When it comes to MLB betting, the opportunities are practically endless. There are so many different markets and wagers to bet on, and it’s important to know what you’re up against before making a bet. Here are the top markets when betting on Major League Baseball.
MLB Money Line: Betting on the MLB Money Line is one of the simplest and most popular wagers in professional baseball. When betting on the Money Line, you are betting on a team to win straight up. Basically, the team you are betting on is the team you think will win the game. The favorite to win the game is recognized with the – symbol, while the underdog is recognized with the + symbol. In a game between the Padres and Dodgers, the Money Line may have LAD -110 and SDP at +120. This would indicate that the Dodgers are the favorites and the underdogs are the Padres.
From there, you choose which team you think will win. If you believe the underdog Padres will win, you will bet on them. The same idea is applied if you think the favorite Dodgers would win. Once you have selected the winner, if that team wins the game, then you win the bet.
Run Line: The Run Line is baseball’s version of the point spread. Like the NFL, betting on the Run Line is a wager on if the favorite will win the game by more than a certain number, or if the underdog will keep the score within a certain range. If Toronto is listed at -1.5 and Boston is listed at +1.5, this means that Toronto needs to defeat the Red So by two runs to win the bet.
Since there are no half-points in baseball, the Blue Jays need to score 2 more runs than the Red Sox to win this bet. If the Red Sox loses the game but finishes within one run of Toronto, the Red Sox would cover on the Run Line. Boston would also win the bet on the Run Line if they manage to defeat the Blue Jays straight up.
Like integers in mathematics, the – symbol is like taking runs away from the Blue Jays, while the + symbol is giving runs to the Red Sox in this example.
Total Runs: Betting on the total runs is a wager in which you are betting on if there will be more or less than a pre-determined number of runs in a game. Between the Cardinals and Cubs, the Total Runs may be listed at 7.5. If you think there will be 8 or runs scored in the game, you would bet the over in total runs. If you think there will be 7 or fewer runs in the game, you would bet the under.
Total runs can be wagered on for a specific team as well. You can also bet the over/under in total runs for the Cardinals, for example. The same logic applies, except this time you are betting on the over/under for one team and not the entire game’s run total.
MLB Prop Betting: Proposition or Prop Bets is a wager on a certain market or statistical performance. Prop Bets are basically set to the bookmakers’ fantasies, but some of the more popular bets are ones like total strikeouts in a game or will a certain player tally a home run.
Prop betting is exciting because bettors can place wagers on some of the finer details in a game. With baseball’s statistical database, prop bets are endless.
If Jacob deGrom is on the mound, you might want to take the over in total strikeouts. Or if Mike Trout is swinging a hot bat, betting on him to hit a home run will be both exciting and provide great value.
From the first team to score first to how many strikeouts will be tallied; prop bets are a popular bet among fans of baseball statistics.
Live Bets: Live-bets is a wager that occurs when the game is being played. Unlike fixed markets, before the game starts, live-bets (or in-play betting) are affected by current circumstances in the game. Several factors can impact in-play betting, like which team scores first or which starting pitcher gets pulled.
If you’re placing a live bet, it’s going to be similar to the fixed markets before the first pitch. In a game between the Astros and Mariners, the total runs might be listed at 9.5 before the opening pitch.
However, if we’re deep into the ball game and there has only been 1 run scored in the game, you could also bet on the live-run-totals, which would be drastically different due to the current circumstances of the game.
In-play betting is a strategy used by bettors who like to get a feel of the game before making a wager. There will be several markets for in-play betting, just like there would be before opening pitch. The only difference is that the odds will have likely changed due to the game’s current circumstances.
MLB Futures: MLB Futures bets are perfect for bettors that can predict what will happen over the course of the MLB season. One of the most popular bets is who will be the outright winner of the World Series. Futures betting is difficult, which is why you will find better odds at the start of the season compared to the final days of the schedule.
Other popular futures bets include wagers like the NL/AL MVP, Division Winners, and League Pennant Winners. Futures odds is a very popular market among sports bettors but is also one of the most difficult bets to cash.
MLB Parlays: Parlay betting is the combination of multiple MLB picks into one single bet. Every bet has risk, but parlay bets rely on every single pick being correct to cash. If two-thirds of your bet is correct but one selection fails, then the entire bet loses.
With that being said, parlay betting can provide great return if it cashes. There are several variables to parlay betting, so the reward will be very enticing. However, parlay betting is incredibly difficult as multiple picks need to be correct for the bet to cash.
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