We wanted to write a little tutorial on how MLB odds work so
you can add another sport to your betting tool box. There are so
many people who miss out on the summer months of action simply because
they do not understand what the moneylines are, what a run line is, or
even how the totals work. This article will leave you feeling
confident when reading the number, then it will only be picking winners
that you have to worry about.
What makes MLB odds different from football and basketball are that
instead of point spreads you will find money lines. So we start
out with a detailed description of a money line since that is why the
majority of bettors pick when doing
baseball betting. You will see a typical money line look like
this:
Team A +115
Team B -125
What does it all mean you ask? Well if you think Team A is going to win
then you will have to wager $100 to win $115. You don't have to risk $100
or $100 increments, but that is the ratio that will follow you no matter what
the amount you wager. So a $10 will be to win $11.50. Now the
favorite is Team B so you will have to risk $125 to win $100. Not that
hard to figure out right? Of course not, odds makers are not math
geniuses.
For the run line you will see the same game go like this:
Team A +1.5 -130
Team B -1.5 +120
This means that Team B has to win by more than a run. If they win by 1
or lose the game to Team A then people who backed them will lose. The
money line works the same way, which is the number after the run line. So
a $100 bet on Team B would get you $120 for a win. If you think Team A is
going to keep it close, then you may want to take the extra run of support you
get with the run line.
Totals work just like they do in any other sport, but instead of getting the
-110 juice on them you will have to pay a money line style, but it's normally
between -130 and +125. These are three different type wagers to look for
with the baseball season.
