30JILI: Sabong Betting Terms, Defined
Meron and wala mark the two sides of a sabong match, and kristo names the person who calls out the odds between them.
- 30JILI
- A sabong match was settled by one official, the sentenciador, calling one of four outcomes: a kill, a withdrawal, a draw, or a no-fight.
- 30JILI
- Sabong settles on a live event a referee calls, with no RNG and no repeatable outcome; a casino slot or table game settles on a certified random number generator against a published paytable.
Sabong carries its own vocabulary, and terms like meron, wala and kristo show up constantly in any accurate account of the sport, past or present. This page defines them as background knowledge for a reader trying to follow that vocabulary, not as a set of betting instructions. E-sabong, the online version of sabong, has stayed suspended nationwide since 2022.
The core terms, defined
| Term | What it names |
|---|---|
| Meron | One of the match’s two sides, conventionally marked red |
| Wala | The match’s other side, conventionally marked blue |
| Kristo | The person calling and signalling the odds between meron and wala |
| Sentenciador | The official who calls the match’s final result |
| Tari | The blade fitted to a rooster’s leg before a match |
Each of these names a role or a side, not a step in a process. None of them describes how to open an account or place a wager.
Reading a sabong report or a piece of history with this table in hand removes most of the confusion the vocabulary otherwise causes. A term like sentenciador tells you which sentence in a report is describing the outcome, and a term like kristo tells you which sentence is describing the odds exchange rather than the match itself.
Meron vs wala: what the shorthand actually marks
Meron and wala are simply the two sides of a single match, referred to constantly throughout any commentary on it.
| Label | Colour convention |
|---|---|
| Meron | Red |
| Wala | Blue |
That convention is what lets a viewer track which side is being discussed without confusion. Odds called between the two sides are shorthand exchanged verbally in the arena, a separate topic from what the labels themselves mean.
Where these terms come from
Sabong’s vocabulary predates e-sabong by generations. Three facts place it:
- Kristo, sentenciador and tari describe roles and equipment from in-person cockfighting, long before any livestream existed.
- E-sabong adopted this existing vocabulary rather than inventing new terms for the online format.
- None of these terms changed meaning when e-sabong was suspended nationwide in 2022.
A report about a cockpit event today uses the same meron, wala, kristo and sentenciador vocabulary a report about e-sabong used before the suspension, because the vocabulary describes the match, not the online layer that once sat on top of it.
Where the legal picture and the scoring fit in
This page covers vocabulary only.
| Topic | Where it’s covered |
|---|---|
| Legal history behind the 2022 suspension | e-sabong’s suspension timeline |
| How a match was scored and who called it | sabong’s scoring rules |
| Casino-specific vocabulary | casino terms glossary |
Definitions for terms used across this site’s other pages are collected there.
Related guides
FAQ
What does meron mean in sabong?
Meron names one of the two sides in a match, conventionally the side associated with red. It's a label for a side, not an action.
What does wala mean in sabong?
Wala names the other side of a match, conventionally associated with blue. Meron and wala together are how a match's two sides are referred to throughout.
Who is the kristo at a sabong match?
The kristo is the person in the arena who calls out and signals the odds between meron and wala, named for the outstretched-arms stance used while doing it.
Is this page a set of instructions for betting on sabong?
No. These are vocabulary definitions for reading sabong coverage and history. E-sabong, the online version of this sport, has stayed suspended nationwide since 2022.