Online Baseball Betting Guide
Introduction to Baseball Betting - Baseball is widely known as America’s Pastime, and most people associate the sport with the United States. The game is incredibly popular in America and annual attendances have been as high as nearly 80 million in recent years, generating in excess of $6 billion in revenue. It is a huge part of American life for many residents of the country, and baseball betting sites are extremely popular.
The popularity of baseball in the States has never quite been replicated across the world, although there are other regions where it is has fanatical support. In both Cuba and Japan, for example, baseball is also considered the national sport, and in Canada the game has a huge following. Some European countries have professional leagues which attract a fair amount of interest.
Despite the incredible love for the game in the United States, and other parts of the world, betting on baseball is much less common than on some other sports. This is somewhat strange as many seasoned sports bettors believe baseball is one of the easiest sports to turn a profit on. There is also an amazing amount of games played each year, providing many betting opportunities at baseball betting sites.
Where To Bet On Baseball Online
It is therefore assumed that many people are put off betting on baseball simply because they don’t know how to. It is, however, relatively simple, and online baseball betting doesn’t take long to learn.
Betting On Major Events And Baseball Leagues
Far and away the most famous baseball competition is the American World Series. The World Series is the culmination of a baseball season that is contested by all the Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. These teams are divided into the American League and the National League, and each league is formed by three divisions (East, West and Central). The six divisional champions all progress to the playoffs, along with two wild card teams.
Most of the baseball leagues around the world follow a similar format of being split into two top leagues. Japan, for example has the Central League and Pacific League, while Cuba has the West League and East League. For more info on betting on professional baseball, check out our MLB (Major League Baseball) betting guide for a complete breakdown of all types of bets that can be made specifically on major league baseball games.
Types of Baseball Bets and Wagers
Betting on baseball is a lot simpler than many think. The most common bets are the moneyline bet and the run line bet, and most major online bookmakers will provide markets for these bets. We’ve explained these types of bets and a couple of others below.
- Moneyline Bet - This is an incredibly straightforward bet and probably the easiest way to bet on baseball. For a moneyline bet, an online bookmaker will have set a moneyline and you place your bet according to who you think will win a match. For example Team A might be set at -500 and Team B at +400. If you place a $10.00 bet on Team A to win and you are correct, then your winnings will be $2.00 and your original stake is of course returned. A correct bet of the same amount on Team B would return a total of $50.00.
- Run Line Bet - The run line bet is a combination of a point spread bet and a moneyline bet. However, in baseball, the spread is nearly always 1.5. The favourite team will be -1.5 and the underdog will be +1.5. The bookmaker will then set a moneyline based on this handicap. If you bet on the favourite with a run line bet, then you need your selection to win by 2 runs or more for your bet to be successful. If you are betting on the underdog, then a win for the underdog or a loss by just one run will be enough for you to win your wager.
- Futures/Outright Bet - A futures bet, also known as an outright bet, in baseball will usually involve selecting who will win a particular division, or even the World Series. You basically choose which team you will think will win and place your wager accordingly.
- Totals or Over/Under Bet - This is another simple bet that is popular among baseball bettors. This type of bet is a wager based on the total runs scored in a game. The online bookmaker will predict an estimated total of runs for the game, and you just bet on whether you think the actual runs scored will be higher or lower than the prediction.
Online Baseball Betting Tips and Strategy
It has been suggested by many successful sports bettors that baseball is a great sport to bet on and it can be easier to make money betting on baseball than many other sports. However, to be successful and profitable, you need to employ a strategy for your online baseball betting.
The run line bet can confuse bettors and as such they often avoid it. However, in reality it is a simple wager as described above and can prove very profitable. A fair percentage of baseball games are decided by just a single run and by betting on the underdog with a +1.5 run line you can certainly make some money. Of course, this is not to say that you should always bet on the underdog. By following the form of teams though, it is possible to find those opportunities where the favourite may not be as dominant as the bookmakers expect.
Like with so many sports, betting on baseball becomes a lot easier the more knowledge you have on the game. Results and reports from games are readily available, as are statistics on teams and players. A bit of time spent reading up on games should help when it comes to choosing a bet.
It is advisable to use a reputable baseball betting websites that provides decent prices for baseball and you should always employ good money management skills. There is a huge amount of baseball games played throughout a season and it pays to be patient and wait for the right bet.