MLB Odds & Lines – How to Read MLB Line Movement and Bet on Odds Comparison

Understanding MLB Odds and Lines

Learning how to read MLB odds is fundamental to any bettor who wants to win in the long term and we at How To Bet are here to help you out in that regard. We know that Major League Baseball is one of the most popular sports leagues to bet on in the US and, for that reason, every online sportsbook worth their salt offers a variety of betting markets covering almost all aspects of the sport. Whether you want to predict the moneyline, spreads, or the total number of runs that will be scored, there are MLB lines available that will allow you to do exactly that. That’s where we’ve got you covered.

On this page, you can view MLB live odds for all of the games coming up. You can also learn how each of the main betting markets works so that you know how to make the most of them. To further help you out, we present to you our special MLB odds comparison and line movement widget. It will help you get the best value for your baseball bets. We’ll also show you where to wager on the best MLB futures odds on markets like the MVP and division winners.

First things first though. Let’s start with an explanation of each of the main types of MLB odds.

MLB Moneyline Odds

The moneyline betting market is one of the easiest to understand because it simply requires you to predict which team will win a particular game. MLB moneyline odds will be given for each of the two teams in the game, and those lines will be prefixed by either a plus sign (+) or a minus sign (-). Consider the following example:

Here, the odds for the Yankees are prefixed with a plus sign. That means you would need to bet $100 to make a profit equal to the MLB moneyline odds offered if they win. The stated odds are +130, so if you were to wager $100 you would win $130. You would also get your $100 stake back.

The odds for the Dodgers are prefixed with a minus sign. That is because they are the favorites for the game. When betting on odds with a minus sign, you would need to bet the stated figure in dollars in order to make a profit of $100 if they win. The stated MLB moneyline odds here are -130, so you would need to wager $130 to make a profit of $100. Again, you would also get your $130 stake back.

MLB Spreads or Run Lines Odds

You will often hear bettors talk about the 'MLB point spreads' wagering market. In MLB betting terms, the same market is referred to as the run line. Here the sportsbook tries to offer similar MLB spreads odds about each team by giving the underdog a theoretical advantage and giving the favorite a theoretical disadvantage of equal size. Consider the following:

We have already established that the Yankees are the underdogs in this game. It is for that reason that the sportsbook has given the team a theoretical +1.5 run advantage. At the same time, the Dodgers, who are the favorites, have been given a -1.5 run handicap.

You can bet on either team in exactly the same way as in the moneyline market. However, before your MLB spreads bet is settled, the advantage or handicap will be applied to the final score.

Bet on the Yankees and their score will be theoretically increased by 1.5 runs. They would therefore need to win the game or lose by no more than one run in order for your bet to succeed.

Similarly, bet on the Dodgers and their score will be decreased by 1.5 runs. That means they would need to win by at least two runs for your MLB spreads bet to succeed.

MLB Over/Under Lines

While the moneyline and run line markets require you to side with one team or the other, the totals betting market only requires you to make a prediction about the total number of runs that will be scored. The sportsbook will publish its own MLB over/under lines, and your job is to bet on whether the total number of runs will be Over or Under that prediction. That's why this market is also known as the Over/Under.

Here you can see that the sportsbook is offering MLB over/under lines on Over or Under 7.5 runs. If you think that the combined number of runs achieved by both teams will be 8 or more, you would bet Over. If you think that the total number of runs will be 7 or less, you would bet Under. As you'd expect, if your prediction is correct, your bet wins.

MLB Futures Odds

Futures bets are ones made about events that will be determined in the medium to long term. For example, you will see MLB futures odds being offered for division winners, or player futures like the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season or who will win the AL/NL Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young awards.

These future betting markets are quite volatile, and the lines will change as the season unfolds to reflect the performance of the teams concerned. As you would expect, correctly predicting outcomes so far in advance is a lot more challenging than picking the winner of a game this week, but the MLB futures odds offered about them tend to reflect that.

We at How To Bet are here to help you out with extracting the best odds on some of the most popular markets. Bookmark and check this page regularly because we’ll update our tables constantly.

MLB MVP Odds – American League Top 10

The MLB MVP Odds – American League were last updated on May 20, 2022.

MLB MVP Odds – National League Top 10

The MLB MVP Odds – National League were last updated on May 20, 2022.

MLB Odds to Win Division – American League

The MLB Odds to Win Division – American League were last updated on May 20, 2022.

MLB Odds to Win Division – National League

The MLB Odds to Win Division – National League were last updated on May 20, 2022.

MLB Playoff Odds

Betting on MLB Playoff odds, also known as MLB Postseason odds, is one of the most popular pastimes for each and every Major League Baseball fan. This stage of the season is the best time for some action in terms of wagering because the level of excitement approaching the World Series is enormous. 

There is a big challenge with getting the most out of the MLB Playoff bets in terms of timing. While payouts tend to be bigger when you put your money shortly after the opening lines are published, you’d be better off waiting some time to get more and useful information on the objects of your betting desires.

You probably already know that MLB Postseason odds shift throughout the season, so the expert team at How To Bet advises you to regularly check the line movement in order to extract the best possible value of your bet.

Here are some of the most basic and most popular MLB Playoff odds:

• Odds to Make MLB Playoffs
• American League & National League Winner Odds
• World Series Odds

MLB Parlays and Props

Another popular Major League Baseball betting lines to look for are parlays and propositional bets. These wagers are also somewhat tricky to land, but for their own reasons.

Parlay Bets

Parlay bets involve making a series of unrelated predictions and betting that they will all be correct. For example, you might make a parlay bet comprising three different moneyline predictions. Or you might combine a moneyline, a totals, and a run line prediction in a single parlay.

The payouts for successful parlays are great because your selected MLB odds will multiply, but all of your predictions have to be correct for your wager to win. Even one incorrect prediction will cause the whole parlay bet to lose.

Prop Bets

Prop bets tend to be riskier than the others that we have discussed. They tend to focus on outcomes that are unrelated to the overall result of a game. For example, some prop bets you could see are:

• The score at the end of the first inning.
• Over/under total strikeouts by a pitcher.
• Whether or not a certain player will hit a home run.
• The score after the first five innings.
• Over/under on runs, hits, or errors in the first inning.

There is a wide variety of prop bets that can be made, and many are offered by sportsbooks just for the fun of it. However, because of the greater risk they involve, they are not something that most bettors take particularly seriously. When prop bets are made by serious bettors, only modest stakes tend to be used and on generous MLB lines.

MLB Live Odds

Tracking MLB live odds is an excellent way to extract maximum value from live betting. The possibility of watching a baseball game and knowing what your next in-play wager will be, while having the most attractive lines right in front of you on your device screen, is really mouthwatering.

Thankfully, here at How To Bet you have the perfect tool for that with our specially developed widget. It provides the optimal MLB odds comparison by tracking the line movement at the major online sportsbooks in the US.

MLB Odds Comparison

Our MLB odds comparison widget helps you find the best betting lines on the US market. It allows you to quickly and accurately see where the top value lies no matter in which state you are located. Whether it’s New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Iowa, or any other state where online sports betting is legal, we’ve got you covered! The same goes with the different kinds of betting markets like MLB spreads, moneyline, and totals.

For that reason, you can bookmark this page and revisit anytime you want to place a wager with the maximum payout possible. We’ve done the heavy lifting and dirty digging for you, so jump in and make the most out of our tool. The best MLB odds for you will be put in black and bold, the ones drifting will be in red, and ones shortening will be in blue.

MLB Line Movement

Tracking MLB line movement leading up to a game or sporting event is a great way to help yourself make a decision on what bet you’re going to put in. There is some really valuable information you can extract from it, like seeing where the public is investing its money on a team or a player taking part in the contest. Oddsmakers also change their lines based on factors like injuries, suspensions, coach changes, weather conditions, and more.Our widget will help you with that because it shows the MLB lines drifting and shortening. This way you’ll be able to get the best possible price on your wagers.