Sports are very addicting, especially if you are watching a nice game. But sometimes you can get so involved in the game that you forget about the most important thing – betting. Even the most successful bettors forget about this at times. They are so engrossed in making a fast buck that they overlook the most important factor: Making money.
There are many ways to bet on MLB games. You can do flat bets or total bets. Others even refer to it as betting on the money line. Whatever way you bet, there are some basic principles you must follow.
Money Lines
When you bet on money lines, the number of winners versus losers is predetermined. Favorites will pay at +1.5 for every loss and -1.5 for every win. For example, if the New York Yankees are playing the Kansas City Royals, the line may look like this: Yankees -1.5 winners, +1.5 losers. The negative sign next to the Yankees in the line means that the Yankees have a greater chance of losing, as the Yankees are a considerable favorite.
Money lines are used in all forecasts and expert baseball picks. There are many free baseball picks or picks from various online sportsbooks available in droves. Of course, these are not -100 favorites like the Yankees, but you still need to bet within the proper guidelines of your sportsbook so that you get the most out of your bets.
Total Bets
Total bets, also referred to as over/under, is the amount of money bet on the total sum of the innings played by both of the teams. For instance, if the O’s are playing the Tigers, the total might look like this: O’s -200, Tigers +135. In this case, the O’s have a must win the game in the minimum innings (200) and the Tigers have the minimum win in the maximum innings (135).
The next time you bet the over or under, you’ll see that it’s not just the ending game that matters, but the total number of innings played too. Once you factor in the ending score of the game, the over or under bets become a much better proposition.
Parlays or Multiples
You can also bet “tickets” or “Dewacasino” in which a bettor chooses, in advance, the number of starting pitchers that will appear against the home team, the pitcher to start, and the relief pitcher.
Obviously, you must have some sort of knowledge of the pitchers, the teams, and the catchers to be able to make informed decisions. But if you are in the know, you can beat the bookies even with the worst pitchers and worst pitchers. With the aid of the internet, you can find excellent pitching statistics and team records to make excellent picks.
You can also bet multiples of anything up to 12 bets on one ticket. For example, you can bet six games on one ticket or six games on two tickets. The more games you pick, the more opportunities you have to win. However, to increase your odds, you have to increase your stakes as you win. You have to bet more cash to increase your odds and you have to have a lot of self discipline to stretch those bets across multiple games.
But, you can make a lot of money on the internet. Most bets carry a vigorish cost, but you should bet the exact amount at which you can expect to break even or win. For example, you bet $5 on the over in a baseball game. If you win, you can either take the moneyjack or leave it. But if you lose, you bet the next closest price down to get the moneyjack and leave if you lose. You either way, you still come out ahead.
Of course, there are the points you have to consider. For example, home underdogs sometimes beat the spread. You have to decide whether to buy or sell and if you decide to sell, you have to offer a better price on the over than the stat minimum.
Conclusion
Betting the over and under has long been successful as a bet. Find out why the books keep pulling the cash magnets with totals and parlays. Betting lines and totals are there to attract action but rarely will you find a line with several teams offering terrible prices for the over/under.