How to Bet: MLB Odds

One of the most iconic American sports out there is baseball. Through the rich history within the US, MLB has transformed over the years, but fans of the game have continued to love the sport. O

Moneyline 

As one of the most straightforward bets to understand, the moneyline bet is one that anyone can relate to. This is because you are trying to pick the winner of the game, simple as that. 

To read these MLB Vegas odds, let us look at an example of what could also be some MLB Playoff odds:

So looking at the Yankees, they are projected to be an underdog here. This is because they have a plus sign next to the 130. For this bet, a $100 wager would net you $130 if they win here. 

For the Dodgers, they are the favorites here. This is because they have a minus sign next to their number. For this bet, you would need to wager $130 in order to win $100 if they win. 

Run Line

For other sports, you will often hear bettors talk about a point spread. Well, in MLB, a run line is their point spread. Most of the time, you will see a run line bet with a number of 1.5. Let us use the same teams as an example again. 

We know that the Yankees are the underdog here, so the bookie has the Dodgers handicapped here a little to even out the odds. To read this, it is similar to the moneyline. 

The Yankees have to win the game outright or lose by no more than one run for this bet to pay out. The Dodgers have to win the game by at least two or more runs. 

The payouts will differ from one bookie to the next. Sometimes it will have +110 or even a -110, depending on what they set it at.

Totals

The totals bet is similar to the run line in the sense that you are concerned about the score. In this bet, you are only concerned with the game's total score by both teams playing. 

For instance, if you see a total bet of 7.5, then this means two things for your bets. Sometimes referred to as the over/under bet, you will be wagering on either over the score or under. 

If you think that both teams will score at least eight or more runs combined, you would select the over option. If you believe that both teams will score seven or under, you would take the under bet. 

Futures 

Futures bets are events that have odds already on them out in the distant future. For example, you will see Las Vegas MLB odds such as MLB season odds, MLB MVP odds, and even MLB Rookie of the Year odds. 

These bets are volatile in nature because they will change drastically from the opening of the season until the end of the season. It is also somewhat harder to predict these types of outcomes, but it is also why they pay out so nicely. 

Parlays and Props

Another two popular bets are parlays and propositional bets. These bets are somewhat tricky to land accurately but for different reasons altogether. 

Parlay bets are ones where you stack a set of bets together in a row and bet on one ticket. So this could be three moneyline bets on one ticket or a combination of a moneyline, total, and a run line together on one ticket. 

The payouts on parlays are great, but you have to win all of your combinations to win. Even missing one out of three bets could cause you to lose your wager in total. 

Prop bets can also be added to parlays, or you can choose to bet them on your own. These bets are usually fun and unique.

For example, some prop bets you could see are:

• Score after the first inning
• Over/under total strikeouts by a pitcher 
• Will a certain player hit a homerun 
• Score after first five innings 
• Over/under on runs, hits, errors in the first inning

As you can see, prop bets can be endless. They sometimes have absolutely nothing to do with the game itself and can be just for fun overall.