What is a longshot in sports betting?
The short answer
A big underdog; a long price.
Betting slang explained
Knowing the language is step one — knowing the true price is the edge. The Cold Line’s signal desk tracks the no-vig fair number and the closing-line value behind terms like this, before the market moves.
In plain English
A name nobody expects to win, hanging at a huge plus number.
What to remember about Longshot
The definition
A big underdog; a long price.
In plain English
A name nobody expects to win, hanging at a huge plus number.
Example in context
A team at +1200 is a longshot — $100 to win $1,200 if they pull it off.
Check yourself
Term quiz
Check yourself: Longshot
1.A longshot is…
2.A team at +1200 is a longshot. What does $100 win if they pull it off?
3.Why is a huge plus number not automatic value?
Keep learning
Explore the next question before you place a bet.
- What is a dog / underdog in sports betting?
- What is an outright in sports betting?
- What is an added game in sports betting?
- What is an arb in sports betting?
- What is a backdoor cover in sports betting?
- What is a bad beat in sports betting?
- What is a beard in sports betting?
- What is a blowout in sports betting?
Put the concept to work
Explore Longshot with a concrete research workflow. Build your own number, compare sportsbook prices with a sharp reference, or use Audits to review timestamped book moves beside play-by-play.
Browse the full A–Z betting glossary or read the complete betting guide. The Cold Line also publishes a free year-round sports calendar and an odds board (Free account: delayed odds).

