How to bet on Baseball

Baseball is a fun and exciting sport to bet on and best of all; it’s a moneymaker! Any seasoned gambler with baseball betting knowledge will testify to the fact that baseball is by far the best value for the money, more than any other sport. Baseball betting offers a plethora of wagering options and for this reason, here at Americas Bookie; we take pride in helping you win money. Wagering on baseball is an investment of hard earned money and this endeavor should not be taken lightly. We have taken an in depth look at each wager type and follow them up with explanatory examples, from money line bets, run lines, straight wagers, parlays, round robins, reverse action, totals, prop bets, futures and much more.

Baseball Wagering Types

Money Lines

In Baseball, the money line wager is the easiest way to win. This type of wager is not against a point spread or what is otherwise known as (the run line). Only one thing needs to happen to win a money line wager; the team that is bet on, must win. Betting the money line is that simple, the gambler is picking one team, straight up, to win. Money line wagers are set against money odds. Because a point spread doesn’t exist; the odds makers set a money line value on each game and each team. Look at the following example of a money line wager.

San Francisco Giants -310 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers +220

The Giants are a heavy favorite to win the game and the Dodgers are a big underdog. The odds makers/lines movers have done their research on both teams and have reason to believe that the Giants are the much better team. These money line odds are based on pitchers, the team’s record, the opposing teams record, (Dodgers in this case) and many more factors. In this example, the Giants are heavily favored, so, if the gambler bets on the Giants, he must bet $310, to win $100 plus the $310 in return or if he likes the Dodgers and wants to bet on them; every $100 that he bets, he will win $220, plus the $100 initial wager in return. Note: on both run lines and money lines; odds change and change often. Always know and realize what the current odds are on any given game. Morning lines are just that; morning lines.

Run Lines

With run lines, the gambler is still picking a winner, however, there is a point spread. In baseball, the run line is the point spread. The run line in baseball is typically set at -1.5 and +1.5. As with money line bets, there is a money mount attached to each game. The odds makers set these lines based on the same criteria used for the money line. Look at the example of a run line wager.

San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-180) Vs. Los Angeles Dodgers + 1.5 (+120)

In this bet, if the gambler wagers on the Giants at -1.5, the Giants must win the game by 2 or more runs, if he chooses to wager on the Dodgers, the Dodgers can lose the game by one point or win outright. The money against the spread, in this case (-180 and +120) works exactly as it does in the money line. If the gambler is wagering on the Giants at -1.5, he must wager $180 to win $100, plus the $180 back or if he chooses the Dodgers, he must wager $100, to win $120, plus the $100 back. The number one reason that gamblers choose this bet is simply because the money is much less. There is however a higher risk factor. The gambler must bet against or for runs. Note: on both run lines and money lines; odds change and change often. Always know and realize what the current odds are on any given game. Morning lines are just that; morning lines.

1st 5 Inning’s Bet

A first 5 innings bet allows the gambler to bet the money line on the outcome of the first 5 innings. This type of bet is also based on money line odds. To win this bet, the first 5 innings must go at least 4 ½ innings.

Giants -200 (first five innings) meaning, you must wager $200 to win $100 or for every $2 wagered, you win $1

If you bet the home team and the home team is winning the game after 4 ½ innings; you have won, the bet. If the road team has the lead or the game is tied after 4 ½ innings, you still have the bottom of the 5th inning, in hopes the home team wins or in hopes the road team maintains the lead or tie. A tie would be a push and you will get your wager back. The advantage of betting on the first 5 innings, is pitching. If you believe that your pitcher can hold off the other team through the first 5, then this is the bet for you.

Total runs are also offered for the first 5 innings. You can bet over the total combined runs through 5 innings by both teams or under the total combined runs. The odd on totals are also based on a money line such as Giants/Dodgers 1st 5 innings, 3.5 over -105, under +125. The over must go to at least 4 runs, the under must stay at 1, 2 or 3, total combined runs.

Total Betting

Betting totals offers an alternative to choosing a winner, it is easy and fun simply because you have no rooting interest. What you want is a lot of runs, or great pitching and as few runs as possible. With this type of betting, you simply bet over the total or under the total. Totals can be tricky; a good idea when betting totals is to know the pitching matchups and how many runs they give up per game. Odds makers set the total for each game based on pitching ERA’s. Totals are based on a money line.

San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Total Over/Under 7.5 (-110) meaning, you would need to bet $110, to win $100 or for every $1.10 wagered, you will win $1.00.

Alternate Lines

Alternate lines are offered occasionally, such as during the playoffs or The World Series. These are modified lines, and they are offered in two different ways. An alternate line simply means that the favorite, becomes the underdog. Of course, the odds will change, you will usually see a significant change.

Example:

San Francisco Giants -1.5 (-180)

Baseball Parlays

A parlay is a multiple bet; a bet with more than one team. The payouts on parlays are much larger than that of a straight wager. There are good and not so good aspects of betting parlays. The good is the large payout. The not so good is; every team on your parlay must win. If one team loses, then you lose the entire bet. You can bet 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and as much as 8 teams, on any given parlay card.

Parlay odds:

As you can see from that list, if you can hit a parlay it’ll pay out your money very well. Even hitting a four team parlay pays out a very nice ten times your bet. But remember, if you lose any of those games, you automatically lose the parlay.

Round Robins

A round robin is a simpler way of betting multiple parlays all at one time. The bettor will select between three and eight teams. Then the bettor will select the number of teams in each parlay. Then you choose from 2 and 6 teams, this will offer multiple different parlay’s depending on the number of ways that you decide to bet.

Example:

If you place an 8-team round robin by 2 ways, you will have 28 bets.

Here’s a look at a three way, two team round robin. You are betting on the New York Yankees -1.5, Boston Red Sox -1.5, and the Oakland Athletics +1.5, with each parlay going for $10.

If Bets

If bets are exactly as they sound. You can play between 2 and 6 teams, if your first pick is a winner, then your bet continues to the next team and on down the line until all your teams win or until one team loses.

There are two types of if bets, single action and double action, single action is a normal if bet and the next bet is placed only if you win, a push cancels the next bet. Double action means that the next bet will be placed with a win, a push, or if the first action is cancelled for any reason. Here’s an example of an if bet:

Futures Bets

Future bets are bets placed for future action. These bets are typically offered on which team will win the American League Pennate, the National League Pennate and the World Series. Future odds are also offered on an individual playoff series and World Series. These odds are usually offered before the series begins and even during the series.

The odds makers factor in many different scenarios when setting the lines for future bets. They consider the year before or how a playoff team finished the current year. Future bets can be very lucrative. The key is knowing and following the game well and striking quickly, as odds change quickly.

Prop Bets

Prop bets are popular because they have multiple offerings and are often payable before the end of the game.

Example:

who will score the 1st run of the game, will team A score in the 1st inning, how many home runs will be hit in a game? Over/unders on how many hits each team or each player will have, over/unders on the number of errors for a team, etc. There are many different prop betting options on each game, and most of them have odds that will vary by the bet. For example, the bet of ”who will score first,” will most likely favor one team one way or the other. The odds will vary by which side has more action, but will typically start at even money.