Baseball Gambling
Written August 11, 2007 by Jack Jones
MLB betting can be one of the easiest ways to make money compared to other forms of sports gambling. Most baseball sportsbooks report that they are satisfied simply with breaking even during the MLB season, simply because MLB handicappers and bettors find it to be the easiest sport to make money on consistently. I am always surprised that more people do not take advantage of betting on baseball because it is simple to learn to handicap, and there is such great value available. Many people simply don’t understand how to bet on baseball, which is why I’ve tried to explain it in detail for anyone looking to get involved. I also know that the average bettor doesn’t have the time to study all of the MLB matchups, pitching statistics, and trends needed to be successful at wagering on baseball, which is why we also offer baseball picks from the top MLB handicappers in the industry.
If you are looking for a great place to bet baseball this season, check out Sportsbook.com. They are one of the few dime line sportsbooks for baseball, plus they have great bonus offers and some of the best customer service in the industry.
Money Lines (sides) - The money line is the single most important concept you’ll need to get starting with betting on baseball. With money lines you are betting on what team you think will win the game outright, there is no point spread involved. This is an example of what baseball odds look like:
St. Louis Cardinals -140
Chicago Cubs +130
In this example the Cardinals are the favorite team, meaning the sportsbook has weighted their money line so the you have to risk more on them if you want to take them as your bet. Think of baseball lines in terms of $100 bets as a starting point. For the Cardinals, you would need to bet $140 to win $100, as expressed by the minus sign in front of the odds. When looking at the underdog, like the Chicago Cubs in our example, the number with the plus sign in front of it is how much a winning bet would pay you with a $100 bet, in this example you could win $130 on the Cubs with a $100 bet, in they were to win the game outright.
Totals (Over/Unders) - Baseball totals work just like any other sport. You bet on whether the total number of runs scored by each team with go over or under the number set by the sportsbook. Be sure to check on the starting pitchers for each game as your bet may be canceled if one of them gets scratched. You can avoid this by betting on “action” instead of the listed pitchers, but you are also putting yourself at risk by not knowing who may or may not start in the game.
Run Lines - Understanding MLB run lines isn’t always the easiest thing to grasp right off the bat, but it’s a lot simpler than you might think. The run line works similar to point spreads in football or basketball, however, in baseball the spread is always 1.5 runs. The favorite is listed as -1.5 and the underdog at +1.5. All that this means is that, for you to have a winning bet on the favorite, they would have to win by at least 2 runs. For underdogs, they can still lose the game, but not by 2 or more runs.
If you want to increase your winnings this baseball season, get expert tips from our award-winning team of MLB handicappers. If you have been looking for MLB picks that deliver on their promises, your search ends here.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- Baseball Picks: Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks
- Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers: Baseball Odds & Predictions
- Baseball Picks: Seattle Mariners at Baltimore Orioles
- Chicago Cubs at Houston Astros: Baseball Odds & Picks
- Baseball Picks: Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs
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- Betting on Baseball
- Baseball Betting Lines
- World Series Odds
- Understanding MLB Run Lines
- Baseball Money Lines Explained
- Baseball Betting Forum
- MLB Gambling
- Baseball Sportsbooks
- How to Bet Baseball
- Dime Line Sportsbooks
- World Series Betting
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