A Beginner's Guide to Online Baseball Betting
So, you are ready for the big leagues! Ready to take on thousands of baseball games per year and come out with a profit? This article will provide you with a better understanding of baseball and how to bet on this hugely popular global sport online.
Baseball Competitions
There are many baseball competitions throughout the world, but only three major ones that online bookmakers offer markets on.
- Major League Baseball (MLB) – this is the most well-known baseball competition in the world. Played in the United States and Canada, the MLB consists of 30 teams, each playing a total of 162 games (that’s a total of 4860 games per season).
- Triple A Minor League – this is the back-up league to the MLB. Many prospects drafted by MLB teams are sent to their corresponding Minor League team to gain experience for when they are called up to the Major Leagues.
- Japanese Baseball – away from America, Japan loves baseball. They have a very competitive league, and many stars are brought to America to the MLB. One example is Shohei Ohtani, who started his career at Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and now plays in the MLB for the Los Angeles Angels.
Baseball Betting Terms
The majority of markets provided by online betting companies are specifically related to baseball – 3rd innings total, number of runs by a certain player and total hits in the game. The most popular baseball betting types are exactly the same as other leading sports but worded slightly different. For example:
- Full time result (in football) = Money Line (in baseball).
- Handicap (in football) = Run Line (in baseball).
These markets will be explained more thoroughly later in the article.
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Types of Baseball Bets
The most popular betting markets for baseball at online sportsbooks are Moneyline, Run Line and Total.
Moneyline refers to the outcome of the game. Will either team A or team B win the game in question. Baseball games do not end in a draw, they will continue to play until a winner is determined.
Run Line is also known as handicap betting. The online bookmakers will offer a -1.5 or +1.5 handicap to each team. You win if the team you back covers the given handicap.
For example – Team A’s Run Line is -1.5 and Team B’s Run Line is +1.5. If you place a bet on Team A (-1.5), they will need to win the game by 2 or more runs. If you place a bet on Team B (+1.5), they can either win the game or lose by 1 run.
Totals in baseball betting refers to the total number of runs scored in a game. The online bookmaker will offer a number, and you will decide whether the number of runs scored will be above or below that. This is becoming a very popular betting strategy and taking into account each team has 9 innings (27 outs), certain strategies can be developed to profit off of this market.
General Betting Advice and Tips – Dos and Don’ts
When betting on baseball, there are a number of things that you must consider:
- Home / Away record of each team.
- The Earned Run Average (ERA) over the season to date (and also the last three starts) of the starting pitcher.
- The Batting Average (BA) and On Base Percentage (OPS) of each team across the season and also for the previous seven days.
Looking deeper into the three areas above, will give you a better feeling of how the game may pan out.
There are a few extra parameters to look at in baseball, and I highly recommended that you look into these before placing your online bets. One is the Park Factor. Each ballpark is structured differently – high supporter stands on one side, whether the stadium is a dome, short / wide foul lines. These can all have an influence on pitching and hitting. Another major external factor is the weather. Both temperature and wind direction can affect how the ball flies through the air and can positively and negatively affect the total – please bear this in mind. Finally, keep a close eye on the starting pitcher. This is the most influential role on a baseball team, and if the pitcher on the mound is a superstar, or someone having an exceptional season thus far, it can heavily affect an oppositions batting line-up and the number of runs they score.
One major Don’t - do not always bet on favorites! This is backed by previous statistics, which show underdog teams winning a healthy percentage of games. In the long run, always backing favorites will end in a loss of profit.
Next Steps in Betting Online
Once you have fully researched and looked into every aspect of tonight’s ball game, now is the time to start your baseball betting online.
There are numerous online betting companies that offer baseball markets. For example, allthebets.com offers the particular markets mentioned throughout this article, but also a further 90 markets, making it possible to play a particular game in many different ways.
Take everything highlighted above into consideration when betting on baseball online. Practice betting on a number of different markets to decide which one works best for you and your research.
