Understanding the Fundamentals of Baseball Betting
By: Fabiola Grosshan
Submitted: 2010-09-13 07:31:22 | Word Count: 538
Baseball betting is completely different from other popular forms of sports betting like football and basketball. Although for skilful bettors it can be very profitable and convenient, baseball betting also has a reputation for being difficult, mostly due to the large number of games played during the season and players transferred from one team to another. Moreover, since there is no point spread to beat because of the small difference in scores, every sportsbook focuses primarily on wager types based on money lines.
Defining the Money Lines
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The money line is a factor with a strong influence on the amount of money wagered and the amount won when wagering on either the favorite or underdog in a match-up. In any online sportsbook, the basis for money line bets is the $100 wager, and the highest negative margin is an indicator for the favorite, while the lowest negative as well as all positive margins point out the underdog.
A Concrete Illustration of the Money Line
If Team A is playing against Team B, and Team A is regarded as favorite, the money line may look like this in the sportsbook: Team A -150, Team B +120. What this tells you is that if you choose to wager on Team A, in order to collect $100 you will have to invest $150. By contrast, if you decide to bet on Team B, with a $100 wager you can win $120.
Understanding How Online Sportsbooks Collect their Money
All sportsbooks and other similar sports betting resources make up their wager offers based on what professional sports bettors call the vigorish or vig, which denotes a commission subtracted from each bet that is put forward, or in other words, the difference between the size of the bet and the actual amount won.
Generally, a sportsbook makes a profit whenever the favorite loses. Taking the previous example as reference, if Team A loses the confrontation, then the online sportsbook collects $30. Since the house is earning $150 for the losing wager and only giving away $120 in the event of a win, they benefit from a guaranteed $30 revenue on every wager made.
The Stepping Stone to Successful Baseball Betting
By far the most important aspect of baseball betting is the pitching, which is why the money line fluctuates in relation with the starting pitchers of each particular baseball match-up. When scheduled starting pitchers remain on the bench, the money lines are modified and adapted accordingly.
In baseball, there are three different types of money line-driven bets: action, two-pitcher based, and one-pitcher based. Action betting refers to making a wager irrespective of the starting lineup for either team – the bet is valid even if the pitchers change. A two-pitcher is a type of wager requiring you to guess both starting pitchers – in case one is dropped from the starting list, then your wager is canceled and you get a refund. Finally, one-pitcher betting involves guessing a single starting pitcher – if he doesn’t make the first lineup, your wager becomes void and you get your money back.
