How To Bet On Baseball – Betting Guide

The Ins And Outs Of Baseball

First things first, it’s important to understand the workings of the game before you head over to a betting site to put yourself in the best position for making an informed decision.

A baseball pitch is something most people can picture, so in simple terms, Baseball is a team sport played between two teams. Rotating through players, a player stands in the Batter’s Box while the team’s pitcher throws the ball to them. The batter’s goal is to hit the ball as hard and as far as they can, giving them and other base runners enough time to get around the four bases and finish back at the home plate, achieving a run. Once a ball is hit, the opposing team aims to get the player out to stop them from making it around the bases. A ball has to be pitched and hit within the correct boundaries otherwise the player earns a strike. After three strikes, that player is out for that inning.

A professional baseball game has nine innings, with each team having a turn in each inning to bat and try to score runs. At the end of the nine innings, if a winner is not identified, further innings are played until there is a clear winner.

Placing Your Bet On Betting Sites

Before placing your bet, the first thing to do is find the betting site, or bookmaker, you want to use. To make this choice, you want to consider things like:

• The betting markets they offer
• Their quoted odds
• If they provide in-game betting
• The welcome offers they have
• Ease of use

Being a primarily US sport, many US-based bookmakers provide great welcome offers and betting odds, however, they will be showing the odds in the American style. If you are used to odds being quoted in fractions or decimals, it might be easier for you to stick with a betting site that shows odds in this way, such as Irish-based betting sites.

When the time comes to place your bet, the steps may vary slightly between betting sites, but ultimately it should be pretty simple:

1. If you haven’t already, register on your chosen betting site
2. Once logged in, find their Baseball section, also sometimes referred to as MLB if that’s the league they focus on
3. Select the betting options by finding the game and market you want
4. Check the odds to make sure you’re happy with them, then enter your wager
5. Double check the details are correct and submit your bet

Baseball Betting Markets

Compared to other sports, Baseball has a relatively small amount of betting options. But that’s not to say it’s any less worthwhile. There are three main betting types that all betting sites will offer. These are Money Line, Run Line and Total Runs. Aside from this, you may also come across Prop bets and Parlay betting. Here’s how they work:

Betting Market	How It Works
Money Line	The Money Line betting market is what is known as an Outright bet in other sports. For this bet, you are selecting a winner of the game or tournament. This is the main bet that you’ll find on online betting sites and is the most popular amongst both amateur and seasoned punters.   This bet has only two outcomes, for either team to win. However, some betting sites might give you the option to bet for a draw at the end of the nine innings, after which further innings are played to identify a winner.
Run Line	The Run Line market acts similar to handicap markets you might have seen in other sports. This market gives one team an advantage by determining a difference in runs before the game has started. Here, you are betting for a team to win with the predetermined handicap, which could mean that they don’t necessarily have to win the game for you to receive a payout.
Total Runs	In the Total Runs market, your chosen bookmaker will set a line stating a number of runs that will be achieved in the game. You then have to say whether you think the outcome will be over or under this line. It is typical for betting sites to offer three lines, commonly 6.5, 7.5 and 8.5. You can then pick a line before betting over or under.
Prop betting	Within prop, or proposition, betting is where you’ll find the smaller bets for specific actions to happen within a game. This could include things like whether a specific player will hit a home run, the number of strikeouts a pitcher will get, or the total number of hits accumulated throughout the game.
Parlay	With a Parlay bet, you can combine multiple bets into one for the chance of a higher return. This could include wagers across multiple games, or selections within the same game. In this betting type, all of your wagers will need to come true for your overall bet to win.

Strategies For Betting On Baseball

• Study the teams

One of the main things to do when betting on any sport is to study the information out there to help you make an informed decision. Look at things that could impact a team’s performance, such as tournament tables, previous scores between teams, injuries and disqualifications. It’s also a good idea to look at the weather prediction for a game as wind can have a big impact on gameplay.

• Know the stadiums

All stadiums are different, and the different dimensions and layouts determine how much the wind can interfere with gameplay. Take a look at the stadium in which the game will be played and the wind rose of this stadium as it could lead to the slowing down of a ball when pitched or an increase in flight once a ball is hit.

• Odds, offers and markets

It’s a good idea to always compare online betting sites to find the one providing a combination of the best odds, the best offers and a good range of markets that include the type of bet you are looking for. This doesn’t have to be a lengthy exercise. Sometimes just comparing a betting site to two others can give you an indication of whether it is a good site to use or not.

• Take a look at the pitchers

The pitcher is a very important player in a game of Baseball, so it’s a good idea to learn the pitchers of the teams in play. Almost the entire game depends on the throw, so if one pitcher is off his game due to injury or the other team’s pitcher is more skilled, it could heavily impact the result.

Key Events To Look Out For

• National League – This is the oldest major league in professional baseball, consisting of 15 teams in three divisions.
• American League – This works the same as the National League but includes the additional rule of a ‘Designated Hitter’ who does not play in the field.
• World Series – This tournament sees the best of the National League and the American League compete for the champion of Major League Baseball and occurs in October of each year.