Baseball is back, baby!
After a brief hiatus during the pandemic, the game is back with a bang. Friday night games have been reinstated and fans can get their fix of baseball once again.
The baseball season brings with it many questions, the most prominent one being: “Is my favorite team going to win the World Series?”
If you’re looking to venture into baseball betting this year, then you’ve probably already figured out the answer to the above question. The favorites are coming off a strong 2020 season and many of them are making big moves in the offseason to retain their competitive edge.
Whether you’re a seasoned sports bettor or a rookie looking to venture into wagering, this article will tell you everything you need to know about betting on baseball this year.
Which Teams Are Worth Betting On?
The first and most crucial decision you need to make when entering the world of baseball betting is: who do you like?
Depending on what kind of sports bettor you are, you might not like all the teams in baseball. For example, there is a type of person who enjoys football more than baseball. On the other hand, there is another type of person who enjoys college basketball more than football or baseball. Naturally, these are the types of people you’ll probably want to avoid when betting on sports, otherwise you’ll likely end up losing your shirt.
The best thing for you as a sports bettor is to have a broad spectrum of sports teams you can choose from when placing a bet. These are the types of sports books that will take your money – if you don’t mind losing it. This is why, when forming your initial lineup of teams, you should include all four major professional sports in the U.S. and Canada.
Now that you know which teams you like, you can move on to the next step of the process: deciding against betting on. These are the teams you shouldn’t put your money on because they aren’t as good as you think they are or worse than you think they are.
What Is The Over/Under For Each Game?
The over/under is the number of runs that will be scored by both teams combined. If you’re not familiar, the over/under is typically used in sports to see how many points one team will score while the other team is off and not playing. For example, if a football team is playing against a team with a 20-point over/under, then the football team would be credited with 20 points even though they only scored 17 points.
You’ll see two types of over/unders in baseball; one is for the combined number of runs while the other is for the total number of batting hits. For example, the over/under for the Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians game this year is 137 hits. If you’re trying to predict the outcome of a game and don’t know how many runs are scored by each team, then you can use this number to determine the point spread for that game.
Point Spreads
This is the moneyline or the odds of each team winning the game. You have two choices here: either pick a team you think is going to win and the bookie will give you credit for that bet or pick the underdog and enter at a credit of -1.5. This is pretty much the simplest form of betting on baseball. All you need to do is pick a winner and the bookie will do the rest. This is also the most popular form of baseball betting because it’s so easy to enter and exit. If you’re looking for a straight up baseball bet, then you might as well just take the -1.5 route. It’s simpler and less risky.
Are Strikes Worth Betting On?
Strikes are always an intriguing part of any baseball game. A strikeout is when a batter strikes out (refuses to swing at a pitch) in a certain amount of time (usually an inning). This is particularly intriguing because there is a direct correlation between a strikeout and the moneypot for that at bat. For example, if there are two outs and the batter manages to foul off four straight pitches, then they’re going to get an immediate free pass to the dugout where they’ll meet their coach. This is called a walk off homerun if the batter manages to connect and it’s usually a pretty exciting moment for fantasy baseball players who caught that particular game. These types of runs scored on a team’s behalf are worth money. Naturally, you’re not going to want to bet on a strikeout unless you’re very certain that the team is going to hit a lot of balls. It’s always risky to bet on a pitcher’s inning as well because they can be removed from the game at any moment for a pinch hitter or a defensive replacement.
What Are The Trends In Baseball?
Every year new trends emerge in baseball. Some are very popular while others aren’t. It’s always fun to predict which ones will catch on and which ones won’t. For example, fans always seem to enjoy seeing starting pitchers get the hook early. It makes them more eager to get to the games since they know the pitcher won’t last as long as the game usually lasts. It’s pretty much the same with regards to extra innings so don’t count on those if you want to bank some money this year.
Other trends are more subtle. For example, a lot of people are getting on board the analytics train. They see advanced statistics like BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) and HR/FB (Home Run/Fly Ball Ratio) as very accurate ways of measuring a hitter’s success. They also see teams that rely on speed as a primary means of putting the ball in play (i.e. Tampa Bay Rays) as a trend that is here to stay.
This is just a quick overview of the key information you’ll need to know about betting on baseball. As you can see, it’s not that complex. You’ll simply need to choose your favorite teams and either pick them to win or lay them off in order to make some money. If you’re looking for a no-risk way to make some extra cash this summer, then you might want to consider entering the world of baseball wagering. It’s a pretty lucrative world and as long as you keep your wits about you and play by the rules, then you’ll be able to enjoy the thrill of taking a wager on a game you love.