Betting screens use words that sound familiar but behave differently from everyday speech. Here is a plain-language list organised around the situations a cricket follower actually meets.
Definitions stick better when you attach them to a scoreboard. Pick a game you are watching, open the market screen the operator provides and match each word below to something you can see. These explanations are general, so where Baji's own rule text differs, the operator's wording is the one that counts.
Most vocabulary falls into three groups. Learning them in this order keeps the screen from feeling like a wall of jargon.
Back, lay, stake and liability describe what you are doing and what you stand to lose or gain.
Pre-match, in-play, suspended and settled describe when you can act and when a market ends.
Void, abandoned, tied and dead heat describe unusual endings, and are the ones that cause the most surprise.
These come up on nearly every cricket market, from a village-level fixture to a final.
To back is to bet that an outcome will happen. Backing a team to win a match is the plainest example.
To lay is to bet that an outcome will not happen. Baji says its exchange lets users back or lay outcomes.
The amount you put on a position. It is what you can lose if the position goes wrong.
Betting before the first ball. The information is limited to what is known before play begins.
Betting while the game is in progress, with prices that change as the match develops.
You can ignore these at first, but they become useful once you follow more than one market.
On a lay position, the amount you could owe if the outcome you laid does happen. It can be bigger than the stake shown.
A market has temporarily stopped accepting positions, often after a wicket or review.
The closing of a market using the official result so positions can be marked as won or lost.
A position on the winner of an entire event, rather than a single match.
A bet cancelled by a rule, such as an abandoned match, and normally refunded as set out in that rule.
These are made-up cases with no figures, meant only to show how the words connect.
The chasing side needs a handful of runs. Prices are suspended after every ball, which is why waiting a second before reacting is wise.
Play stops, and the market may pause. When play returns with a new target, the settlement rule explains what that means for your position.
You hold a position on a team before the group stage. A star player's injury changes its price long before the knockout round.
Reading a list is not enough on its own, so try these small exercises as well.
If you can teach back and lay to a friend, you probably understand them.
Write ten words on a card and read it before each match.
Short clarifications on the points that confuse people most.
It can be, because the possible loss may exceed the visible stake. Learn backing first and read every liability line.
Mostly, but wording and rules differ between operators, so trust the rule text on the screen in front of you.
In the market information shown by the operator. Read it before confirming a position.
No, but it asks for patience. Beginners do best by watching for a while before taking part.
Cricket fan handbook