Baseball Betting Tips
How Baseball Betting Works
Betting on baseball is quite different from many of the other team sports involved in the betting world. One of the first things to consider when placing bets on a baseball game is the fact that there are no point spread bets allowed. The nature of the game would make point spreads very difficult to predict. Also, the lack of point spread bets takes into consideration the fact that so many games end in a very close score. The lack of point spread bets make Money Line or straight bets one of the most common when betting on baseball.
Pitching Bets
Another point to take into consideration about the betting practices of baseball is the importance of each team’s starting pitcher. The pitcher is, by far, the most important player on the field. A pitcher’s performance will almost always determine the result of the game. With that being said, bets on baseball games are often made with the starting pitchers of both teams in mind. Some bets list the starting pitchers and are considered void if either of the pitchers do not throw the first pitch of their team. Other pitching bets include:
Specific Pitcher: You may place a bet that will be considered void if the pitcher for your team does not start that game. The status of the pitcher for the team you are betting against has no effect on your bet.
Team Action: This normal bet does not take the starting pitchers into consideration. Your bet stands even if there is a last minute change in the starting pitcher.
Team Action vs. Listed Pitcher: With this type of bet, the listed pitcher on your team does not have to end up being the starting pitcher. However, if the listed starting pitcher for the other team does not start as well, the bet is considered void.
Money Lines
Money Lines are bets that are made on the outcome of the game (which team will be victorious). The odds are usually expressed in decimal or dollar format for Money Line bets in baseball. As in all odds, the team that is the favorite to win will have a negative odd while the team that is likely to lose will have a positive odd. You would have to bet the negative odd to place a wager on the favorite team. For example:
You wish to place a wager on the New York Yankees (-150) to win over the Boston Red Sox (+130). In order to win $100 (should the Yankees win), you would need to place a bet of $150. However, if you were to bet on the Red Sox, you would only need to wager $100. Should the Red Sox win and you placed your bet of $100 on them, you would win $130 (or $230 total).
Dime Lines
Baseball employs a betting system referred to as dime lines. In these games, teams that are 10 points apart (ignoring the negative and positive sign) are paired together. For example, Team A (-120) would play Team B (+110). However, some sports books will go above the dime line and list differences of 20 points or more. If you were to bet on the underdog (Team B +110) with a dime line of 20, you would only receive $90 additional dollars if your team were to win (110-20 = 90). Always look for sports books that offer true dime lines (10 point differences).
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