How To Bet On MLB

Baseball continues to be one of the favorite sports in the U.S. However, in recent years, its popularity began to drop, which is why MLB implemented a series of rule changes ahead of the 2023 season. These are designed to give the games a boost, which will also serve the sports betting community. 

The MLB office presented a novel schedule for the 2023 season, hoping to make the competition more balanced. It will consist of 162 games, with all MLB teams facing each other at some point. 

For those wanting to get started in baseball betting, there are a number of things to know first. While the basic concept of placing bets on MLB games is the same as in other sports, certain nuances also make it different. 

Types of MLB Bets

As with all sports betting, certain options are available to MLB bettors. However, there are also some alternatives that have yet to be found anywhere else. 

Moneyline Betting

This is the most popular bet and the easiest when placing bets on baseball. Essentially, moneyline betting is betting on the team you think will win the game. If you make the right correction, you win, regardless of any other activity in the game.

Spread Betting

Spread betting in baseball is betting on the run line. Is betting on the number of runs by which a team will win. By making such a bet, we may bet on the favorite to win, in which case we would bet that he will win with a given run advantage. 

Otherwise, if we choose the underdog, we would bet they would not lose by more than the determined number of runs or win outright. 

The run line is almost always 1.5. If a game has something different, bettors need to pay special attention to the game’s circumstances, such as a team starting its fifth-string pitcher against a 10-0 opponent. 

Over/Under Betting

Total bets (over/under bets) are another popular bet among baseball fans. With these, you will bet on the number of runs of both teams during the game. 

Usually, online sports betting operators determine a possible number of runs, and you will have to bet if the runs during the game will be more or less than that number. If you are correct, you will win your bet.

It is important to note that the number of runs with which the result is determined is the cumulative number of both teams, not just one or the other.  

Future Bets

As in other sports, future bets in baseball consist of betting on future results that do not depend on a single game. For example, which team will win the MLB World Series?

Futures betting is available pre-season and even in-season. Bettors only have to select the team they think will be the champion at the end of the competition. If correct, the bet wins.

Prop Bets

Prop bets are add-on options when betting on baseball that doesn’t fall into any other betting category. These can be based on different options throughout the game, such as the number of strikes, the number of extra innings played, which team will be the first to score, etc.

Betting On First 5 Innings

In this type of bet, bettors will have to guess which team will have the advantage at the end of the 5th inning, regardless of whether or not it later wins the game. It is also possible to find variations of this type of bet, such as those focused on the first three or seven innings, depending on the sportsbook.

MLB Betting Tips

When developing a winning strategy for betting on MLB action, bettors have to be prepared. This means understanding what makes baseball betting different and what impacts the lines more than in other sports. 

Keep Your Bets The Same

While it sounds logical, you have to consider that the MLB season is extremely long and that if you are going to bet big, you will have to maintain a money base to see your profits. Therefore, bettors should bet the same amount in each game and not bet on parlays. 

Considering the volatility and unpredictability that baseball games can have, this is one of the best MLB betting tips.

Take Advantage Of Sundays

If there’s one thing MLB has going for it, it’s that Sunday night’s events are often nationally televised in the U.S. These are usually the most important of the week. Therefore, a lot of money is wagered, and this is a great opportunity to bet against the majority and have better profits.

Consider The Weather

As strange as it may seem, a baseball game can be determined greatly by the wind speed in a game. This can determine the number of runs and home runs in a game. If the wind blows very little, there is a good chance there will not be as many runs, so backing the under makes sense. Otherwise, you can place an overbet if the wind speed is extremely high.

Don’t Always Follow The Crowd

In the case of baseball, following the betting majority isn’t always the best decision. Since with such a long season, there is a good chance that a more minor team can beat a big one. Those small teams can often win two straight games in a three-game series. 

As a bettor, you can only bet on weak teams if they pay more. You have to study the statistics and the fact that smaller rivals have better performances against their division rivals.

This is because each team often faces each team in the division 19 times. Of course, this makes them know each other very well, and each knows their advantages and weaknesses. This is something that small teams can clearly take advantage of to at least have a few decent wins on the season.

For about 15 years, the minor rivals in the division have managed to obtain positive results 43.3% of the time. Although it’s true that it is still a losing record, they still have a better chance of winning matches with rivals from the same division.

Avoid Always Backing The Favorites

As has been well said with respect to small teams, betting all the time on the big ones is not going to generate big profits. It’s a lie that the Houston Astros or the Philadelphia Phillies will win every season game. In addition, the bookmakers’ profit margins are very low.

Many teams in other professional sports, such as football and basketball, often have terrific winning percentages. The best teams in the NFL can reach 14 wins (over 83%); the best teams in the NBA often win well over two-thirds of their games.

Considering the number of MLB games played is double that of the NBA and ten times that of the NFL, the best teams usually lose more frequently. An MLB team that wins 100 games is considered one of the best in the league. 

One of the tips for betting on MLB is that it only pays off some of the time on the most popular teams. The Atlanta Braves, winners of the 2021 World Series, finished with an 88-73 record. If you wanted to bet on all of Atlanta’s games, the losses would dilute any winnings you could have on the wins.

Watch The Starting Pitcher

The pitcher is undoubtedly the most important position in MLB. If the pitcher is bad, the team will give up a lot of runs, and no matter who comes in, you will lose your bet.

Bettors must watch:

• The performance of each pitcher on the roster
• The record he holds
• Strikeouts
• How he plays at home/as a visitor

Watch The Umps

It’s also important to follow the umpires. It may not be decisive in a AAA baseball game, but an umpire can give certain flexibility, or even be stricter, toward a particular team in a game. 

Understand The Game 

Before placing any MLB bet, you must know ​​the game’s rules to understand the discipline. Baseball games may seem complex initially, but once you get the hang of it, you won’t have trouble understanding the terminology and plays.

Want to learn more about MLB Betting? Follow us on Twitter