How To Bet On The MLB

Betting the Moneyline

MLB Money Line betting is the simplest and a popular form of MLB betting. In MLB money line betting you are simply picking which team will outright win the game. MLB Money Line odds will list the the favorite in a given game as a negative number (ie. -200) that means you will have to bet that amount to win $100. MLB Money Line odds will also list the as a positive number (ie. +500) that means you will win that amount on a $100 bet. A bet can “push” in MLB money line bets if the game ends in a tie. In this case most sports books will return to you the amount that was wagered on the game.

The lines in MLB money line betting typically range from -110, which would be considered a small favorite all the way up to -350 which would be considered a massive favorite in MLB money line betting. MLB money line bets are difficult to find value and that is why MLB money line betting is not as popular as MLB betting against the spread. Many bettors like to parlay multiple MLB money line bets together to help to improve the pay out of their MLB money line bet.

BetQL will help you to make the most informed MLB moneyline bets using our MLB picks against the money line as well as our MLB picks against the spread, and MLB totals.

Betting the Run Line

Betting against the spread or ATS for short is the most popular way to bet on MLB games and is also very simple. Betting against the spread in MLB is also commonly referred to as betting against the Run Line (RL).

The team that is favored will be listed with a negative number (ie. -1.5) and that is the number they need to win the game by. MLB run lines are always listed as -1.5 for the favorite and +1.5 for the underdogs. This means that the favorite must win the game by 2 runs and the underdog can lose the game by a run or win the game outright for you to win an MLB run line bet. Since MLB games cannot end in a tie, there is no situation where an MLB run line bet can “push”.

Additionally, virtually all sports books do not allow you to “buy” any points in an MLB run line bet. Instead of adjusting the run line to -2 or -2.5, sports books will adjust the payouts for -1.5 favorites or +1.5 underdogs.

For example we will look at two different examples:

Example 1: The Red Sox are +105 vs. the Yankees who are -125 on the money line, their odds against the run line would be Boston +1.5 at -180 odds while the Yankees are -1.5 at +150 odds. The large difference in the run line odds are due to how close of a game this is projected to be via the money line odds.

Example 2: The Orioles are +220 vs. the Rays who are -270 on the line, their odds against the run line would be Baltimore +1.5  at +105 odds while Tampa Bay is -1.5 at -125 odds. The run line does not adjust to a higher number (ie: +/- 2.5), but instead will adjust the odds on the +/- 1.5 runs.

Betting against the spread in the MLB can be tricky and you must find value in your MLB spreads in order to remain profitable over the long term. To do this, BetQL has created value models to help you find which MLB games have the most value for MLB spread bets, MLB money line bets, and MLB totals.

Reading MLB Betting Lines

We live in a time where you can find information on anything just with a few taps on your smartphone, but unfortunately sports gambling hasn’t fully caught up. Many sites that display MLB odds are showing images of the opening line and you are left to fend for yourself when you go to place a bet at the book.

BetQL prides itself on having the most up to date MLB betting odds at all time. We are able to work closely with sportsbooks and are able to reflect up to the second MLB run line odds changes. If the line changes at your book you can be sure that BetQL has that updated MLB line. No longer do you have to go searching around to find MLB lines for the day because BetQL has everything you need and more!

Betting the Run Total

Betting the total for a game in a bet on how many total runs will be scored in a game. In MLB game totals are typically between 6 and 13 runs. There can be a “push” if the total amount of points scored in the game exactly equals the total. MLB over-under can also be used to describe betting the total in the MLB.

When betting MLB run totals, many sport books will allow you to “buy runs”, which will change what the MLB total is at adjusted odds. For example the Rockies-Padres matchup has a run total that is 11.5 runs.

While you think that there will be plenty of runs scored, you don’t feel confident on the total going over 11.5 so you “buy” half of a run to push the total down to 11 runs at adjusted odds. This provides you will a little more safety if the amount of runs hits exactly 11 runs, thus giving you a push.

MLB run totals and MLB over-under bets is the combined points scored between both of the teams playing in a selected game. There are also options to bet on how many points only one of the teams will score. This is referred to as MLB team total betting. You can also bet on the total points scored in the first five innings, otherwise known as MLB first five innings (F5) totals or MLB first half over/unders.

MLB over-under betting  can be tricky and you must find value in your MLB spreads in order to remain profitable over the long term. To do this, BetQL has created value models to help you find which MLB games have the most value for MLB spread bets, MLB money line bets, and MLB totals.

Betting the first five innings

Betting the moneyline is the simplest form of sports betting. You are simply picking which team will outright win the game. The favorite will be listed as a negative number (ie. -200) that means you will have to bet that amount to win $100. The underdog will be listed as a positive number (ie. +500) that means you will win that amount on a $100 bet. MLB first five inning money line bets are the same as a full game MLB money line bet except that they only apply to the first five innings of the game. This means that any results in the final 4 innings (or more in the case of extra innings) does not count towards the bet.

MLB first five innings money line bets are ideal for teams that have a trend of getting off to a hot start or have better odds on a first five inning only money line bet. There are also options to bet MLB first five inning run line bets. Betting MLB first five inning spread betting is the same concept as betting MLB first five inning money lines, except you are betting against the spread (ATS), which in MLB is typically +0.5 or -0.5 runs for the first five innings.

MLB first five innings money lines are typically at lower odds than the MLB full game money lines. This makes MLB first five innings money line betting popular among bettors who like to target teams who are big favorites in any given matchup. Underdogs should not be overlooked in MLB first five innings money line betting, especially from home underdogs who tend to come out and play well in front of their home fans before talent and ability take hold in the second half of a game.