Sports betting is an excellent way to take your sports fandom to the next level. Do you know the difference between a moneyline and a runline? Don’t be deterred. Our MLB betting primer will have you up and running in no time. With so many great legal online sports betting options such as OKBet Sports Betting, it’s never been easier. So let’s get this party started.
Why should you bet on Major League Baseball?
You can bet on three major baseball competitions, but our first piece of advice is to stick with the MLB for two reasons. If you’ve been following Major League Baseball for a while, you’re more likely to be a successful bettor if you already have a good understanding of the game – this will serve as your foundation.
In addition, the MLB is the most well-known baseball competition in the world, with 30 teams playing 4,860 games each season across the United States and Canada. This means there’s a wealth of information available to you as you develop your sports betting hobby.
Baseball Gambling 101
Moneyline
This is a wager that predicts which team will win a specific game. It’s the simplest type of bet to place because you can choose between team A and team B. When you place your bet, you will notice a plus or minus sign next to a number.
A minus indicates that the team is the favorite, while a plus indicates that they are the underdog. So, if you’re betting on a -150 favorite, you’ll need to wager $150 to win $100. However, if you bet $100 on the +130 underdogs and they win, you will receive $130 in addition to your $100 bet.
Runline
Also known as handicap betting or spreads, this type of bet involves an online sportsbook’s handicap offered to each team (or bookmaker). So, if team A has a -1.5 runline and team B has a +1.5 runline (and you bet on team A), they must win by two runs or more. If you bet on team B, they could win or lose by one run.
Totals are the total number of runs scored in a game. Your online sportsbook will provide a number prior to a game. Your wager will be based on whether more or fewer runs will be scored.
Futures
Because these are longer-term bets, you’ll have to wait for the outcome to see if you were correct. They’re usually assigned to the team that you think will win a division or even the World Series, or to the player who will be named MVP. You can place these bets at any time during the season as the odds change.
Parlays are a riskier way to bet for a larger payout. You place two bets (say, one on the over in a game and another on team X winning a game) and your payout odds increase if both hit.
Live Betting
OKBet Legal online sports betting sites allow you to bet on any part of a game at any time. So, as the odds change from one minute to the next, you can choose to place any of the bets we’ve already discussed.
Player/Game Prop Bets
As you gain experience with sports betting, you can begin to wager on the statistical outcomes of individual players. Even or odd runs scored, first to score, first inning score, total runs or errors, and so on are all game prop bets.
How MLB odds are set
Sports betting odds are determined by taking into account all of the variables in a game’s matchup. This includes both current statistics and the most recent form, as well as historical data and professional analysis.
This data is used to generate the odds, which are -150 (or 50 to 70 percent) for team A and +130 (or 30 to 50 percent) for team B, using the most recent algorithms and MLB power rankings (how teams perform in various categories).
Curveball wagering
Pitching substitutions, lineup changes, suspended games, and rainouts are all common occurrences in Major League Baseball. So, how do these occurrences affect your wagers? It’s worth checking your sportsbook’s rules, but in general, if a starting pitcher is scratched before the start of the game you’ve bet on, your bet is canceled.
That’s just one of the risks of gambling. When games are shortened, your betting site will usually require that a game last X number of innings for your bet to count. In the event that a game is suspended, your bet will typically carry until the game is officially concluded.
Understanding baseball betting strategy
If you’re a fan of the grand old game, you’ll know that a lot of strategy goes into a game result, and every component of that strategy can be wagered on. It’s really understanding betting strategy that elevates sports betting above mere gambling.
Sure, it’s difficult, especially at first. But it will help you appreciate the game more, and it is genuinely satisfying when you do come up with a winner. So let’s get this party started.
Examine the lineups
Here’s where you should begin. You’ll kick yourself if you place your bet based on the matchup only to find out later that two-star players were off. You would have made a different wager if you had known. So, take advantage of the wealth of information at your disposal and check the lineup to ensure that the most productive players are on the field, especially on Thursdays and Sundays, which are traditionally off days for some players.
The starter’s name
Many first-time sports bettors make the rookie mistake of placing a wager solely on a team’s standings without considering the pitching lineup. The starting pitcher is the most influential player in a professional baseball game. No matter how dangerous a lineup is, a dominant pitcher can always equalize it. You’ve seen it before: a mediocre team suddenly comes alive when their top pitcher takes the mound.
As you develop your online sports betting strategy, keep in mind that the pitching matchup can have the most impact on the outcome of a game, regardless of where each team is in the standings.
Start with the statistics when picking a pitcher to bet on, but don’t just look at the win-loss record and run average. Consider ground ball and home run rates, strikeout to walk ratios, and fielding independent pitching (FIP) or expected fielding independent pitching (EFIP) (xFIP).
These are the issues that will provide you with a better understanding of how the player performs on the field. If you want to improve the accuracy of your bet, look at how a pitcher has performed in the past under similar conditions to the ones he’ll face in the game you want to bet on. When facing right-handed and left-handed hitters, pay attention to home/road splits, day/night splits, and lefty/righty splits.
Keeping an eye on the umpire
When you first start betting on sports, don’t forget to handicap the umpire. They have the ability to influence the outcome of a game. For example, if an umpire has a reputation for especially tight strike zones and you’re betting on a pitcher who performs best with large outside corners, you can see how this type of umpire could hurt your chances.
Keep your betting strategy in mind
Remember that your strategy will only get you so far when it comes to placing winning bets. Baseball statistics can help you make an informed bet, but anything can happen, from an unexpected injury to a star pitcher to a game being decided by the weakest blooper.
It’s the reason for baseball’s razor-thin win-loss record (the worst teams win about 40 percent of their MLB games and the best almost never take home more than 60 percent of theirs). So, if you’re on a losing streak, don’t be too hard on yourself. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy your victories more. It’s just the way professional baseball is. Don’t let frustration drive you to increase the size or frequency of your wagers. This is a sure way to lose money on the sports betting lines.
Manage your finances
So, as previously stated, it is critical to bet with your head rather than your heart and to keep your strategy in perspective for long-term online sports betting success. The same holds true for budgeting. It all comes down to staying calm and sticking to your bankroll strategy. Choosing a betting system and sticking to it regardless of whether you win or lose is critical to getting the most out of your hobby.
Most experts agree that you should choose a unit size and stick to it, never wagering more than one to five percent of your bankroll on a single bet. While you’re still learning the ropes, try to keep each bet to one to two percent of your bankroll.
Taking the following step
So you’ve done your research. You know everything there is to know about a game. It’s time to move on to the next step and find the best online sportsbook to place your wager. Whether you’re new to online sports betting or a seasoned pro, OKBet Sportsbook ph can help you make informed decisions. We provide excellent handicapping tools to assist you in making sound predictions.
