Skip to main content
handicapper

handicapper

4 7.7
A person who sets betting odds for races, especially horse races
  • noun
  • /ˈhændɪˌkæpər/
  • Jargon
translation icon : hándicapista
  • As a renowned handicapper, she always provides the most accurate predictions for horse races.
  • a high handicapper
  • a low handicapper
  • a horse handicapper

Examples

  • Mr. Rothstein is a professional gambler and the best football handicapper in America; a man who will take you inside the real Las Vegas as no one has ever done before.

  • Mr. Rothstein is a professional gambler and the best football handicapper...

    Fiction book (1995)
  • You are the worst handicapper I know, you know that?

  • "Only to me, because I know you pretty well," the handicapper said.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • "Suit yourself," the handicapper said.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Ace Rothstein was a hell of a handicapper, I can tell you that.

  • As a bettor/handicapper, it's rare for any NFL game to look easy.

    Blog text (11)
  • Many of the sights and sounds were the same as Charles Town; vendors still hawked Daily Racing Form, and handicappers still hovered, working the odds.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The experienced handicapper analyzed the racers' past performances to set the odds.

  • Every Saturday, the handicapper carefully reviews the stats to determine fair betting odds.

Synonyms

odds-maker
vshandicapper
  • Jargon
1 7.9

A person who sets the numbers that show how likely a team or player will win for betting

focuses on horse racing and uses expert calculations to set betting odds

How Expert

expert
3 3.5
professional
401 3.7
handicapper
  • Jargon
4 7.7
amateur
122 2.8
novice
46 3.4

Surface Forms

handicapper singular
handicappers plural

Morphology

handicapper = handicap (transparent) = handicap + er

Productive agentive formation from the verb 'handicap' (person who assigns handicaps/odds) and thus easily inferable from the base.

Etymology

The word handicapper comes from an old game called hand-in-cap, where a third person put their hand into a cap to decide a fair trade. That person made things 'fair' or 'equal', and today a handicapper decides how to make a race fair, for example by giving extra weight or setting odds, so they set the chances for betting.