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Baseball Betting Online
How to Bet on Baseball: Types of MLB Bets
Major League Baseball (MLB) betting includes the moneyline, spread and total. Exotic bets such as parlays and round robins are also available. The spread in baseball is known as the "run line". Futures wagering and prop bets are also extremely popular among baseball enthusiasts. With 162 games played by every team each season (not to mention spring training and the playoffs) there are plenty of opportunities for action.Quicklinks
- Free MLB News & Expert Picks
- MLB Moneyline Betting
- MLB Spread Betting
- MLB Over/Under Betting
- Baseball History and Notes
- Bet MLB at TwinSpires Sports
Free MLB News & Expert Picks
Get the free news and analysis from The TwinSpires Edge's MLB Experts to make smarter bets on baseball this season. Click here to find more of the latest free picks from our MLB experts
Baseball Moneyline Betting
Betting on an MLB moneyline is pretty straightforward as you're simply picking the winning team. In most cases, there will be a favorite and an underdog listed for each game. Placing a bet on the favorite will offer a lower payout while placing a bet on an underdog will offer a premium payout. The MLB moneyline is typically listed based on the bet required to win $100 if betting on the favorite vs. the potential win for a bet of $100 placed on the underdog.
In the example below, the San Francisco Giants are hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers. The moneyline for this MLB game shows: Los Angeles -225 San Francisco +200.
When reading the listed money line odds, the number in green beside the favored team always begins with a minus ("-") symbol. The favored team's number will show the wager amount required to win $100.
The number in green beside the underdog team always begins with a plus ("+") symbol. The underdog team's number will show the payout amount for a successful $100 wager.
- Risk $225 on the Dodgers to win $100
- Risk $100 on the Giants to win $200
In addition to current records and which team is at home, the starting pitchers typically have a big impact on MLB moneylines. If the ace of the staff is on the hill for the underdog, that might even up the odds a bit between two teams that might seem otherwise a bit mismatched.
Betting MLB Against the Spread
In addition to moneylines, MLB games will also feature a spread or "runline" between two teams. Rather than simply picking a winner, this form of betting features a 1.5-run spread on the final score of any game.
Consider the following example of MLB Spread Betting:
When reading the listed run line odds, the numbers in blue show that you can either bet on the N.Y. Yankees (favored team noted by "-1.5") to win by 2 or more runs; or bet on the underdog Cleveland Indians (noted by "+1.5") to win by any amount or lose by only 1 run.
The green numbers show the potential win for either bet. A positive number represents the potential win from a $100 bet, while a negative number represents the wager amount required to win $100. So in the example game above:
- Bet $100 on the Yankees to win by two or more runs and win $100
- Bet $150 on the Indians to win or lose by only one run to win $100
Betting the MLB spread can be a great option in certain scenarios. For example, if you expect a favored team to win by several runs, betting the spread will get you better odds than going with the traditional moneyline.
MLB Over/Under Bets
Let's say two teams seem evenly-matched, but the starting pitchers are not very good, and you expect a high number of runs to be scored. In this instance, you may want to consider betting on the "over/under" total for a MLB game, rather than picking a winner.
An MLB over/under bet involves simply choosing whether you think there will be more total runs scored by both teams, or less total runs, than what is listed on the published line. Here's how to read a typical MLB over/under line:
In the above example, the letters and numbers in blue show that over/under line is set at 9.5 runs. Choosing the "O" options means betting the combined score between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies will be 10 or more runs. Choosing the "U" option means betting that the combined score will be 9 runs or less.
The green numbers show the potential win for either bet. A positive number represents the potential win from a $100 bet, while a negative number represents the wager amount required to win $100. So in the example game above:
- Wager $100 to win $100 if the total number of runs scored by the Phillies and Reds combined is 10 or more
- Wager $120 to win $100 if the total number of runs scored by the Phillies and Reds combined is 9 or less
Where to Bet on Baseball Online
Residents of Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania can enjoy legal MLB baseball betting at TwinSpires Sports. You'll find a wide selection of odds, props, and futures to wager on throughout the MLB season and beyond! And don't forget to visit The TwinSpires Edge regularly for the best MLB betting advice from our dedicated team of experts.
MLB Betting Strategy
The TwinSpires Edge is your one-stop source for the best MLB betting strategy on the Web. Check out our daily game previews from Monday to Saturday, learn about unbreakable MLB postseason records, and learn how to bet on the World Series with expert tips and tricks from our featured columnists.
MLB Best Bets
Making the best bets on the MLB requires research, patience, and a deep understanding of the game. Our experts take many MLB betting factors into account including injuries, scheduling, player matchups, past performance, and a variety of analytical trends. You can find the latest sortable MLB team stats at MLB.com.
MLB Betting Tips
Check out The TwinSpires Edge's daily MLB coverage for the best baseball betting tips on the market. Our in-house experts offer MLB online betting advice and MLB betting strategy for a wide range of events throughout the season including the MLB All-Star Game, the MLB Home Run Derby, the MLB Playoffs, and the World Series. They analyze the latest trends and serve up the best MLB bets available for all 30 teams in the Big Leagues.
Facts & Historical Info About MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) was founded in 1869 and is the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. Today’s modern game consists of 30 teams divided equally into 15 teams each in the American League (AL) and National League (NL). Each league has three divisions, and there is one team in Canada and 29 in the United States.
The leagues were originally formed as separate legal entities, and in 2000, the leagues merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball. The organization also overseas Minor League Baseball, which comprises approximately 240 teams affiliated with the Major League clubs.
The 30 teams play a 162-game regular season, and five teams advance to the post season with three division winners and two wild card teams with the best remaining records playing a 1-game playoff to join the remaining division winners in a playoff series. The winner of each league advances to the World Series to crown the world champion.
Major League Baseball has the highest season attendance of any sports league in the world, exceeding 72 million spectators each season since 2006.
The league headquarters are in New York City, and the official website is http://www.MLB.com.
- 1900-1909 – Knowns as the ‘Dead-Ball Era” as fewer home runs were hit and pitchers dominated with lower-scoring games. The foul strike rule was adopted and the allegations of a game fixing scandal known as the Black Sox Scandal resulted in eight players being banned from Major League Baseball.
- 1920-1960 – The league consisted of 16 teams, baseball rose in popularity, suffered through a decline with the Great Depression, lost players to serve in World War II and broke the color barrier with Jackie Robinson in 1947.
- 1970-1990 – The designated hitter (DH) rule was added in the American League to help increase scoring. Multi-purpose stadiums and artificial turf fields become popular.
- 1990-2010 – One wild card team in each league was added to the playoff format in 1994. The steroid era in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s resulted in a power surge and record home runs. IN 1993 the league expanded to 28 teams, and in 1998 the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays began play to bring MLB to 30 teams. Interleague play was introduced in 1997 with games between AL and NL teams. The Montreal Expos became the first franchise in over three decades to move when they became the Washington Nationals in 2005. In 2008, MLB implemented an instant-replay review system.
- 2010-current – A second wild card team in each league was added to the playoff format in 2012 with the two wild card teams competing in a playin-game to advance to the division playoff series. The composition change to the baseball in 2015 resulted in a power surge in home runs and scoring continuing through the 2018 season. During the 2018 season, MLB confirmed a “change in the aerodynamic properties” of the ball, specifically “reduced drag for given launch conditions.”.
With names such as Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, Bob Gibson, and Ty Cobb; Baseball and specifically Major League Baseball has a very long history of accomplishments while standing as America’s Favorite Pastime.
In 1876, 100 years after America’s declaration of independence and only 11 years after the Civil War ends, North America officially adopted the sport of Base Ball. Founded in the formation of the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs (aka the National League), followed by the American League in 1901. The first world series was held in 1903.
The path to becoming officially organized began earlier than 1876. Witnessing a game of baseball among Civil War soldiers was not uncommon during the long conflict. The first official game was held in 1846.
Among the path to becoming a sport with organization and identity, the first professional baseball club was founded in 1871, known then as the Cincinnati Red Stockings and known today as the Cincinnati Reds. Eventually there would be a roster of eight original National League baseball teams; the St Louis Brown Stockings, Philadelphia Athletics, Mutual of New York, Louisville Grays, Hartford Dark Blues, Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs), Boston Red Stockings (now the Atlanta Braves) and Cincinnati Red Stockings.
Of all teams, the American League’s New York Yankees have obtained 26 more World Series championship victories since it’s 1903 creation than any other Major League Baseball team.
- Batter – Each player of the offensive team shall bat in the order that his name appears in his team’s batting order. The batter’s legal position shall be with both feet within the batter’s box. A batter has legally completed his time at bat when he is put out or becomes a runner.
- Pitcher/mound – A pitcher is the fielder designated to deliver the pitch to the batter. The pitcher shall stand facing the batter, his entire pivot foot on, or in front of and touching and not off the end of the pitcher’s plate, and the other foot free.
- Catcher – The catcher is the fielder who takes his position back of the home base.
- First Baseman – A defensive fielder who plays on or near the first-base bag.
- Second Baseman – The fielder who plays the infield near the second-base bag.
- Third Baseman – Infield defensive fielder who covers the third-base area.
- Shortstop – Defensive infielder between second and third base.
- Left field(er) – Defensive outfielder covering area in left field. An outfielder is a fielder who occupies a position in the outfield, which is the area of the playing field most distant from home base.
- Center Field(er) – Center fielder is the leader of the outfield, and is usually the fastest of the three outfielders. His terrritory overlaps the other fielders, and they usually defer to his authority.
- Right Field(er) – Defensive outfielder who occupies a position in right field.
- Designated Hitter (DH) – A batter who does not play defence, and bats in place of the pitcher when a team is at bat. This position is only in the American League since the National League pitchers also serve as hitters.
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