buy the hook around key numbers like 3 to get a line of 3.5.

Hook

Boxing & MMA | A semicircular punch thrown with the lead hand to the side of the opponent’s head. From the guard position, the elbow is drawn back with a horizontal fist (knuckles pointing forward) and the elbow bent.

Hoops

Basketball | NBA and NCAA basketball.

Hot Game

A game which is drawing a lot of action on one side by knowledgeable handicappers.

Hot Tip

Information the bookmaker is not yet privy to.

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About the Author

D.S. Williamson

Since 2008, D.S. Williamson has written about sports and sports handicapping. His philosophy is value-based, meaning stats and other handicapping factors are only worth something in comparison to wagering odds. He believes money management and making value-based wagers is the single more important factor that distinguishes successful sports bettors from non-successful sports bettors.

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