Hunterwing

1. Baseball Lines Explained
2. How To Read Baseball Lines
3. Baseball Game Odds Explained
4. Mlb Baseball Odds Explained

A runline bet is a 1.5-run spread attached to a baseball game. This unique form of baseball betting can be profitable for sports bettors who have done their homework on stats, trends and pitching performances. While a team may be a heavy favorite on the moneyline, that team will own reduced odds when pegged as a 1.5-run favorite. Jun 13, 2020 Run line wagering is baseball’s version of spread betting. Spread betting is a popular form of football bettingand gives you a number the team is expected to win. For example, a football game may have a spread of 6.5, where the New York Jets are the favorite and the Tennessee Titans are the underdog.

For the novice sports bettor, understanding how sports betting odds work can be one of the most confusing sets of numbers you've ever dealt with. For those who have just started betting on sports, to know how the odds work is of key importance for a profitable and enjoyable betting experience. We are here to give you an overview of the basic styles of betting odds, how you can read the different formats, and how to use them to your favor.

While you may still be confused at the end, the only way you are going to learn how to play with odds is by adapting the appropriate information and utilizing it firsthand. To this degree, we have found various sports betting sites where you can utilize these options to the fullest extent. And, if you ever have any questions, please drop us a line at webmaster@explainbettingodds.com where we can answer all of your questions through email.

Different Types Of Betting Odds Explained

Quick Explanation Of How To Read Sports Betting Odds

• Point Spread - If A Football Team Is -7, Then That Team Must Win By 8 Points To Win The Bet.
• Over / Under ' AKA The Total' - If An Over / Under Is 42 In A Football Game, The Combined Total Amount Of Points Both Teams Must Score Needs To Be Over 43 Points To Win The Wager.
• Moneyline Betting Odds - If The Money Line Has “Team A” at -150 Betting Odds Against The Colts, I Must Bet $150 To Win $100 And If Team A Wins, Then I Would Win My Bet.There are three forms of regular betting odds that you will see at every sportsbook that you visit, whether online or in person. These are the ones that you see right off the bat and the ones that really matter when you are betting on sports. If nothing else, you have probably heard them talked about by either your friends or TV broadcast on ESPN or other channels.

How To Read And Understand MoneyLine Betting Odds

First there are the moneyline betting odds , which is the bet on who will win the event outright with no point spreads or other variables. You simply pick the team you think will win and place the bet. However, without using the odds, the payouts are usually much different then they would be with the odds in place.

When betting on the moneyline, the favorite will always have a negative symbol in front of the number and the underdog will always have a plus sign in front of it (an example is -150 favorite or +150 for the underdog).

Baseball Lines Explained

How To Read The Point Spreads

Next, we come to what may be the most common type of sports betting odds, which is the point spread. They put point spreads up for all of the main sports such as football, basketball, hockey, baseball, and others. This is called 'The Spread' and it basically tells you which team is favored and by how much. When betting the spread, you are betting that a team will win by a certain number of points, runs, or whatever. Here is an example to help you understand point spreads in football.

If you are Betting The Point Spread On 'Team A' in Football - Favored by -6 - This means 'Team A' must beat the other team by 7 points or more to win the bet.

If You Are Betting The Point Spread On 'Team B' in Football Game - Underdog that is getting +6 points - This means as long as 'Team B' does not lose by 7 or more points, then you will win the bet. If Team A wins, but only by 3 points, then you will still win and get paid.

How To Read The Over / Under Betting Odds

There is also the total score or the over/under, and this line lets you bet on whether or not the total score between all competitors will go above or below a predetermined amount. You simply look at what the Over / Under is and then bet on which you think it will be. There are over and under betting odds for pretty much every sport including baseball, football, hockey, UFC, Basketball, Horse racing, and much more.

The over/under betting odds, or the totals, work differently for each sport. If the number is 42 in a football game and you bet the over, you would need 43 points total between the two teams. In baseball betting, it is the number of runs scored that sets the total. The UFC over/under betting odds are which round the fight will end. Hockey totals are how many goals will be scored between both teams.

With the spread and the total, you will occasionally see that the odds are distributed with 'half points,' which are in place to prevent a 'push,' or no one winning or losing the bets. As long as there is a winner or loser, the sportsbooks will make their money on the juice and be happy.

What To Know About Vegas Betting Odds

The truth of the matter is that Vegas pretty much sets all of the sports betting odds for the entire world. All of the world’s leading experts work for the big casino companies in Las Vegas, and all of them work together to set the odds for different sports. Anytime you hear someone asking or talking about Vegas odds, they are simply talking about the odds and nothing specifically related to Vegas. All of the online sportsbooks use services that simply use the Vegas odds as a starting point for events. Then their own systems will adjust the spread depending on how people are betting at their sportsbook. Ultimately a sportsbook wants 50% of the bets on each side of a game so that they can simply make money on the juice.

Exotic Betting Odds Explained

Exotic bets are there to make for a more entertaining betting experience, but they work somewhat differently compared to the straight bets. But, the original point spread is still used in all these bets no matter how you look at it.

Parlays are essentially a combination of two or more bets into one, such as three teams winning their respective matches. These parlays are usually a long shot since so many teams have to win, but in the end, they are also some of the highest paying games. You can pick teams to cover the point spread, over or unders, or moneylines in a parlay and sometimes you can mix in different sports.

Pleasers are some of the highest paying bets, as they take the spread and then subtract points, making it harder to succeed. Then you also have to combine them into another bet of the same type in order to win. The payouts are huge, but it is not likely that these will come in unless you have the utmost luck or some sort of inside knowledge.

Teaser bets bets are the exact opposite, in that you can adjust the spread to be more favorable, thus lowering your payout but increasing your chances of winning. Either way, these are some of the more exciting ways for you to wager.

There are also 'If-Bets', which allow you to combine two bets. The first bet has to win for the second bet to have action. If the first bet fails, the second bet doesn't come through. If you win the first bet, you can then use the winnings on the second bet, essentially building your bankroll.

Different Formats Of Betting Odds

How To Read American Betting Odds

American odds have become incredibly commonplace, despite the fact that they are not as easy to read as other formats. As an example, American Odds read like this:

Odds To Win Super Bowl:

• Team A: -150
• Team B: +200
• Team C: +600
• Team D: +1000

With American odds, the number represented is how much you have to bet to win $100. If the number is preceded with a '+' sign, then you would risk less than $100 to win a wager worth $100. And, the opposite is true when the number is preceded with a '-' where the bettor would have to risk more than $100 just to win $100 of the wager.

In the example above, you can see that Team A has the lowest number of the group and are considered to be the favorite to win this bet. If you wagered on Team A to win the Super Bowl and they end up winning, you are going to need to risk more than $100 to win $100 as indicated by the '-' symbol preceding the payouts. In this particular example, a bettor would need to wager $150 to win $100.

On the opposite side of that, the other 3 teams in contention all pay better than 1 to 1 odds (risk less than $100 to win $100). Team B is at +200: risk $50 to win $100. Team C is at +600: risk $16.67 to win $100. Team D is at +1000: risk $10 to win $100.

These can be a little bit confusing but if you just pay attention to the + or - symbol then you should not have any issues. And, with a little bit of manipulation, you can see how these odds will pay if the wager ends up being a winner and that is what we're all here for... to win.

How To Read Fractional Odds

Fractional betting odds are the easiest to understand. Just about every single sportsbook that caters to Americans has the option available for fractional odds. And, while they may seem daunting at first, you don't really need to understand complex fractions in order to utilize these odds. Let's look at an example:

Odds To Win Fight:

• Fighter A: 4/7
• Fighter B: 3/2

In order to best understand these lines, you first need to look at the ratio to 1. In the example above, 4/7 odds is less than 1 and the opposite can be said for the other side as 3/2 is more than 1. Once you have determined this, you can figure out the favorite.

To figure out which side is favored, you simply need to figure out which is the lower number. In this case, Fighter A is at 4/7 odds which is less than 1 and Fighter B is at 3/2 odds which is more than 1. Fighter A's wager is the clear favorite as it is the lower number.

So, how do you figure out what these pay? Again, we refer back to 4/7 being less than 1, and 3/2 being more than 1.

Anytime fractional odds are displayed at a value of less than 1, the bettor must risk more than they intend to win if the wager is a winner. And, the opposite can be said for if a fractional value is more than 1... that bet will pay more than what is risked.

As we said before, 4/7 odds are less than 1 so in this case, the bettor must risk $7 to win $4 from the wager. Then, 3/2 are more than 1 so when risking $2, the bettor will win $3 off the wager. As you can see, the payouts are in the fractional odds, you just need to know which way they go based on if they represent a value greater than or less than one.

Understanding Betting Odds That Use Decimals

Decimal odds are slightly more confusing than most other types of odds. In fact, we prefer not to use them when we bet but that is just our preference. Regardless, we are going to give you a little insight into these lines, as we want to give you insight about all of the common types of odds available.

If you look into these odds, you will definitely come out a little bit confused unless you are from Europe where these odds are commonly used than American or Fractional odds. The multiplication game is not as straight forward with decimal odds. Let's take a look at another example:

Odds To Be Next President:

• Candidate A: 1.50
• Candidate B: 2.45

When looking at decimal based odds, the same thing applies to them as all the other forms of odds when trying to determine the favorite... whichever is the lowest number is favored. In the example above, the favored candidate is Candidate A at 1.50 however Candidate B is only a little bit behind at 2.45

Figuring out the payouts is where decimal odds can get tricky, but you'll soon learn a little trick that will make these very easy to understand.

The best way to start off look at these odds is to consider them to be monetary amounts based on what you will win if you wager $1 or one euro, one pound, etc... which includes the original wager. Be sure to keep that in mind when looking at the other odds types.

If Candidate A wins the election, every $1 wagered will win $.50 plus the original $1 wagered which equals $1.50 or 1.50 odds.

Candidate B: every $1 wagered earns $1.45 which equals $2.45 or 2.45 odds.

Now That You Know How To Read Sports Betting Odds

Now that you understand how to read odds, you will then want to see how they are adapted to the different betting lines. With the straight wagers and exotic wagers alike, you will find that these odds are worked into the lines. After you figure out how to read the odds, you will then have to figure out the different types of bets that you can find through most sports betting sites. The different types of bets use odds somewhat differently, but in the end, it is all fairly similar.

We have created special pages that explain how to read the betting odds on a variety of sports. The reason for this is that some sports have betting odds available that others do not. Some sports betting odds can be broken down into a half or quarters while others are just for the entire duration of a match or game. For instance, you cannot really compare the NASCAR or PGA odds with NFL, and vice versa. Each page is crafted specifically for an individual sport making it easier for bettors to learn the ins and outs of betting on whichever sport they choose.

Online Sportsbooks With The Best Sports Betting Odds Available

Now we come to the online sportsbooks + sports betting sites that actually offer the odds we are explaining. There are plenty of betting sites out there, but we have decided to list only those we felt were of the highest level of quality. When personally and individually tested these sportsbooks in order to figure out exactly what they have to offer. In the end, we decided to play with those offering the highest paying odds, the most diverse set of betting types, and a fairly wide range of different sports. Throw in the big bonuses and easy financial transfers and what you get is one of the best sets of betting sites on the Internet.

Bovada Sportsbook - More Betting Odds Than Other Sports Betting Sites

Its already know that Bovada is one of the better online sportsbooks for players to sign up for. The fact that there are so many betting options on this sportsbook makes it known to be a better site as well. Most of the time players look for sites that have the total package which is what Bovada has. Players will flock towards Bovada and one main reason for that is because of the betting odds that are offered to players.

The odds offered on Bovada are her for a player to place big-time bets and make a lot of cash. This makes it very easy for players to pick which bets they want to place. Because of these great betting odds offered, it is known that players are cashing big on parlay bets. More players have a lot got involved in live betting as well because these odds that are here on Bovada are better than other sites they have visited. Because of these betting odds offered, the attention Bovada will get will only increase!

BetOnline Sportsbook - New Bettors Get Bonuses On Every Deposit You Make For Life

There is no doubt that BetOnline has a lot of players that have accounts with them. There are many reasons for that and this list of players will continue to grow and will for the right reason. Even though the age requirement of 18 and older to sign up is one thing that players notice when it comes to BetOnline, the betting odds are something that also grabs a lot of attention as well. These betting odds that are here on the prop bets and are much better than most other online sportsbooks.

Knowing how betting odds work is important and that also will make it easier to understand why BetOnline has the best betting odds for all players. These close odds are what players like and most of the time this will decide what bets they place. With a team being slight underdogs with those odds definitely makes players think if they want to place a bet on those teams and these upsets can end up earning players a lot of extra money! BetOnline odds are very good and makes players consider both sides.

How To Read Baseball Lines

MyBookie Sportsbook - Betting Odds The Best Here On MyBookie

Mybookie is clearly known to be one of the better sites for many players. The number one thing that players check out when they sign up for online sportsbooks is what kind of bets that it offers and there is no doubt that MyBookie has any bet that players can think of. With so many different betting options comes the betting odds as well. The odds here for are taylor made for players. This means that these odds are very good for players because they are close and have players considering to take the upset over the favorite sometimes.

Taking the upset sometimes over the favorite can be the way that players can capitalize big. Something as simple as picking the Miami Heat over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA could be considered because of the close the betting odds could be on MyBookie. The great thing about sports is nothing is guaranteed and upsets are often happening so taking an upset sometimes could be very beneficial on MyBookie. This also goes picking the favorite as well. Slight favored could mean to put a lot more money down and lead players to win more. MyBookie is known for great betting odds.

How to Bet on Baseball

How to bet on baseball during the season is similar to that of other sports in that the most popular betting options are on the money line (ML) – who will win the game – and the total – over/under total runs scored. Given that baseball is a predominantly money line sport, point spreads are secondary for this game compared to that of say football or basketball betting in North America. Baseball games still have point spreads though, albeit, they are all the same as the favorite is priced at -1.5 (typically) which is essentially a question bettors have to ask themselves of whether or not said team will win by two runs or more with their MLB bets.

Every sportsbook offers plenty of baseball odds throughout the year, so betting on baseball is as easy as going to your favorite shop and putting a few bucks down on whatever you deem a good play.

Understanding Baseball Odds

Baseball Game Odds Explained

As predominantly a money line sport, baseball odds are quite easy to understand. Oddsmakers put out a price on both sides to win the game, and bettors can ultimately convert that into a percentage that's said team's likelihood of winning. For example, you could have a game between the Boston Red Sox (-145) and Tampa Bay Rays (+125) and those are the odds you'd get to back either team. You'd have to put up $145 to win $100 if backing Boston, while a $100 bet on Tampa Bay would net you $125 in profits were they to win.

Regarding converting it to a likely winning percentage, aka implied probability, a -145 price converts to the suggestion that Boston should win that game about 59% of the time. If a bettor believes that percentage is correct, it's easy to pass betting on the game, while if a bettor believes that's a low number – say they believe Boston wins 65% of the time – a bet on Boston should be made. Conversely, if you believe that number is high a wager on Tampa Bay should be the course of action.

What is the Money Line

As explained earlier, the money line is the price offered on which team ultimately wins the game. It really is as simple as that, and in a money line sport like baseball, it's predominantly the way to bet outcomes on the side. Prices are always relevant to the implied probability a certain team has in a particular matchup, and it's up to the bettor to decide whether or not they agree with that offering with their MLB bets.

How to Bet the World Series

After grinding your way through the long mlb regular season, the next challenge MLB bettors have to tackle is MLB playoff odds. Ultimately they end with World Series betting odds between the last two teams standing, and there are various ways to attack that championship series from a betting standpoint.

The first of those is to look at the odds to win the World Series and bet the series as a whole. In this instance, individual money line prices and results don't specifically matter in that one game's result won't cause you to win or lose your bet (unless it's the final game of the series). Series prices are offered before Game 1 of the World Series begins and it doesn't matter how your team ultimately gets there, as long as they win four games and lift that trophy at the end, your MLB bets end up a winner.

MLB championship odds are also available at sportsbooks throughout the season if you are interested in more of a 'futures' approach, as these are always plus-money (+125, +200 etc) odds for teams to go deep in the postseason. Betting on the World Series winner isn't just the only way to do things too, you can get futures prices on things like the AL and NL pennant, which is where you back a team just to get to the World Series.

What is a Future Wager

Future wagers are exactly as they sound, in that they are wagers that aren't going to be paid off until sometime down the road. In MLB betting, that could mean taking a team to win the World Series months before the playoffs even start, backing a squad to win their respective division or their respective pennant. Future wagers even exist for the individual with things like Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards among others.

How to bet the MLB Playoffs

Betting the MLB playoffs is a matter of personal preference in terms of whether or not a bettor prefers to predominantly go with series wagers or on a game-by-game basis as you would with any game during the regular season. Obviously bettors aren't restricted by a one or the other approach and can incorporate both, and most times it's prudent to do so.

Postseason MLB betting in baseball brings a bit of a different element to things though on a game-by-game basis relative to the regular season though, as it's all the best of the best in terms of starting pitching rotations and lineup constructions. There are really no inherent potential edges based on a manager's lineup construction to simply give a player a day off like he would in the middle of August, and money lines and series prices are priced accordingly.

Totals for MLB playoff games are always available as betting options as well, but with the best of the best taking the mound for each side, they do tend to be lower numbers then what MLB bettors see throughout the regular season. That, and colder October temperatures could play a part in what numbers are released for totals as well. Below are some of the best offers available for new users to bet on baseball.

Best NJ Online Sportsbooks

Top PA Online Sportsbooks

Top IN Online Sportsbooks

In order to place bets on these sportsbooks, you must be in a state in which sports betting is regulated and where the corresponding sportsbook has a sports betting license. Welcome offers through VegasInsider are currently available in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Colorado, and West Virginia. Welcome offers may differ depending on where you register. Please visit the sportsbook using any of our links, change to your location and confirm your welcome bonus offer and requirements before you register.

Alternative Baseball Wagers

Money lines and totals are the most popular ways to bet on baseball, but they aren't the only ways. The spread – otherwise known as the run line in baseball – is another way to get action down on games and that's based on whether or not a bettor believes it will be a close, one-run game or not. Many sportsbooks allow you to buy or sell points on this wager as well if you would prefer more of a safety net to cash – ie taking +2.5 runs on a team – or a bigger payday – ie taking -2.5 on a team to win by 3+ runs.

Over-Under

Over-Under bets are the same in baseball as they are in any other sport. They are put up as a number of what oddsmakers believe is a fair combined score for a particular game and bettors decide whether to go above (over) or below (under) that posted number. A total of 9.5 for a baseball game would need to see 10 combined runs scored for an 'over' bet to hit, while 9 or fewer total runs would connect on the 'under. Over-Under win totals for the season are a very popular baseball bet that you can follow for the entire regular season.'

Run-Line

This was discussed in more detail in the alternative baseball wagers section, as it really is just a point spread of 1.5 for the game. The baseball team that's listed as the money line favorite is always going to have the -1.5 attached to their side and usually with a plus-money price tag attached, although it's all relative to the money line price that's set. Underdogs at +1.5 will be the “favorite” in terms of price on the run-line as that bet cashes if said team wins the game outright, or loses by just a single run.

Five Innings Wagers

First 5 innings wagers are gaining more and more popularity in the betting markets in recent years, and it's exactly as it sounds; bettors bet on the ML, total and/or run-lines for just the first five innings of the game.

Bettors who prefer to break things down heavily by the starting pitching matchup will tend to gravitate to these first five innings plays, as starters typically only go about 5+ innings in today's game and cutting off the back half of the game in this nature eliminates more variables like bullpen production. Prices are offered in the same fashion as full game lines.

How do I bet Baseball Parlays

Going the parlay route in baseball betting is basically the same as any other sport, as bettors have to combine at least two betting selections and go from there. Most sportsbooks will allow bettors to parlay multiple money lines or totals together, or any combination of those two options. Parlays offer a bigger payday for bettors that feel confident in multiple selections, but again, all selections must win for a parlay to pay out. Should only one game lose on the parlay, the entire ticket gets ripped up.

What are Prop Bets

MLB Prop bets in wagering are vast and extensive, as there are many prop wagers offered for a particular game. Baseball bettors that have more of a fantasy baseball background where things like hits, steals, strikeouts etc matter, will find themselves liking baseball prop bets as those are known as player props and can be bet on as well. For example, for every LA Angels game there will be odds on how many hits outfielder Mike Trout will get in an over/under fashion, how many bases he'll get with his hits (over/under), as well as how many strikeouts the respective starting pitchers might accumulate during their time on the mound. The amount of MLB prop bets are endless. Also do not forget about MLB playoff prop bets.

Player props are very extensive offerings for baseball games, but they aren't the only prop bets offered. Things like 1^st inning props of will there or won't there be a run scored (run or no run), or something like a full game offering on hits+runs+errors (adding up total hits, runs and errors tallied by both teams in an over/under setting) are popular plays as well.

Finally for those that do prefer more totals, there is always the daily prop bet known as the Grand Salami in baseball wagering. All that is is an over-under line on the total combined runs scored for all the games, usually somewhere in the mid-100's based on how many games are being played that day and the pitching matchups they entail.

Live Betting and In-Game Wagering

With the majority in the sports betting industry believing that live betting and in-game wagering are the future of this business, it should come as no surprise that live betting in baseball markets is already predominant and highly popular. It's a discipline that does take some getting used to, but with the nature of baseball in general being that bettors can visually see how an inning or a game is shaping up – say runners on 1^st and 2^nd with nobody out – wagering on what happens next can be quite exciting and profitable all at the same time.

Obviously MLB live odds are skewed to whatever is more likely to happen, as say in that example with runners on base the option of run scored – yes – will be favored, but in terms of the bigger picture of things, there are many other in-game wagering opportunities to consider.

For example, say the Pittsburgh Pirates hold a two-run lead as the visitors after the Top of the 7^th inning. They were underdogs in the pre-game market and come into the game with the league's worst bullpen. This scenario presents a great situational spot to bet on their opponent on the money line because that team was favored to begin with, and now they get to have three innings of at-bats against a very bad bullpen. Live odds fluctuate constantly and as a number's game, if you know your MLB stats, you have a huge advantage betting live odds. Here's another example, say the New York Yankees are looking to make a comeback against the Boston Red Sox and we known that their top two relievers have pitched two days in a row and are likely unavailable despite the close score. Remember the MLB regular season is a marathon, not a sprint. This means that the Red Sox will have to use pitchers in the late innings that aren't accustomed to being in those spots, especially against a great offense like the Yankees have. Live odds will likely factor this in, but comebacks are still uncommon. Bettors are going to be getting plus-money live odds in that situation and that's just one example of what gives live betting the potential to be highly lucrative as well as how many envision it as the biggest part of the future of this sports gambling industry.

Mlb Baseball Odds Explained

So when you get things like stand alone games like ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, or even World Series games, MLB bettors can sit on the sidelines in the pre-game market if they prefer, get a feel for how a game is shaping up and then look to attack in the live odds. It's a method some baseball bettors swear by in today's market.