With baseball season either always going on or just on the horizon it's a great time to revisit some of the baseball betting basics and ultimate baseball betting strategy options from Sportsmemo. Check out some successful baseball betting strategies that can be used throughout the season for bettors of any experience level.
Remember! Sportsmemo offers predictions on all sorts of sports in our free picks and premium expert betting predictions sections all year long.
Baseball Betting Strategy #1: Avoid Parlays
Although Same Game Parlays can be a way to whittle down the odds of a high money line favorite, it is not advised to parlay two or more high money line favorites to try and reduce the odds.
Baseball is a game of incredibly high variance, where the 'worst' team in baseball can beat up on any top line starting pitcher if he doesn't have his stuff that night. There are nightly underdog upsets during an excruciatingly long 162-game regular season, so the thought of piling up a few heavy favorites isn't as likely to win when compared to other sports.
Baseball Betting Strategy #2: Underdogs Bark!
As mentioned above, daily and nightly 'upsets' of teams going against each other in a three-game or four-game series is not noteworthy nor surprising. It is a constant occurrence during a drawn-out baseball schedule.
When is the time to choose an underdog? In most cases it is more difficult to defeat the same time three or four days in a row, so it is important to identify when the lesser of the two teams has a realistic chance against a stronger opponent.
Choosing against a team's 3rd starting pitcher instead of the team's No. 1 ace pitcher has a better chance of cashing in. If a team just had a three-game series in New York on Monday through Wednesday, must travel to Texas and has a game on Thursday night, maybe that's a night where a lesser team can catch a tired, traveling team.
Maybe a team has a division opponent coming up later in the week and they are sitting out their star player one night before the big series starts.
Like other sports, paying attention to travel schedules, upcoming games and roster management is an important factor in deciding when to choose an underdog during the baseball season. This should figure into your baseball betting strategy.
If a customer thinks an underdog has a decent chance to win the game, they also may be interested in betting the run line. Getting 1.5 runs in a game a customer thinks a team can win outright creates a nice buffer of having a close wager go your way.
Baseball Betting Strategy #3: Weather Matters
For those interested in wagering on totals, becoming amateur meteorologist may be a fruitful endeavor.
It may seem basic on the surface, but quick research on if the wind is blowing out of a 'hitter's park', or knowing that higher temperatures create more chances for balls to fly over the wall more often than in colder temperatures can set expectations for how many runs may be scored in a game.
A 350-foot fly ball in Atlanta in June may be a home run compared to it being a long fly ball out in September.
Baseball Betting Basics : Before Baseball Betting Strategy Plans, Learn These
Traditional Baseball Betting Markets
A traditional six-pack baseball matchup will show three of the most wagered on baseball markets: money line market, total runs market and the run line market. A money line wager is simply picking who will win the game with the corresponding odds attached.
A total runs wager is choosing whether the two teams will score over or under the number of runs listed for the game. The run line is baseball's version of a spread wager, where a customer chooses a team to win by at least two runs or more.
Baseball Betting Prop Markets
If matchups are what the customer is focused on, he or she can check out any of the widely available hitter and pitcher props that are becoming more and more popular as they catch onto some of the more mainstream games.
Whether it's a player on a long hitting streak or a pitcher running through an impressive scoreless inning streak, there are plenty of options to ride a hot hitter or pitcher in the prop section. Almost all offensive stats are offered for starting position players, including hits, runs, RBIs, home runs and more.
Total strikeouts for starting pitchers are usually listed daily, in addition to over/unders on how many runs he will surrender or how many outs a pitcher will record during the game. Many of these player performance props can be tied together to create Same Game Parlays.
Baseball Betting Same Game Parlays
Speaking of which, Same Game Parlays will be a focus of most sportsbook operators as they entice customers to tie in a prop with a team's performance. For example, last season one of the most popular Same Game Parlay options was Aaron Judge to hit a home run during his home run record chase to go along with a Yankees win.
Using props is a good way to either bring down the odds of an otherwise overwhelmingly high money line selection or is a way to take advantage of a player matchup against a certain type of pitcher. These are where some deeper dive into analytics and matchups can play a role into turning in a larger profit on a smaller wager.
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