Experienced gamblers know that the one sport bookies are afraid of is baseball.Major
league baseball offers the greatest chance for profit over the course of a season. Money is made from betting on MLB games by understanding the various bets available to you,by adopting an intelligent strategy, and capitalizing on various baseball situations.
Understanding your betting options
There are four types of wagers you can make on a baseball game. Betting on which team will win the game is known as a "side" bet. Wagering on the total runs scored in the game is known as an "over/under" bet.You can also wager on which team will be winning the game after the first 5 innings. Finally, you can wager on an "alternate run line", and wager that a team(side) will defeat or not defeat a team by a certain amount of runs(usually 1.5 or 2.5 runs).
Using an Intelligent Strategy
There are some basic facts backed by decades of statistics that you should adapt your betting strategy around. One of these is that good pitching usually defeats good hitting. Therefore,the most important factor on any baseball wager you make is who is pitching for each team. In addition, those wagering should know that a pitcher always has a significant advantage over a batter if the two have never faced each other before.
It usually takes two or three at-bats for a batter to adjust to the release and delivery of a pitcher. With the above being said, you should look to wager on teams who have a quality pitcher going to the mound. He should have performed well in his recent starts with a low WHIP(walks and hits per inning pitched). Look to avoid betting on teams that have never faced a pitcher before(regardless of that pitcher's stats). Wagering on the over/under based on how both teams' pitchers have performed is another quality option.
Situational Betting
Baseball features players and managers with a lot of pride. This can often add value to wagers. Never bet on one team to "sweep"(win every game in a three or four game series) another team. Teams will play a lot harder to avoid a sweep than to achieve one. Also, never wager on a heavy favorite where the "side" is over -240. Use an alternate run line, or include this team in a parlay instead of paying the "heavy" juice.