When you place a bet, you’re normally talking about a wager of money or items of value.
But what does it mean when you’re up a unit in betting? Is it just a slip of the tongue? Or is there more to it than meets the eye? Here’s a guide to what exactly it means to be up a unit in betting.
The Basics
Many of us are aware that when someone or something is ‘up’ a unit that they’ve achieved some degree of success. But the meaning behind the expression ‘up a unit’ can be a lot more complex than we might assume. So it pays to know the basic meaning behind the words ‘up’ and ‘unit’ in betting.
‘Up one unit’ means the person or thing being bet upon has achieved some degree of success. The term ‘unit’ is used here to reference the number of units of something that are being wagered upon. For example, if you wager one unit that your next meal will be lobster, you’re saying you believe the price of lobster will increase by one unit before the end of the day. If you bet one unit on a horse to win, you’re saying you believe the price of the horse will increase by one unit before the end of the day.
Meaning in the Poolroom
In the poolroom, when someone or something is ‘up’ a ‘unit’, it usually means they’ve finished what they were doing before the start of betting, or they’ve done something extremely well. A winner is typically said to be ‘up a unit’, because they’ve won an amount which is one unit greater than their stake. In other words, the poolroom is a place where many bets are settled to the nearest unit, so that the smallest unit wins the pool and the largest unit loses.
Up a Story
If you follow popular culture on the Internet, you might come across a hashtag or a blog article containing the phrase ‘up a story’ in the headline or sub-headline. ‘Up a story’ means that the article or headline is going to be about something that is successful and exciting. The phrase is often used in articles about current events or pop culture, to indicate that something is going to be entertaining and worth reading.
In the News
In the news, when someone or something is ‘up’, it usually means they’ve achieved some degree of success. Sometimes it’s used to describe a breaking story or exclusive piece of news. So if you see the word ‘up’ in the headline of a news article, it usually indicates that something major has happened, and it’s likely to be either exciting or entertaining.
Favourite Movie
If you’ve ever watched movie trailers or clicked on movie links in your social media, you might have come across a phrase like ‘watch this latest trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them‘. When a trailer is ‘up’, it usually means the movie that it’s promoting is going to be either very successful or highly praised by critics and audiences alike. Clicking on the trailer is usually a good indication that you’ll want to see the movie.
More To Life
If you’ve ever played a video or mobile game, you might have noticed a phrase like ‘level up’ next to your character’s name in the corner of the screen. When you level up in a game, you increase your character’s attributes and gain additional abilities. The phrase ‘level up’ in gaming usually means that you’ve successfully completed something which grants you additional attributes or abilities. Sometimes, to indicate that you’ve completed a particularly difficult task or goal, the phrase ‘level up’ is used with a thumbs up emoji, as in the example above.
More Online Poker
The phrase ‘more online poker’ is used when referring to online poker websites. These websites let users play poker games, with or against other players, from the comfort of their homes. If you search for ‘more online poker’ on Google, you’ll be presented with a choice of websites to choose from. Many online poker websites let users level up by completing certain tasks or winning certain games. Another popular use of the phrase ‘more online poker’ is when someone is getting ‘sucked off’ a live poker table – typically by an experienced poker player – as a less experienced player watches from the comfort of their home.
In Conclusion
When someone or something is ‘up’ in betting, it usually means they’ve achieved some degree of success in their chosen field. Sometimes, it’s used with regard to an online poker game to indicate that a level has been successfully completed. In the English-speaking world, ‘up a unit’ is usually used in contexts which have to do with sports betting or the stock market, while ‘up a story’ is more often used in reference to entertainment-related topics like pop culture, film, or gaming. If you saw the phrase ‘up a story’ in the headline of a news article, there’s a very good chance that the article was going to be about something entertaining or exciting.