Are you looking for the best MLB betting advice? Want to be as smart as possible when betting on the MLB?
If you’re trying to learn how to bet on baseball, there are a lot of different things you’ll need to pay attention to. Using a solid betting system and taking a calculated and strategic approach to betting will give you the best chance of success.
In this guide, we’ll tell you how to systematically place bets and win at MLB betting.
Making the Choice to Bet on Major League Baseball
Since 2018, it has become legal for states to determine whether they will allow sports betting or not. While there are many other sports betting options out there, betting on Major League Baseball (MLB) can be a great choice for many reasons.
If you’re already following baseball and have been for quite a while, you’re more likely to have an edge. When betting on the MLB, you may have a better chance of finding success.
The MLB is also very popular. This means that there will be plenty of data and information that you can sift through to increase your chances of winning bets and to make smart decisions.
Understanding the Basics of the MLB
The MLB has two separate leagues. These are the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). There are 15 teams in each league and 30 in total. A season lasts from March to October and each team will play 162 games during this time.
At the end of a season, 10 different teams will end up competing in a four-round tournament. These MLB playoffs will determine which teams get to continue on to play head-to-head with another team at the World Series. The World Series consists of 7 games, and whichever team wins the most of these games, is the winner of the World Series for the season.
Fortunately, following a baseball season is pretty easy to do and the entire season is straightforward. A season is also full of great betting opportunities, so betters who choose to bet on the MLB will have a lot of options.
Types of Baseball Bets
There are many different ways that you can bet on baseball. Here are some of the types of bets that you should know about.
Moneyline Bets
A money line bet is a simple bet that predicts the winner of a baseball game.
Since there will be two teams in a game, you’ll have a good chance of getting your prediction right. However, keep in mind that each team in a particular game will have either a plus or minus sign in your sportsbook which represents whether they are favorites or an underdog.
If you bet on a team with a favored line of -150, for example, you’ll need to bet $150 to get $100. Betting $100 on an underdog with a +170 line will net you a win of $170.
Run Line Betting
A run line bet, also known as spread betting or handicap betting, bets on how many runs a team will get based on the handicap that is set by an online sportsbook or bookmaker.
An underdog team may get a +1.5 run spread while a favorite team may get a -1.5 run spread. To win a bet on the favorite team, the team will need to win by 2 runs or more. To win a bet on the underdog team, the team will either need to win the baseball game or lose it by just 1 run.
Totals Betting
With a totals bet, a bookie or a sportsbook will set a number of runs. You’ll simply need to predict whether the combined number of runs by both teams will be less or more than that number.
Parlays
With a parlay bet, you’ll bet on several factors at once and can choose a combination of money line, run line, totals bets, and more. To win a parlay bet, every component of your parlay must win.
Other Types of Bets
Keep in mind there are other types of bets aside from the ones mentioned above. Futures bets, live bets, and prop bets are all good options to consider when betting on the MLB.
Common MLB Betting Strategies
Here are a few common strategies you may want to consider using when betting on the MLB.
Underdog Betting
Unlike with other sports, the gap of skills is especially small between teams in the MLB. Underdogs have a fairly good chance of winning much of the time and it’s often not a big surprise when they do.
With money line bets and run line bets, you may not earn a lot when betting on teams that are more favored to win. You’ll often do better by betting using an underdog betting strategy and betting on underdogs.
You’ll want to do quite a bit of research to find out which underdog teams have a good chance of winning and when. One of the best ways to do this is to look for a team that is building momentum. If they can beat a team that is favored as the better team once, for example, they’ll often have a better chance of doing it the second time they face the team as well.
Series Betting
A season in the MLB is composed of 52 series in which the same two teams will play each other 3 or 4 times in a row. With a series betting strategy, you’ll choose a team that you expect to win the most during a particular series.
You’ll then place a bet on the first game. If your team wins, you’ll repeat the same bet for the second match. If your team loses, you’ll double the bet. If the team wins the second game, you’ll go back to your original wager for the next one. If it’s lost, you’ll double your wager again for the third game, and so on.
Following this series betting strategy can work well and can give you the best chance of winning money while minimizing your losses. The main risk to this strategy is if a team you’re betting on is swept and loses every game. However, this is unlikely.
Home Team Betting
Another system you can use for betting on the MLB is betting on a dominant home team during a series.
First of all, you’ll want to identify a team that tends to perform better at home. While it’s possible, it’s pretty unlikely that one of these teams will get swept when they’re playing a series at home.
You’ll want to look for a series in which one of these teams has lost the first 2 games in a series at home. Then, you’ll want to start betting on these teams in the same way that you’ll bet on a series, doubling your bet if your team loses and keeping it the same if they win.
A team that is usually dominant at home is less likely to be swept after a couple of losses, so you’ll have a good chance of making significant winnings in this situation.
Improving Your Baseball Betting Strategy
In addition to choosing a betting system, here are some general tips you should keep in mind as you start betting on the MLB.
- Keep Track of Lineups
One of the keys to making great bets on the MLB is to make sure that you’re paying attention to the lineups.
You should learn everything you can about the different players and place your bets accordingly. You should especially pay attention to who the starting pitchers will be, as this can make a big impact on a team’s performance.
Remember that not every player will be playing every game, so don’t waste time making bets if players won’t be taking part. Reconsider betting on games that the most skilled players won’t be a part of.
To make better bets, it’s a great idea to do as much research as possible. Be sure that you check out the betting picks at doc sports if you need MLB betting tips.
- Handle Your Bankroll Wisely
Especially if you’re new to MLB betting, it’s crucial that you carefully manage your bankroll. You need to make logical decisions when betting and shouldn’t let emotions influence you too much.
Once you choose a system to use you should stick to it and stay consistent. It’s a good idea to set a specific unit size for betting and to keep each bet under about 5% of your bankroll. This will help you manage your money better and will help you avoid being reckless when betting.
- Understand Rules For Unexpected Situations
Many variables can play a part in an MLB game, so you’ll want to do some research to find out how your sportsbook handles each of them.
If a game is suspended or rained out, for example, you’ll want to know exactly how this affects your bets and what rules will come into play. Many sportsbooks will have rules stating that a game has to last a certain number of innings before the bet will be counted.
Similarly, pitching scratches and lineup changes can also be handled in different ways depending on the sportsbook you’re using. Be sure to find out what you can expect before making your bets.
Winning Big With This MLB Betting Advice
If you want to have a great time with MLB betting, you need to make sure that you take a strategic approach. Make sure that you make use of this MLB betting advice if you want to be satisfied with your results.
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