Great tips for betting on baseball

By Daniel Wilkinson
Updated: June 24, 2022

Baseball is a sport enjoyed by tens of millions of fans globally. It’s also one of the world’s oldest sports, with the Major League Baseball (MLB) association one of the first sporting organizations in the world.

With so many fans, there’s a lot of interest in betting on baseball and the MLB in particular. So, in this guide, we’ll take a look at how professional baseball works before exploring some top tips when it comes to placing bets. Aside from these tips, those interested in reading more on this topic might enjoy reading a relevant book like Trading Bases.

How professional baseball works

MLB was founded back in 1876, making it the oldest sports league in the world at the professional level.

30 teams make up MLB, split into two groups of 15. These two groups compete in separate leagues, with one known as the National League and the other the American League.

The aim of the MLB season is to finish in the top six. For those that do qualify for the playoffs, a knockout-style tournament will ensue.

The winner of the playoffs for each league goes on to compete for the ultimate prize in baseball – the World Series.

Tips for betting on baseball

Baseball is a unique sport, and as a result, there are a few types of bets that apply only to this sport. Below, we’ll take a look at some of those bets, as well as some tips for getting the most out of your bets, such as bonuses, deals and risk free bets.

Keep an eye out for deals and offers

Our first tip is all about ensuring you’re getting the most out of your bets. Many, if not all, betting sites offer deals, bonuses and enhanced odds.

If you’re a new player to a betting site, you may see particularly good offers, such as the matched first bet bonus. This type of deal means that when you place your first bet, the sportsbook will match it up to a fixed number. Most betting sites offer $1,000, but some go as high as $2,000. So, if you win your bet, you get double the return.

It’s also worth keeping an eye out for enhanced odds on big matches, particularly on the likes of the World Series.

Some betting sites may offer boosted odds for certain outcomes or proposition bets, like betting that a particular match will go to extra innings.

To stay up to date with the latest deals, you could try using an odds checker or odds comparison site to see which site is offering the best rates.

Over/under bets

When it comes to making bets on baseball, you may find that the odds for simple win/lose options are quite poor. This may be because one team is a clear favorite or if a team is playing at home and therefore has that advantage.

Your interest may then stray to other types of baseball bets on offer. One of them is over/under bets on the total number of runs scored in a game.

As an example, you may bet that there’ll be over 7.5 runs scored in the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox. If the teams score seven runs between them, you’ll lose. If they score eight or more, you’ll win.

Depending on the option you choose, the odds may be better than moneyline bets. If you’re someone who likes to do your research, you may be aware of statistics relating to whether a team is high scoring or low scoring, and could bet accordingly.

Run line bets

Another type of bet that’s applicable only to baseball is the run line. This involves betting on the team you think is going to win and the number of runs you think they will win by.

This form of betting can see you offered greater odds than the likes of moneyline bets, because there’s more complexity involved in the prediction.

When you go to make a run line bet, you’ll see the options offered in plus and minus spreads, for example -3.5/+3.5. You have the option to back the positive or negative result. If you go for the negative one, it means the backed team, the Chicago Cubs, for instance, will have to win by four runs or more.

Depending on the teams involved, you may find that the higher the handicap, the greater the odds. So, if you’re expecting a team to walk over another, then you could back a high run line bet to see you get a greater payout.