Baseball is one of the biggest sports in North America as well as being one of the most entertaining to bet on. This is because absolutely anything can happen until the last inning has been played!
Making a Bet on MLB Games
There’s quite a lot to choose from in terms of betting on Major League Baseball games, but the most popular stakes are definitely Futures, Money Line, an Over/Under. Prop bets are also becoming more available, especially during the World Series.
Futures Betting
This group of stakes include all where the outcome will be decided far ahead in the future and as a result of multiple events. Examples include Which Team Will Win Each Division, Which Team Will Win the League Championship, and Who Will the World Series Champions Be.
Money Line Betting
These wagers are very easy. Just put some money down on the team you think will win the game in question outright. How much you win will depend on the odds assigned to each team, with the favourite obviously paying out less than the underdog!
Over/Under Betting
With this stake, you will try to predict how many runs will be scored by both teams combined in the MLB game. The bookmaker will have set a total amount of runs and you’ll be asked whether you think the final result will be Over or Under this number.
For example, if the Over/Under total for a game was set at 8 but the final points tally was 9, Over wagers will win. If the number is 7 or less than 7, the Under bets will pay out. And if the teams’ scores came to 8, then all stakes would push.
Prop Betting
Prop wagers are those that are not directly affected by the outcome of the game and these wagers change often, with many different types making an appearance. Examples include Which Player Will Hit the Most Home Runs All Season and What Hitting Rate Will the New York Yankees Get in the Whole Series. Shorter-term Prop bet options include stakes like How Many Bases Will the Chicago Cubs Take Over the Boston Red Sox in the Third Inning and Will Justin Verlander Get a Hit?
Run Line Betting
This is a very popular Baseball staking style because it’s more likely that wager on underdogs will be successful with these wagers and betting on favourites has more value at the same time! With these stakes, a set number of runs is given to the underdogs as a handicap. For your bet on the favourite to win, the team will need to cover the run line. This means they’ll need to win more runs than the handicap given them.
The reverse is true for the underdogs. They’ll either need to win or lose by less than the run line for you to see a payout. For example, if the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets are playing with odds of +1.5 (-220) and -1.5 (+180) respectively, the Mets need to win by at least 2 for a bet on them to pay out.