The 3 best types of bets for baseball
Baseball draws in millions of fans across the globe. It’s a sport rich in history and one that’s never short of excitement.
Along with its popularity as a spectator sport comes a keen interest in betting. In this guide, we’ll first look at the mechanics of baseball. This will help us better understand what we’ll discuss after that – three of the best types of baseball bets you can make.
How does baseball work?
Baseball is one of the oldest sports in the world. The chief professional organization among all in the sport is Major League Baseball (MLB). It’s also the oldest professional sports league in the world.
There are 30 teams in MLB. They’re split into two divisions of 15 – the National League and the American League.
Teams play an incredible 162 games each season. The top six in each league qualify for the post-season, with the format shifting to a knockout competition. The winner of each knockout tournament qualifies for the World Series. This best-of-seven tie decides the MLB champion.
MLB is hugely popular. In 2018, it attracted around 70 million global viewers. It also attracted lots of interest on the betting front. You can check out the latest baseball and sportsbook promos here.
The 3 best types of bets for baseball
Below, you can find three of the best types of bets you can make when it comes to baseball:
One of the simplest bets you can make is the moneyline – backing one team to beat the other. The problem with these types of bets is that they don’t always attract the best odds. That’s particularly the case if you back the favorite.
To help boost your odds, something you can look at is a run line bet. The premise of these bets is simple; you pick the team you want to win and the number of runs you think they’ll win by.
These types of bets can come in the form of a -1.5/+1.5 spread. In this case, the team you back for the negative score has to win by two runs or more.
Another example could be -4.5/+4.5. If you backed the negative team they’d have to win by five runs or more for you to get a successful payout.
Similar to run line betting, over/under totals involve betting on the total number of runs scored in the game by both teams combined.
This type of bet is ideal if you think it’s going to be either a high-scoring game or a low one. For example, you could place a bet of 8.5 runs or more to be scored. If between them, the teams score seven runs, you’d lose your bet. If they scored nine, you’d win.
This type of bet is simple and also attracts decent odds – depending on the score that you back. The more improbable the result, the greater the odds.
Proposition bets and the first 5 innings
Proposition bets are another type of bet that you can make on MLB matches. These types of bets focus more on specific outcomes or events that could happen. For example, you may wish to bet that the match goes to extra innings. Another example could be backing a team to score first.
Different betting sites offer different proposition bets. For certain fixtures, they may offer enhanced odds or bonuses on particular outcomes or events involving certain players. For example, they may offer odds on certain pitchers to get strikeouts.
You could also make bets relating to the season – for instance, backing the New York Yankees to claim the MLB Championship.
It’s also possible to bet on the outcome of the first five innings of a match. Many betting sites offer the ability to place all types of bets but limit the outcome to the first five innings. So, if you fancy a team to start strongly, this could be a good bet to go for.
Baseball has a range of unique types of bets. We’ve covered just three in this guide, but they’re some of the most important.
The key to getting the most out of any bet is research. Use odds checkers and comparison sites to make sure you’re getting the best odds and access to the best deals. Read up on matches before you place your bets, and always make sure you bet within your limits.
