If you’re a baseball fan, you may have thought about wagering on the MLB before on your favorite team. Even when compared to other sports, baseball is especially famous for its dedicated fans of number crunchers. Through sabermetrics, fans have created a whole field of science by analyzing baseball games and using them to inform predictions.
That can be daunting for newcomers who just want to place a simple bet. Here, BetVictor explains how you can bet on baseball, what types of bets are available for you, and some frequently asked questions.
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Getting Started with Baseball Betting
To start betting on baseball, you’ll first need to create an account with a sportsbook that gives odds on the current baseball season. BetVictor is one of the foremost sportsbooks covering soccer odds, basketball betting, Formula 1 odds and more.
Creating an account with a sportsbook is no different from many other online services. This time, however, you should make extra sure that you are engaging in safe and responsible gambling practices.
After creating an account, you’ll want to add money to it and then find the baseball section of the site. From there, you’ll get to pick your game, and your odds, and confirm your wager. If baseball odds confuse you, here’s a brief primer.
Baseball Odds Explained
Depending on the sportsbook and where you are in the world, MLB odds will be represented in American style, decimal, or fractional. Here’s an example of a game between MLB rivals – the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
| New York Yankees | Boston Red Sox |
| -250 | +200 |
| 1.40 | 3.00 |
| 2/5 | 2/1 |
Here, the New York Yankees are favorites to win at -250. American odds are oriented around $100, so -250 means to win a $100, bettors need to put forward $250. This is inverted for the underdog, the Red Sox at +200. This is saying that to win $200, they just need to put up $100. It’s more favorable because the Red Sox aren’t predicted to win – that’s why they’re the underdog, after all.
Being America’s national pastime, most odds will be given in the plus and minus format. International sportsbooks may use decimals sometimes, while fractional odds for baseball are rare and are more common with European sportsbooks for other sports like horse racing. At BetVictor, you can adjust your settings to however you like best to read your odds.
Types of Baseball Betting
There are several different ways to bet on baseball, or any sport for that matter. We’ve covered the four most prominent baseball betting types below.
Money Line Bets
First are money line bets – who wins? It’s the simplest kind of bet where you consider the odds, and then back either the favorite or the underdog. As explained above, the odds are weighted depending on which team is predicted to win, with the underdog’s payout ratio being more favorable due to their slimmer chances of winning.
Run Line Bets
Run line bets introduce a point spread to baseball. Point spreads try to predict how much each team will score, creating a handicap. So, if you bet on the favorite at -1.5, this means they’ll need to win by two runs or more to satisfy the bet. If they don’t but still win, the bet doesn’t pay. On the other side of the bet, the underdog will need to win or close the score gap to make a bet on them worthwhile.
Total Bets
Totals bets are also called over/under bets. When predicting point spreads, the sportsbook will also give a total prediction that estimates how many runs will be scored by both teams. Say this is 8.5 – you then bet if the game will end with more or less runs scored. If you’re right, you win your bet.
Prop Bets
Lastly, prop bets are bets that focus on individual aspects of the game. Player prop bets are popular – these are over/under bets that try to predict how many strikeouts a pitcher has, or how many bases a hitter gets. They speculate on your confidence in a player, instead of the whole team. A losing team’s pitcher can satisfy your over/under wager, in which case you still get paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some additional questions that newcomers ask about baseball betting, all asked and answered below.
What is the Most Common Bet in Baseball?
For most casual bettors, the money line is the most common bet. This is because it’s the simplest – choosing who you think will win. It attracts fans who place bets on their favorite team, regardless of the odds, as a show of support.
What Does +2.5 Mean in Baseball?
If you’re seeing a decimal number with a plus or minus before it, you’re looking at run line odds. At +2.5, the team is an underdog who is predicted to lose the game by 2.5 runs (or more). So, if you bet on them, you want them to lose by fewer runs than 2.5 or win the game outright.
Note that most MLB run lines are at +/-1.5. This means the -1.5 team needs to win by two runs while the +1.5 team needs to lose by one run or win. A 2.5 handicap is an alternate run line that widens the odds, available at some sportsbooks.
What is the First 5 Line?
In some run line bets, you can bet on just the first five innings. Taking this means you’re more confident your predicted outcome will happen closer to the start of the game.
