Here are some MLB betting strategies that will help you win more bets.

Key Points

– Betting on baseball offers a number of opportunities that other sports do not because of the MLB schedule.

– A few easy MLB betting strategies can be used to help bettors improve their winning percentage.

Looking at MLB Betting Strategies

Betting on baseball is different than betting on the NFL or NBA. One of the big differences is just the huge amount of betting opportunities in a given season.

Each of the 30 MLB teams plays 162 games which means in a single season there are 2,430 games on which to bet.

Baseball, because of its low-scoring games, is also more of a moneyline sport. Bettors typically wager the moneyline in favor of the run line, aka point spread.

So, how can you succeed when betting on baseball? Here are some MLB betting strategies you can employ.

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Don’t Fall for the Big Favorite

Oddsmakers understand that the betting public loves favorites and they like popular teams like the Yankees and Dodgers.

Instead of the Yankees being a -115 favorite in a given game, oddsmakers will often jump the line up to -180 or even higher. This is because the MLB betting public will bet on them regardless of the price.

MLB bettors would be wise to stay away from favorites of -150 or higher. Since the 2005 season, favorites of -150 or higher have won 63 percent of the time. That looks good on paper, but remember your payouts aren’t that high on minus-money favorites.

Playing a big favorite every once in a while will get you some wins, but consistently playing them will drain your bankroll and put you in the red.

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Find the Right Dogs - MLB Betting Strategies

When you bet on MLB underdogs, you’re getting them at plus-money. That means you don’t have to win even half of your bets in order to net a profit.

When you bet on big favorites, you lose big and win small. When you bet on underdogs, you lose small and win big.

MLB bettors can really focus on any plus-money MLB underdog, but there is one category of underdog that really pays off.

In a 162-game MLB season, teams within the same division play each other 19 times. Seeing a team that many times during a season breeds some familiarity and gives the underdog a bit of an advantage.                             

You can break this category down a little further too. The betting public tends to put too much emphasis on home field advantage. Therefore, it makes even more sense to focus on divisional road underdogs.

When you have divisional games with a road underdog and a high total - 8.5 or higher - bettors can value there too. With more runs expected, oddsmakers are expecting the road team to score more. Focusing on divisional road underdogs in games with a total of 8.5 or higher is a situation where bettors should take notice.

Check Weather Forecasts

One of the biggest factors that will affect the outcome of a baseball game is wind. The direction and speed of the wind can have profound impacts on games.

Take, for example, winds blowing in toward home plate at speeds of 5 mph or higher. Typically, these games go Under the total. Long fly balls that might have gone out stay in the park. Since 2005, the Under has hit over 55 percent of the time with winds of 5 mph or higher blowing in.

Consider the same conditions at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Since 2005 with winds of at least 5 mph blowing in and a total of 8 or higher, the Under has hit 63 percent of the time.

The opposite is true as well. When wind speeds reach 8 mph and above, there are typically more Overs. Since 2005, games in these conditions have gone Over 53 percent of the time.

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Don’t Forget to Line Shop

When betting on baseball, don’t forget the basics. Always shop for the best betting lines. When you can get a divisional underdog at +145 instead of +140, that can add up quickly when you win.

You may want to have accounts at a few different sportsbooks to check lines on games that interest you.

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