There are plenty of factors that can help make your MLB wagering decisions easier. Once you know what to look for, it will become second nature and you won't hesitate when placing MLB bets.
Read the below to get a better understanding of how to bet on baseball and win during the 2023 MLB season.
Batting First: Baseball Betting Basics
When it comes to betting on the best baseball betting sites, there are a number of different bet types to consider.
The most basic one is a moneyline wager, which is picking the outright winner of an MLB game. Typically, the favorite will have odds ranging from -120 to -300. The underdog could sit anywhere from +100 to +300 on any given MLB slate.
For a moneyline wager on a -130 favorite, you'll need to place a $130 bet to win $100. If you choose to bet on an underdog with +130 odds, a $100 winning bet would net you $130 in winnings.
Run line bets are another basic baseball bet. To win a run line bet, the favorite must win by two runs or more while the underdog needs to lose by less than two runs or win the MLB game. Run lines are lined as -1.5 for the favorite and +1.5 for the underdog. Odds range depending on how large of a moneyline favorite the favored team is.
Considering there are a lot of MLB games that finish with a winning margin of one run, run line bets are harder to hit than moneyline wagers.
Over/under bets are third baseball bet that you will find available for all MLB games. You are predicting whether the total runs scored by both MLB teams will go over or under the set run total. Over/under totals have -110 odds on both sides.
For example, if a game has an over/under total of 8.5 runs, then nine or more runs scored would need to be scored to cash an over bet. If eight runs of less are scored, then an under bet would hit.
The Data Pitch: Utilizing Statistics And Data
It's important to do analysis and research before placing MLB bets. After all, there are more stats available for Major League Baseball than any other sport.
One of the most common indicators of performance is lefty vs. righty splits for both batters and pitchers. A right-handed batter will typically have better statistics when facing a left-handed pitcher, as will a left-handed batter facing a right-handed pitcher. On the flip side, a right-handed pitcher will typically have a better ERA and strikeout numbers against a right-handed batter, and the same goes for lefty vs. lefty splits.
Recent performance is another stat that can have a big affect on your MLB bets, considering baseball players are very streaky. It's common to see a player go on a hitting streak or to have a cold streak where they go hitless for a few games in a row.
Injuries play a big part in MLB betting as does the weather, especially when betting on totals. Before placing your wager on the best baseball betting sites, be sure to check the temperature and which way the wind is blowing in the ballpark.
If it's cold outside, the ball usually doesn't travel as far as when the temperature is high in the 80s or 90s. Also, if you see the wind blowing out at 10-plus mph to the outfield wall, that increases the likelihood of home runs.
Moneyball: Money Management In Baseball Betting
The importance of money management in baseball betting is monumental, considering there are 162 games in an MLB regular season, plus the playoffs.
It's smart to track of your MLB bets, so you can see what works and what doesn't for you over the course of a long season. You may find a particular MLB betting trend that works in your favor, or you might find that you do better on certain bets types over others.
Whatever the case may be, it's best to find what your strength is when betting on the best MLB betting sites and stick to those as much as possible.
Playing The Field: Identifying Good Value Bets
When using the best baseball betting sites, you will find that there are different odds on each MLB betting site. It's important to note that the odds may not look that different, but a small difference can be advantageous over time.
If you're a $100 bettor, the difference between odds of -110 and -120 is only $10. However, if you're a $1,000 player, the difference in those odds is $100. In any event, you always want to shop around for the best odds in order to get the most out of your MLB wagers.
If you are betting on the total, shopping for the best odds is even more vital. Some baseball betting sites may have a run total of 8, while others have a line of 7.5. If you are betting the under, in this instance, you'd much rather have the 8-run total because you have the opportunity to push (or tie) on that bet, if eight runs are scored, whereas the 7.5-run total doesn't have the possibility of pushing.
Extra Innings: Creating A Long-Term Betting Strategy
The 162-game MLB regular season by far has the most games of any professional sports season. Because of that, creating a long-term betting strategy on the best baseball betting sites is very important.
Know that you don't have to wager on a game simply because it's happening. So many people get lured in by betting on random Wednesday or Thursday afternoon MLB game because it's just another betting opportunity. If you do bet on an MLB game, player prop, or future, make sure you have a strong conviction about it.
Grand Slam: Exploring Various Bet Types
In addition to the basic MLB bet types we discussed earlier, there are some others that can really elevate your bankroll and potentially make you a huge profit.
Parlays are a common MLB bet type, combining two or more bets into a single betslip. You can combine multiple MLB game bets into a single parlay or place multiple wagers from a single bet into a same game parlay.
MLB prop betting gives you the chance to bet on the individual performance of a player in a game. MLB player props include over/under hits or total bases in a game and if a player will hit a home run.
Another MLB bet type that people love to wager on is futures. This is a bet on the long-term outcome of a player or team.
The most common type of futures bets are on World Series odds. In order to get the best odds, you'll want to pick the World Series winner before the season starts. If a team has +1000 odds to win the championship, you'll make a $1,000 profit on a $100 wager.
You can also place futures bets on individual player awards, including AL MVP odds, NL MVP odds, AL Cy Young odds, and NL Cy Young odds.
Futures bets have the longest odds since they are the hardest to win. You might wonder why this is the case, and it's because only one team or person can win a futures bet. Sometimes MLB bettors will wager on multiple teams to give themselves a better chance to win, but just know that a few of those wagers are born losers since only one team can ultimately win.
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