When betting on baseball, you will typically have three options to choose from—money line betting, game total (OVER/UNDER) betting and run line betting. Of these three options, money line betting is the most commonly used in online sportsbooks, as it simply entails picking out a winner. Below is a short guide on baseball money line betting and how to approach it in the baseball betting boards.
A Betting Guide to Baseball Moneyline Betting
Understanding Baseball Money Line Betting
In baseball betting, it is often hard to pinpoint the value of a team in terms of point spreads, considering the fact that most baseball games (and hockey games as well) are low-scoring in nature. Because of that reason, baseball lines don’t offer point spreads but instead have money lines associated with the comparable chalk of that game. In fact, baseball lines primarily use money line betting as the main form of differentiating the perceived strength and weaknesses of teams in the betting boards. Consider the example given below and the explanation thereafter to have a better understanding of how baseball money line betting works.
*St Louis Cardinals -140
*Toronto Blue Jays +150
Now, rather than have the St. Louis Cardinals favored to win by 2 points (as is usually done in basketball and football lines), the MLB odds will—using the above example—have the Cardinals represented with a chalk such as -140, which means you will have to wager $140 to win $100. For the underdog (Toronto Blue Jays), the +2 value that would be placed in the point spread is represented by a comparable value, let’s say +150, meaning you will get a $150 profit for every $100 wagered on the Blue Jays.
Noteworthy Tips Regarding Baseball Money Line Betting
The odds on a baseball money line bet can vary wildly, depending on the two teams playing at any given time. This is also reliant on several factors, including (but not limited to) weather patterns, suspensions, injuries, home field advantage, referees, coaching matchups, team strategies and historical trends, among others.
Generally, the baseball betting public tends to frequently bet on favorites. This, however, does not mean that going with favorites is always the best thing to do. In fact, since the Oddsmakers know that the public mostly bets on favorites, they sometimes release trap odds that are simply aimed at baiting you. To avoid becoming a victim of such sucker bets, ensure that you study the teams you are betting on and always be on the lookout for good underdogs, as the pay that comes with picking a correct underdog is way better than pounding on the favorites.
