How To Bet On MLB Baseball Games
There is no sport with more games during the regular season than Major League Baseball. Teams play a grueling 162-game season, and that doesn't even include the playoffs! Needless to say, there are plenty of opportunities to wager on MLB during the year. Here on this page, we show you the different types of bets that can be made on Major League baseball, how those bets are made, and how to bet online on MLB.
We will break down these different wager types as well as they pertain to baseball. Most sports have general types of straight wager categories, which are then curtailed to that particular sports. For Major League Baseball, it comes down wagers like money lines and run lines for individual games, and then of course team props, player props, and futures.
Online Sportsbooks, particularly the ones that we have reviewed and played at, offer a bunch of these great betting lines for MLB. So go ahead, browse this page and find out everything you want to know about online Major League Baseball Wagering.
Check out some of the tips that we provide you with when it comes to betting on Major League Baseball. It is definitely different than placing a bet on the NFL or some other sports. Go over these, and see if they can help you in your betting.
Look at starting pitcher's performances in day versus night games
It's common for starting pitchers in professional baseball to have a good amount of variance between their performances during the day and the way they play at night. Here's a good example; in 2011, Adam Wainwright's ERA was just under 1.3 in day games, but it slipped to 2.9 in games he started at night. That's a significant difference in performance that you can use to gain an advantage against the bookmaker, who may favor a pitcher based on his ERA without looking at how he performs in the sun versus under the moon.
Bullpen strength is more important in MLB wagering than the abilities of starting pitchers
Too often, sports bettors look at the duel between the two starting pitchers without taking the abilities of the team's bullpen under consideration. In every season since 2000, the top five teams ranked by the ERA of their bullpen were also the top five moneyline performers. Now that starting pitchers rarely throw complete games, and are often treated with kid gloves by management, the bullpen throws more pitches than the starter. Track a team's bullpen ERA to know where to lay your money.
Don't ignore the performance of hitters against right-handed and left-handed pitchers
It is very common for a team to hit significantly better against a right-handed pitcher than against southpaws. Here again, doing a little bit more research into a team's stats provides the kind of advantage that sports bettors drool over. For an example, look at the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009, a team that scored an average of 5.1 runs against righties. That same team's average runs scored against left-handed pitchers was just barely above 1. Pay attention to how a team's bats respond to both types of pitchers.
Bet underdogs and against point spreads in nationally-televised games
Legal online sports betting sites inflate their spreads and favorite lines in big-market nationwide baseball TV broadcasts. Let's make up a fictional nationally-televised game for an example--the New York Yankees against the Miami Marlins in a Friday night cable-broadcast game. The book knows that most bettors are likely to bet in favor of the Yankees, so they tend to inflate the point spread to take advantage of gamblers who bet on that favored team based on nothing but familiarity.
MORE: Will I Go To Jail For Betting On Sports?
MLB Betting Odds are a bit different from most sports, as far as the types of straight bets which are offered. But when it comes to the overall betting types though, it's pretty straight forward. MLB wagers can be made on straight bets, and parlays.
- Straight Wagers - these are basic game lines, including the run line and money line. The over/under run total for the matchup is also set for each match up.
- Parlays - A parlay on MLB links two or more bets together, with all of the bets put down needing to win for the parlay to be successful.
When it comes to betting odds for Major League baseball, you have a lot of betting options at your disposal. These include the run line, money line, and over/under run total, all of which are different types of odds thats can be bet on for each match up.
- Run-Line - The run line in MLB is essentially a spread of sorts. Though it is always set at 1.5. That means the teams set as the favorite will need to win by at least two runs to cover. The payouts can certainly vary.
- Money Line - This is the straight up wager placed on the team to win the game with no run line or spread.
- Props - There are both team and player props that can be made on MLB. These wagers apply to specific outcomes surrounding the game.
There are no shortage of chances to place a wager on MLB throughout the season. But as for where to place a bet, not all sportsbooks are created equal. Directly below we have reviewed to of the top online MLB sportsbooks that accept US Players. These sportsbooks excel in betting odds offered, deposit and withdrawal methods, bonuses, and customer service.
Bovada Sportsbook ranks right at the top of the list for betting on Major League Baseball. They offer complete odds, from game lines, props, and futures. Bovada offers great bonuses for players as well, including 50% up to $250. Deposit methods and cashouts are critical facets of sportsbooks, and Bovada goes to great lengths to ensure that these are all safe and reliable. For all of your MLB betting needs, be sure to check out Bovada and see what they bring to the table for Major League Baseball.
Bovada Deposit Bonus: 50% Up To $250 On First Deposit - Claim It!!!
WagerWeb Sportsbook is another one of the top online sportsbooks for betting on Major League Baseball. WagerWeb offers comprehensive games lines, props, and futures throughout the course of the season, giving bettors a full range of options. WagerWeb offers a 100% or 200% (depending on how much you want to rollover) bonus up to $1,000, and many options for depositing and cashing out of your account. Check out WagerWeb for all things MLB betting and you won't be disappointed.
WagerWeb Deposit Bonus: 100% or 200% up to $1,000 - Claim It!!!
| Legal Sports Betting Sites | Sportsbook | Bonuses Available During Basketball Season | Visit Online Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|---|
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Bovada | 50% Match Bonus Good To $250 Free | Visit Bovada Sportsbook |
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SportsBetting | 50% Sign Up Bonus, Up To $1,000 | Visit SportsBetting.ag |
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BetOnline | 50% Bonus up to $1,000! | Visit BetOnline Sportsbook |
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BetDSI | 100% up to $500 | Visit BetDSI Sportsbook |
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5Dimes | 50% Sign Up Bonus, Up To $520 | Visit 5Dimes Sportsbook |
Keeping up with the Major League Baseball schedule is probably the most difficult of all of the sports. The sheer number of the games played each week during the season exhibits that. That's why we have available to you our MLB Matchups interface, complete with run lines, and analysis for every game on the schedule. This is updated automatically every day during the season, making it easy and convenient for you to check them out.
