Baseball Wagers

A baseball wager is made by laying or taking money odds. It is based primarily on moneylines, and with its relative simplicity, betting on baseball offers some of the easiest money to be made in the sportsbook. The minus (-) indicates the favorite; the plus (+) indicates the underdog.

If you only see the minus (-) sign on one team, the other team is automatically the underdog.

On money odds whenever there is a minus (-), you lay that amount to win a dollar; where there is a plus (+) you get that amount for every dollar wagered.

For example:

Dodgers +134
Phillies -144

You must lay $100 to win $134 or $10 to win $13.4 on the Dodgers. You must lay $144 to win $100 or $14.4 to win $10 on the Phillies.

Placing a baseball wager is a bit different than in other sports. While the payoffs can be just as rewarding, it's vital to understand the different kinds of wagers available.

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Kinds of Baseball Wagers

Moneyline & Totals

Moneyline wagering is betting on the contest based on a given price rather than a point spread. The team one has wagered on just has to win the game. On an over/under (totals) wager, the total runs of the game by both teams combined, extra innings included, must fall over or under the side selected.

Moneylines are typically offered on both professional and collegiate games. These wagers are usually accepted in the following manner:

» Action - team against team, regardless of the starting pitcher.

» Listed Pitchers (both specified pitchers) - For wagering purposes, each team's starting pitchers are expressly specified. This is known as "listing". Baseball wagers are accepted based on the listed pitchers. In the event of a pitching change prior to the game, all wagers on a team are considered "No Action". All wagers will be refunded to the bettor's account.

Run Lines

Run Line Wagering is betting on the contest based on a point spread and a moneyline combined. The team wagered on must win by the point spread.

When wagering on total runs or run lines, the game must go the regulation 9 innings or 8.5 innings if the home team is leading, otherwise it will constitute a "No Action" wager and all money will be credited accordingly.

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Team and Player Props

Props (short for propisitions) wagers involve betting on anything that doesn't have to do with the final outcome of a baseball game. Prop wagers include betting on individual or head-to-head player performance, inning scores, team to score first, etc.

Prop wagers also include future wagers, like wich team will win the World Series. Prop wagers are also available for postseason matchups and American League and National League pennant winners.

Parlays

Parlays, also known as Multiples or Combos, are a very exciting way for the baseball wagerer to win potentially large amounts of cash with comparatively lesser risk than other types of baseball wager methods.

A parlay is a bet of 2 or more teams (selections) or propositions in no particular order. All teams wagered on in a parlay must win. If there is a tie, it reverts down to the next lowest number for payoff. For 2 team parlays, a tie and win becomes a straight bet payout.

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Other Baseball Wagering Info

MLB games are usually official after 5 innings of play or 4.5 innings if the home team is leading. If a game is subsequently called or suspended, the winner is determined by the score after the last full inning unless the home team ties the score or takes the lead in the bottom half of the inning in which case the winner will be determined by the score at the time the game is called.

Any and all baseball series wagers must usually have all 3 games played by the end of a specified date for the wager to have action. If all 3 games are not played by that specified date, then all wagers are "No Action", regardless if one team has 2 wins. All three games must be official as per the sportsbook rules on what constitutes an official result.

All baseball props must go the full 9 (8½) innings unless otherwise stated. They also must start the listed pitchers.

Now that you know the basics of Baseball Wager, why don't you put your newly-acquired knowledge to the test? Wager on your favorite baseball team now!

Top World Series Betting Tips

Major League Baseball (MLB) is the premier baseball league in the world. A total of 30 teams - 29 in the United States and one in Canada - compete in MLB.

The teams are divided into the American League (14 teams) and the National League (16 teams). Each league is further subdivided into three divisions, namely East, Central, and West.

An MLB season starts with Spring training with a series of practices and exhibition games. The regular season begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the first Sunday in October. During the course of the regular season, each MLB team plays a total of 162 games. The teams' schedule is typically arranged into 3-game series, with occasional 2 or 4-game series.

Only 10 teams qualify for the Postseason - six division champions and four "wild-card" teams (two teams in each league with the best record but are not division champions).

MLB betting can be tricky, with numerous games being played everyday. Here are a few MLB betting tips to consider before making a pick.

1 Don't be a 'chalk player'

In betting terms, a 'chalk player' is someone who usually bets on the favored teams. While underdogs offer great value in baseball betting, favorites offer good value too - if you know what to look for.

Consider that in MLB, even the top teams lose more than 70 games a season. This puts more value in betting on underdogs in baseball matchups than in any other sport.

At the end of the 2011 MLB season, the Philadelphia Phillies had the best win-loss record at 102 - 60. Meanwhile, the Houston Astros owned the worst win-loss record at 56 - 106.

Just by looking at the standings, we can conclude that breaking even on betting on underdog MLB teams requires a lower percentage of wins than betting on the favorite.

2 Don't bite the pitch

A pitcher is widely considered as the single most important player on the diamond. While starting pitching is important, it would be best not to rely solely on the starting pitcher as the basis for making a bet.

It is said that most of the pitchers are fairly equal once you get past the top 20 in each league. Considering that, watch out for these angles when weighing how a pitcher will perform.

Use a ranking system to two compare the two starting pitchers. Even the official MLB website ranks the pitchers, so be sure to check it out. If the pitcher for the underdog team ranks higher than the pitcher of the favorite team, there's definitely value on the underdog.

Also, consider how the pitcher fares against the opposing team as some pitchers play well against certain team.

Also check how a pitcher performs at home and on the road. If he performs well at home and the next game is at home, there may be added value there.

3 Watch the bullpen

The rigors of a long season takes its toll on all the players, even pitchers. That's why it is equally important to consider bullpen pitching.

Knowing how the bullpen performs against certain teams goes a long way especially when the starting pitcher starts to fade.

It may be smart to bet against a team that has a weak bullpen and cannot use their best setup guy or closer because they are over worked.

4 Know the hitters

While pitching is generally considered as the biggest key to a game, hitting can be equally important, especially if you intimately know how the hitters perform against the opposing pitchers.

At the end of the 2011 MLB Season, the Boston Red Sox and the NY Yankees scored the most runs at 875 and 867, respectively.

Before immediately jumping on heavy hitting teams, consider how they have performed against the opposing starting pitcher. Have the hitters delivered at home? Or are they more potent on the road?

5 Get past the hype

Generally, it is best to avoid betting on popular MLB teams like the NY Yankees, Boston Red Sox, NY Mets and the Chicago Cubs. These clubs are usually heavy favorites simply because they are popular in the public's eye.