Are you a keen baseball fan looking to place stakes on the next game? This MLB betting guide may be a great place to start, and we hope it can help you understand the variety of odds in play for all of the great MLB fixtures remaining this season.
It is important for those wishing to wager on an outright winner to have a basic understanding of MLB, as odds can fluctuate rapidly before and during gameplay. However, browsing sportsbooks and alternative platforms that offer sports betting methods and strategies can help when betting regularly, live betting, and matched betting to cover all potential outcomes.
Understanding MLB Betting Odds
Moneyline odds are the first figures you need to understand when betting on Major League Baseball. Effectively, this is placing a stake on which team will emerge victorious from the event, whether it be the favorite or the underdog.
Let’s say, for instance, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers are going head-to-head. Before the clash, sportsbooks’ odds may read like this:
Los Angeles Dodgers -150
New York Yankees +200
The Dodgers are moneyline favorites as they hold the negative number, whereas The Yankees are the moneyline underdogs as they possess the positive figure. The -150 odds mean betting $150 on Los Angeles to win; this could reward $100 on top of your stake for the correct outcome. On the other hand, the +200 odds mean that if you bet $100 on New York to win, you would then intake $200 plus the initial stake, seeing you claim $300 for the correct outcome.
Five Additional Betting Markets Popular with MLB Bettors
Although moneyline odds are the most common for selecting the overall winner or loser of a fixture in MLB, alternative markets exist that can be explored when gambling baseball online.
Runlines (H3)
Also known as a handicap market, this is where sportsbooks present the underdog side with a pre-game head start. It poses the bettors with a decision as to whether the favorites can “cover the spread” and overcome the handicap set.
Los Angeles Dodgers +1.5
New York Yankees -1.5
If The Yankees were to “cover the spread”, they would need to beat The Dodgers by at least two runs. However, for a runline bet on The Dodgers to win, they would need to avoid defeat by two or more runs at the hands of The Yankees.
In the entire history of the MLB, almost a third of games have only been decided by a single run, so great consideration should take place before committing to a runline bet.
Combined Score
This sector may be labeled as “MLB Totals” on different sportsbooks. The wager allows you to bet on the total number of runs registered in a game. For example, if your selected sportsbook presented a chance to bet on Over 12.5 and Under 12.5 runs in an MLB Totals market, it is then down to you to decide whether both sides can accumulate 13 runs between them.
If each team has big hitters in their ranks, and the wind is in their favor to score home runs, you could back the Over 12.5 odds. Alternatively, you could back the Under 12.5 odds if you believe factors will defer their chances to reach the runs required as set by the odds in place.
Betting on the Top Half of the Game (First Five Innings)
Following the off-season and kickstarting a new campaign, it may take some outfits longer to find their rhythm and perform at the levels that their potential is worth. New coaches and players are added to a roster, and differing changes result in teams starting a fixture slower. With this betting option, it is convenient to have a moneyline format for the first five innings of a game due to its unpredictable nature. U.S. sportsbooks often label these types of bets as “F5 Bets”, and you can use them to bet against notoriously slow starters or teams that have made wholesale changes to their side in the off-season.
MLB Prop Betting
Prop betting introduces specifically defined outcomes. In MLB, you can wager on certain players, such as how many home runs will be hit or strikeouts a starting pitcher will rack up. Suppose you are an enthusiast with a vast knowledge of your most adorned team or player’s statistics. In that case, you may be able to find valued prop bets steering away from the final outcome of a baseball game that can increase your chances of a higher betting return.
MLB Parlays
Parlays, also known as an acca (accumulator), are commonly used by the British, who enjoy this betting format thanks to the greater potential returns they can generate. You can bundle multiple selections into a single wager, including prop and moneyline bets. If all your selections win when combined into one wager, the bet could return a value involving all the different market odds included in this selection – a high-risk and high-reward baseball betting option.
Beginner Tips for Betting on Baseball
Multiple factors can shape the course of an outcome in MLB, which, in turn, affects your wagers, too. Be sure to consider these tips before placing a stake.
Look out for the Best MLB Odds
As mentioned in the guide’s opening, odds fluctuate rapidly with different sportsbooks ahead of fixtures, and a big mistake bettors succumb to is using the same sportsbook to wager their bets repeatedly. Instead of placing all stakes with one primary sportsbook, there are comparison portals and platforms that offer sports betting methods and strategies to present the best odds. Be sure to research the different odds on offer across betting platforms in the MLB betting markets you wish to bet on.
Don’t Back Pre-Game Favorites Instantly
Relating back to the alternative betting market of betting on the top half of the game (first five innings) – it is imperative to research individual rosters, especially in the opening games of a season. Also, a big mistake regular bettors make ahead of fixtures is wagering on pre-game favorites at very short odds. Leading U.S. sportsbooks are wary of bias aimed towards iconic franchises like the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. A pre-game favorite such as the Chicago Cubs, for instance, the moneyline should be listed at -200. However, some sportsbooks will cut it to a figure like -250, knowing that recreational bettors will take those odds anyway, offering worse value against the bet stake in play.
Wind Strength
One of the most influential factors affecting the state of play in fixtures is the strength and direction of the wind. Strong winds usually result in lower-scoring games, making it difficult for batters to score home runs, leaving the advantage with the pitchers. This factor will ultimately shape most bets placed on MLB; individual prop bets are to be heavily considered, but the combined score in the MLB Totals market takes the biggest hit with varying odds.
Don’t Always Wish for Entertainment
Everyone immersed in baseball loves to take in an exhilarating game, but this is the reason amateur bettors tend to opt for ‘Over’ odds when betting on a total score of an MLB game. On many occasions, fielding teams can take control; there can be strikes, 1-2-3 innings, and double-plays. It would be smart to always look at ‘Under’ odds, too.
Summary
This guide has delved into understanding odds while addressing popular betting markets with bettors and important tips.
Moneyline odds are the most common figures sportsbooks present to decide which team will triumph. The alternative betting markets that can be explored include runlines, combined score, first five innings, prop bets, and parlays; they offer further in-game betting options and combined wagers instead of a fixture’s standard winner and loser outcome.
Factors affecting the outcome of fixtures could impact your experience of betting on MLB. Consider the wind strength, don’t always back the pre-game favorites instantly or wish for entertainment, and finally as a key takeaway, check the latest odds while researching and informing your decisions on the wagers you make.
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