Bettors often come across the term “chalk” in their endeavors. It’s a common sports betting term that the average bettor, especially someone newer, might not understand. In regards to the NFL, we might read that Philadelphia is a 6-point home chalk against Washington this week. Or in relation to NCAA tournament action, we might hear that the chalk cleaned up in the first round games. 

What does all that mean? Is it important? Do I really need to know what chalk means if I’m a sports bettor? That is why Sports Hub is here. We answer all of your betting-related questions. We feed you all of the information you need to be more successful, however you measure success. In addition to the best sports picks in the industry, we also educate bettors. Let’s dive into chalk.

What Is Betting Chalk?

It’s a pretty simple concept. Chalk refers to the betting favorite. Most often, chalk refers to a heavy favorite. The Eagles mentioned above would be chalk. The term is so loosely used today that it can refer to most any betting favorite. Using March Madness again, someone might say that you “are going with a lot of chalk” if you have picked a lot of favorites to win in your bracket. 

Understanding the difference between chalk – a favorite – and the underdog is one of the key concepts as someone starts betting on sports. Identifying which team is the favorite and which is the underdog is crucial before placing a wager. Bettors should also understand the differences between moneyline and point spread bets and how to read odds. Sports Hub’s vast betting library covers all of these key betting concepts.

Why Is It Called Chalk?

The term “chalk” comes from the days before the technology we have today. Before our smartphones and computers, sportsbooks and horse tracks had to write odds on chalkboards. To save space on the board, only the favorite and the corresponding lines and odds were written. 

The majority of bets would come in on the favorite. That meant that the lines and odds had to be updated quite a bit. The term chalk goes back to early horse tracks where the name of the favorite would be covered in chalk dust. This was because of all of the continual updates. Hence, the term “chalk” was born to relate to a betting favorite.

Big Day on the Leaderboard

Our Sports Hub handicappers bet a lot of chalk yesterday and it worked out for them. Sports Central was the big winner. Sports Hub expert Nick Sabatini also bet heavily on chalk and wound up in yesterday’s top-5. There are a number of picks for today’s events already in the system. Be sure to check them out before you place your wagers today.

Here’s how yesterday’s leaderboard played out.

• Lots of chalk: Sports Central went 6-1 and was the big winner yesterday with $587 in winnings. SC went with the chalk in a couple of NHL picks, but did get the Suns +1 in their season-opening win over the Warriors.

• The $350 club: Dan Jones, Robert Ferguson, and Mario Deluca are all Sports Hub exclusive cappers and they all won $350 yesterday. Each handicapper went 3-0, hitting on two chalk picks and one underdog. All three guys have been doing very well, but Robert especially. Over the last 30 days, he is up $2466! Mario is having an outstanding week with $880 in winnings over the last 7 days.
• The other Sports Hub expert: We mentioned Nick Sabatini. He rounded out yesterday’s top-5 by going 4-1 and winning $300. Nick won four picks betting on chalk. He is winning almost 59 percent of his picks over the last 30 days and he’s got two NBA picks – both on chalk – for tonight.

The Chalk Doesn’t Alway Win – What’s Trending

What an incredible finish! Arizona defies the odds and beats the chalk – the Phillies – to capture the National League pennant. That pits the D-Backs against the Texas Rangers in the World Series, which will begin on Friday night. Amazing!

The NBA got off to a good start last night. Well, everyone but the Lakers. We’ll check that out and more here in a moment. It’s always a good idea to stay on top of the latest trending sports news. It may help you win a bet somewhere down the road.

Here’s what’s hot right now.

• Red October: It was supposed to be a return trip to the World Series for the Phillies. That didn’t happen. Arizona, which was outscored in the first two games of the NLCS 15-3, rebounded and beat Philadelphia 4-2 last night to win Game 7 and punch its ticket to the World Series. The D-Backs only had 84 wins in the regular season and had a negative run differential. They were underdogs all season long and will be once again when they face the Rangers.

• Lakers and openers don’t mix: The Lakers dropped yet another season opener, losing to defending NBA champion Denver 119-107. The Nuggets led by as many 18 and controlled the game from start to finish. NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic started the season with another triple-double – 29 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists. The Lakers have now their season opener in seven straight seasons. Last year, LA lost its first five games in a row.
• Wemby: No. 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembenyana will make his NBA debut tonight as San Antonio hosts Dallas in the season opener for both teams. Wemby had a strong preseason, but the Mavs are a 4-point road chalk. Everyone is waiting to see what the 7-foot-4-inch Wembenyana can do in a real game.
• Philadelphia: Even though the Phillies lost in the NLCS, the city and its sports teams are trending. The Flyers are off to a 3-2-1 start in the NHL. The Sixers open up the NBA season tomorrow night against Milwaukee, and the Eagles are 6-1 and favored to win the NFC title for the second consecutive season.

The Calm Before the Storm – Today’s Schedule

Today’s sports schedule is a little slower than the past few days. With the World Series all set, we won’t see baseball action until Friday. We do get a nice dose of college football to tide us over until we hit Saturday. Don’t forget, you can get tuned up for the weekend college football action with our Week 9 NCAA football picks page. It’s got breakdowns of the key matchups as well as the best picks for the week. 

Speaking of picks, you can find all of our picks, free picks, computer picks, and premium picks in the SportsHub members’ area. Not a member? Sign up for a free account. Go HERE and get started winning more bets. 

Let’s look at today’s schedule.

1. Conference USA: After serving up two college football games last night, Conference USA does it again with two more. Sam Houston State is 0-7 in its first year as an FBS program, but oddsmakers have made the Bearkats a 3.5-point home chalk against 2-6 UTEP. Jacksonville State (6-2), the other new FBS program this year, is an 8-point road chalk against FIU (4-4).
2. NBA gets rolling: Last night’s doubleheader was just the appetizer. Tonight, the NBA gives us 12 games. The ESPN doubleheader features Boston at New York in the early game. Then, everyone gets to see San Antonio rookie Victor Wembenyana go up against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Before you bet on the NBA this year, make sure you check the Sports Hub database for picks. 

3. One NHL game: Last night’s schedule was full of NHL games. Most teams get tonight off. Not Washington and New Jersey though. They are the only game on the schedule. The Devils (3-1-1) are a home chalk against Washington, which is just 1-3-1 to start the new season.
4. Champions League plus: Like yesterday, there is a variety of soccer from around the world today. There are two matches in MLS tonight as well as matches in most of the South American professional leagues. Check out our soccer picks in the Sports Hub database. 
5. Tennis: Second round play continues on the ATP Tour in the Erste Bank Open and the Swiss Indoors Basel. On the WTA Tour, second round play continues today in the Abierto Tampico in Mexico. No. 2 seed Madison Keys got knocked out of the WTA Elite Trophy tournament in China. That tournament continues today.

It’s not a huge schedule today, but there is enough variety there for any sports bettor to find some value. There’s a ton of NBA games which provide enough variety itself with all of the props bets included among the regular bets. 

You should understand chalk by now. If you have trouble with other betting concepts – think something like “backdoor cover” – visit the Sports Hub library. Not only do we provide the best picks from the top handicappers in the world, but we also provide readers with a quality sports betting education. Come back tomorrow and we’ll educate you some more and show you how our handicappers performed. See you then!