Baseball Betting

Baseball Betting

by Tom Wilkinson

Mention the phrase baseball betting to sportsbooks around the world and you will inevitably get the same reaction - UGH. What baseball bettors around the world should remember is that baseball is beatable. Sportsbooks only provide lines on baseball because they have to, not because they want to. Baseball betting is the lifeblood of many professional bettors and that does not look to change anytime soon.

Baseball betting might look confusing at the beginning, but it is really pretty simple. Baseball betting involves money lines. For example, if a team is laying -150, it means you are wagering $150 dollars to win $100. Conversely if you take the underdog you get $130 dollars back for every $100 wagered. The difference between $150 and $130 is $20 dollars, or what is called 20 cents and that is what you hear when talking about baseball betting. Most totals are based on that twenty-cent line. You have to lay 12-10 on a 20-cent line. Some baseball sportsbooks offer a 10-cent line and that is obviously more advantageous to baseball bettors. A 10-cent line example would be as follows: Team A is laying -150, so you lay that 150 to win 100 if you like Team A. Team B gets +140 in return for your $100 wager. The reason that sportsbooks prefer the 20-cent line to the 10-cent line is that it makes them more money. Betting into a 20-cent line in baseball cuts into your profits if you are a baseball bettor.

In baseball betting all you need your team to do is win the game. No point spreads are involved, just money lines. All the bookmaker can do is make the line higher; they can’t take it off the board or make you lay 1.5 runs. If your team wins, you get paid. A lot of people will say that you should never lay the big prices in baseball, and for the most part they are right. Many times in baseball underdog betting is the way to go. You don’t need to win nearly as many games when taking underdogs as you do with favorites. Some of the pros will, however, take some shots with favorites on parlays. This is the one area that really worries the sportsbooks when it comes to baseball. If you talk to any sportsbook manager you will hear how they love parlays when it comes to football and basketball, but they are nervous when baseball bettors play parlays. Why is this? The reason is that, again, all the team has to do is win the game for a baseball bettor to get paid. There is no point spread involved. If you have a bunch of favorites that you really like, you can stick them on a parlay and not have to worry about laying points. If teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Angels all win on your four-team parlay, you are paid. Obviously the payouts are lower since you are laying money, but it puts the sportsbooks at bigger risk if there is a day when a bunch of favorites come in. It is not unusual at all to see professionals taking the occasional long shot and playing a 10-team parlay. Throughout the season these parlays are winnable, and you can’t say that in any other sport.

Baseball betting can be profitable. If you haven’t considered betting baseball before, it would be a good idea to give it a look. Your long-term profits can definitely increase if you add baseball betting to your wagering menu.