Baseball Betting Lines Explained

• Understanding Baseball Betting Lines
• Mlb Betting Odds
• Baseball Betting Lines Explained For Today

For a sport built on numbers and large sample sizes, no one knows the unpredictability of baseball like a sports bettor. Betting odds and lines are set based on season-long trends, player production and starting pitcher matchups, only for an unknown reliever to enter the game in the latter innings and cough up a lead by surrendering a home run to a struggling bench player from the other side. Derailing the performance of a starting pitcher and the best research of bettors, alike.

Sep 11, 2018 In moneyline betting, the bookie assumes most people are going to wager on the favorite and sets the line on the underdog so as to cover any potential losses on the favorite. For instance, one of the major sports betting websites listed the following fractional odds for futures betting on the team to win the 2017-18 NBA Championship. Below is a selection of the three. Dec 26, 2019 If you were betting on the Patriots and their 3/1 odds, you would win $3 for every $1 you spend. So if you bet $50 on the Pats and they ended up winning the Super Bowl, you’d win $150 (plus your.

For baseball and hockey, the money lines appear before it is displayed along with the total of the game, more so happens in hockey. Hockey Stanley Cup and Football Super Bowl Point Spreads Understanding NFL football betting odds. Line moves: Sports betting odds are constantly adjusting to the action coming in at the sportsbook as well as other factors like injuries or weather. Getting the best odds for your opinion is.

If one knows the proper numbers at which to look — and more importantly, those to ignore — one can achieve long-term success vs. the sportsbooks with proper bankroll management and smart betting. Our MLB betting guide defines key sports betting terms and strategies. With this information, and a look at the best sites and apps for legal sports betting on the MLB in the US, beginner bettors can set themselves up for continued success.

MLB odds for February 7, 2021

MLB team betting guides

Best MLB betting apps

Can I bet MLB on my phone?

The MLB has long been one of the most resistant of the major North American sporting leagues to accept sports betting. From the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal in which they threw a World Series, to former Cincinnati Reds manager — and all-time hits leader — Pete Rose betting on games, the league and sport have also been among the most closely tied to sports betting.

The times they are a changin’, however, as sports betting is legal and regulated in more than a dozen states. Michigan and Colorado launched legal sports betting in the spring of 2020, and several other major states are well on their way.

Regulations will vary state-by-state, and while some may allow online (and mobile) sportsbooks, others stand by the brick and mortar method of casinos (New York, for example). Online sportsbooks are operating in Indiana, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Betting online and on mobile devices makes it easy to log on, log in, and place wagers on a wide variety of events and bet types. Betting on the go is the best way to live bet and improve your chances of winning.

Some of the perks of mobile betting include:

• Bonus offers for first-time users, or “price boosts” on odds for certain events.
• Intuitive layouts for quick sign-in and bet selection, as well as search features for sport, event or bet type.
• Live betting with continuously updating odds based on the event situation and score.

Some things for bettors to check into before placing wagers include:

• Privacy and security of the online sportsbook. Is the app legal and will deposits/withdrawals be honored in a timely manner?
• Bonus offer process: How many bets does it take to receive the full amount of the bonus and when can the first withdrawal request be placed?
• Which states allow certain apps and prohibit others? Will your app of preference work if you’re traveling across state lines?

Sharp bettors have accounts on a variety of different online sportsbooks in order to shop around and ensure they’re always getting the best price on the bets they want to make.

How to bet on MLB games

Moneyline

The best wager to make in the MLB is the moneyline. Bettors simply choose Team A to win vs. Team B, with the books typically setting odds in the range of -200 to +200. As the season draws on and injuries pile up, and talent discrepancies become more apparent, that range will extend on either end. Many factors go into the books deciding which team will be favored, such as, home/away, active winning streaks and overall records, starting pitchers and offensive numbers, and which team is most likely to draw in more bets from the public. It is, and seemingly always will be, rare to see the New York Yankees as an underdog vs. the Baltimore Orioles, for example.

Over/under

The next best spot to place your MLB wager is on the total, or Over/Under. Here, bettors are predicting whether the two teams on the field will combine for more or fewer runs than a line set by the books. A midsummer game in the thin air of Coors Field between the host Colorado Rockies and a hard-hitting team like the Yankees may have the total set at 10.5. A late-season game between the Houston Astros and New York Mets with reigning Cy Young winners Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom starting for their respective teams may see an Over/Under set closer to 5.5.

Run line

The spread, or the run line, is much less popular in baseball than it is in football or basketball. The books almost always set the line at 1.5, with one team needing to win by two or more runs, and the other needing to stay within a run in a loss, or win outright. Betting on the two-run victory for a favorite will always offer greater value than the moneyline for the same side, while the potential profit margin can drop significantly for the underdog. On occasion, (typically later in the season when games can become more lopsided) lines may rise to 2 or even 2.5, but this is rare.

Different variations of each bet type exist. Bettors can choose to bet a moneyline, spread or total for the first 5 innings of a game, as a way to hopefully, base the bet solely on the starting pitching matchup.

Proposition bets

Prop bets are the best way to add some excitement to a game a bettor plans on attending or watching on TV. Bet on which inning will have the highest score, which team will score first, or how many home runs either team will hit.

Prop bets also exist for individual players. Will Pete Alonso hit a home run? How many will he hit? How many runs or RBI will he have? How many total home runs, runs and RBI will he record during the game? Will he drive in more runs than Jose Altuve in a game between the Mets and Astros? How many strikeouts will Verlander record, or will he allow a home run? The more remarkable the statistical achievement, the greater the payout on that bet.

The home run derby is another great time to jump in on prop bets. The bracket format pits players head-to-head with bettors able to back their preferred choice. A batter can also be bet at any point to win the exhibition or to exceed a certain number of runs in a specific round. Or, bettors bet the Over/Under on the highest amount of home runs hit by any one player.

MLB futures betting

Futures bets are a great win to pass the doldrums of the offseason if your favorite team isn’t swept up in the free-agent frenzy. Bets exist to win the upcoming season’s World Series, win either the American or National League pennant, or to win each division. Win totals are also set for each team. The books may set an Over/Under line of 101.5 for a team such as the Yankees. The Marlins are more likely to be closer to 70.5.

In the shortened MLB season of 2020, a typical benchmark for wins is 31. The Yankees, who were pre-season darlings, had an over – under of 37.5 in July. A lowly team like the Orioles was set at 20.5.

These bets also exist for individual players. How many home runs for a power hitter, or how many wins or strikeouts for a pitcher? How many stolen bases for a speedy, high-average player?

Season-end awards such as MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year for each league are regularly updated throughout the season. They’ll generally include the usual suspects before the start of the season, with surprising breakout stars working their way up the odds board through the season.

MLB live betting

With online betting, bettors can jump into a game at any point and bet on the live lines. The odds for the moneyline, run line and total will adjust and fluctuate throughout a game based on lead changes and the amount of runs being scored.

A game scoreless through five innings may see the total drop drastically from where it was at the outset, but if the bettor is watching the game and knows the starters are approaching high pitch counts and about to be replaced by shaky bullpens, it’s a good time to bet the live Over on a lower number.

Alternatively, a game which starts with a few first-inning home runs may see the projected total rise. Knowing the teams typically don’t exhibit such power and they’re about to face elite relievers would signal the live Under as the appropriate play.

If a team jumps out to a big early lead, the run line could reflect the gap at 3.5 or 4.5. It can also be fun, albeit risky, to put a small-unit wager on the moneyline of an underdog trailing by four or five runs in hope of a comeback and a big payday.

MLB odds explained

As noted above, moneyline odds in the MLB will typically range from -200 to +200. The +200 means bettors will make twice their investment in profit i.e. a $10 wager will return a $20 profit. The -200 odds will profit half your investment ($10 bet equals $5 profit).

Odds can also be represented as fractions or decimals. All represent a team’s implied probability of winning, or a certain side of the bet cashing. An implied win probability of 99% would be presented as -9900, 1.01 or 1/99. A 1% chance of the bet being a winner would be presented as +9900, 100.00 99/1.

Lower probability events are said to have higher or longer odds. The higher the probability, the lower or shorter those odds become. A team with +350 odds of winning a game would be considered a longshot. A player with +10000 odds of being named MVP at the end of the season as a futures bet would be considered a longshot.

The lower the odds for a certain event, the chalkier the bet. Betting a first-place team to simply win outright over a last-place opponent without handicapping it on the spread would be a chalky pick. Low odds mean a small return on the investment.

While underdog teams will often carry plus-money on the moneyline (+200), spreads and totals is where the sportsbooks take their rake or vig by setting the lines at something like -110 on either side. This way, regardless of which side wins, the book is taking 10% on all wagers. A bettor laying down $100 on -110 odds for an Over to hit would fetch a profit of $90.91.

Bettors can still make a reasonable profit when looking to only bet favorites by building a parlay. Backing five teams to win (or five Unders, or two teams to win outright plus one team to cover a spread plus two separate Overs and Unders) on a full day’s slate of games can fetch a much greater return if all five bets hit. The degree of risk rises as events are added to the parlay, but as does the potential profit. All five bets would need to hit individually for the parlay to cash.

By teasing each event in a parlay, bettors can either raise or lower the likelihood of a result by adding or subtracting runs to/from one side or the other. The odds will adjust relative to which side of the line is being teased.

MLB schedule 2021

The 2020 MLB season was originally supposed to begin on March 26. The COVID-19 crisis, however, affected all major sports in the US.

The Major League Baseball season instead began on Thursday, July 23. All teams will play 60 regular season games, as opposed to the typical 162.

The regular season will conclude on Sept. 27 and the MLB playoffs will kick off on Sept. 29. The World Series will begin on Oct. 20, and the latest possible date for a World Series game is Oct. 28.

Each MLB team will play nine opponents over the course of the regular season, with teams set to play 10 games against each of their division opponents. To reduce travel, teams are also playing interleague games against the division that is close geographically. For instance, AL East teams will play NL East teams and AL West teams will play NL West teams.

What are MLB Power Rankings?

Power rankings are predominantly based on the MLB standings, but they’ll also take into consideration recent winning or losing streaks and the offensive and pitching production of teams over smaller sample sizes.

The rankings are generally compiled by beat writers or those who most closely follow specific teams. They’re updated weekly and/or monthly.

Bettors can use power rankings as a tool when searching for value bets as opposed to looking at only the standings. If a team is slipping down the power rankings week-over-week but remains a consistent favorite at the sportsbooks, their opponents can be good bets.

Advanced MLB betting strategies

With the basics of MLB betting out of the way, we’ll dive deeper and take a look at some strategies which can lead to consistent, long-term success against the books. It’s important to always keep bankroll management front of mind and knowing how much to wager on each event and each day is one of the biggest keys to success. The aim for sports bettors of any experience level is to break even, and a rate of 50% correct picks is considered a win.

MLB injuries

MLB injuries are generally more difficult to navigate but less important overall than in other sports. Teams can place players on the 10-day or 60-day injured list, but their activation doesn’t always come at the first possible opportunity.

There are many sites that post the daily lineups for every team. Always be sure to check there before placing a bet to ensure star players will be in the lineup. Twitter is an excellent resource as well when it comes to MLB betting. Beat writers will share lineups and notes on which players are in the lineup, who may see action off the bench, or how many pitches a starter is likely to throw before getting the hook.

The sportsbooks will also adjust lines based on these lineups, but getting the news before the books can adjust means bettors will have the edge. If you notice peculiar line movement, it’s likely a result of a player being scratched or returning to the lineup.

Home park advantage

MLB teams don’t enjoy home advantage in the same sense of teams in the NFL or NBA, due to the vast quantity of games played in a season, and the fact most series are three games long allows players to adjust to not being in their own bed. Always watch for teams having to travel after a game with a late finish before playing the next day. Especially if they’re switching from a 7 p.m. to 1 p.m. start.

With no two baseball stadiums being alike, teams are able to tailor their lineups to the specific dimensions of their home parks, thus providing an innate advantage. For example, a team playing home games in a park with a short right-field wall may load up on left-handed power hitters who are more likely to hit home runs. An opponent with predominantly right-handed batters may struggle in that venue.

Situational betting factors

Understanding Baseball Betting Lines

This is where MLB bettors get their edge. Baseball comes with more numbers than any other sport as the leader of the analytics movement. Knowing where to look and what to avoid, is the key to success.

Most baseball statistical are broken into splits. Home vs. away. Righties vs. lefties. Days of the week, months of the year, day vs. night, grass vs. turf. How much experience does a batter have against a pitcher and vice versa.

These stats are also great ways to find value when live betting. A team having success against a starting pitcher may quickly run dry when the manager turns to the bullpen. Also, is there a key bench player with a run of historical success against a reliever they’re likely to face in the 8th or 9th inning?

Don’t overvalue hitting streaks or slumps. Be sure to compare and contrast numbers over the course of a season to date vs. a smaller sample size of one or two weeks. The same goes for pitchers. Are there any outlier starts (poor or great) that are skewing the numbers in either direction?

Weather

For those teams who play in outdoor stadiums, weather forecasts are as important a tool as any. The direction of the wind, whether toward home plate or over the center field wall, can greatly affect totals.

Temperatures earlier in the season in environments such as Boston, New York or Cleveland can be cold and even come with snow. As the temperatures rise and weather improves, run totals are also likely to climb.

Be wary of when rain is expected to hit in the middle of a game. If you’re counting on a team to get most of their runs against the opposing bullpen, maybe they should be avoided if there’s a risk of the game being called after the fifth inning.

Line shading

Watch out for when the books are trying to steer the betting action in a particular direction. As noted above, a team like the Yankees will almost always be favored, or at the very least, will never be as big of an underdog as they may warrant. They’re a public favorite and therefore are more likely to draw in bets regardless of how likely they may be to win a specific one-off game.

Teams on prolonged winning or losing streaks will also fetch lower or higher odds based on public perception outside of the matchup on the field. If the Marlins have their top starter going up against a Triple-A call-up for the Yankees, Miami would be likely to warrant a wager at plus-money, particularly if they’ve lost several games in a row, or were blown out in Game 1 of the series.

Similarly, the totals for a team struggling to generate offense over a period of multiple games will slowly decline. As the projections decrease, start betting the Overs.

Advanced MLB betting systems

Betting against the public

Betting against the public, or “fading” the public, means to monitor the lines and to target the other side if one team is receiving a lopsided percentage of the betting handle.

Additionally, it can mean betting against a widely favored team such as the Yankees, who will typically have lower odds – and their opponents have higher odds – than they should, as the books hedge against the public slant.

Bad teams after a win

Similar to betting against the public, casual bettors and fans never expect bad teams (or underdogs) to win twice in a row. As a result, their odds often stay inflated following a victory which may have been the result of good bullpen performance, defense or an offensive outburst.

Unders for winning teams

Teams stringing together long winning streaks are usually doing so on the backs of their pitchers. As the winning streak continues, that team’s moneyline and run line odds will decrease over time. Instead of simply betting the winning team to keep winning, bet the Under of their games, either as a standalone of by parlaying it with a moneyline or run line wager. Betting the Under on its own helps to hedge against the risk of an eventual loss.

Oddsmakers will also artificially inflate the total when two winning teams are playing head-to-head. The fans watching are looking for runs and the books take advantage of this fan desire. Bet the Under on outlier numbers.

Run lines against elite teams

This strategy is best when a division leader is playing against a team on a losing streak. The better team is obviously favored on both the moneyline and run line. While the losing team may be a massive underdog to win outright, they have a much better chance of losing by a single run. Target the run line odds when they’re boosted as a result of the perceived mismatch.

Welcome bonus betting

As mentioned above, most sportsbooks offer welcome bonuses to new users. Understanding the rules of the bonuses and what goes into maximizing the potential earnings is key. One of the most common rules of the bonuses requires bettors to bet through the bonus amount a certain number of times. By placing larger wagers on heavier favorites with this bonus money, you’ll earn smaller profits but you’ll be able to claim the bonus amount sooner and either pad your bankroll or withdraw the free money.

Advanced MLB betting markets

As sports betting rises in popularity, sportsbooks are creating more and more events. Beyond the basics of the moneyline, run line and total for a complete game, bettors can also get action on individual innings or segments of a game. One can also bet on series scores and winners, especially come playoff time.

Take advantage of these additional bet types as a way to boost your winning potential. Edges can be gleaned by live betting when you’re attending or watching a game if you’re keeping a close eye on bullpen and bench usage or noticing a starter tiring out.

Getting in on futures bets early and backing a longshot MVP or Rookie of the Year candidate before the national audience is properly aware of the breakout star is a great way to set yourself up for a big payday if you’re able to catch the value early.

Using stats for MLB betting

There are enough statistics in baseball to support or disprove nearly any pick. Bettors need to be careful and avoid the trap of “confirmation bias” where research stops once you’re found the support for your initial belief.

Baseball stat keepers and sites such as Fangraphs are better than any other in breaking down splits by the situation. Look deeper into the numbers for every underdog when searching for value. Has a team been hitting poorly of late? Well, those offensive numbers could bounce back if the team has hit left-handed pitchers well for the bulk of the season and they’re facing a shaky southpaw.

Is a team playing a road game in a venue with different dimensions than its home park? Does the team’s power hitters pull the ball or favor the opposite field? Is a team having more success against fly-ball or groundball pitchers? Be on the lookout for parks where doubles can turn into home runs and boost the run totals.

Batter vs. pitchers stats

A point of contention within the fantasy baseball and MLB betting communities is the use of Batter vs. Pitcher statistics. Some like to highlight the one-on-one success of either against the other; however, the small sample sizes need to be acknowledged. Noting a batter has two home runs against a pitcher is fine and all, but over how long of a time period did it take? What happened in those other at-bats? The success of a divisional rival against an entire opposing pitching staff, or vice versa, across the tenure of a manager or pitching coach is far more important.

How to bet on MLB and win

Now that we’ve looked at the basics and explained several key strategies for getting the upper hand on the sportsbooks and avoiding some of the most common traps, we’ll look at the best ways to maintain success over the long haul.

Beginner bettors should be employing a very conservative approach whereby they risk no more than a single unit (where a unit is a set amount you’re willing to risk and lose on any one bet) on a single wager. New bettors also shouldn’t risk more than 5% of one’s bankroll – the amount you have deposited into the sportsbook and are willing to lose – on a single bet. Also, avoid the temptation of big-payday parlays and teasers. Stick to individual games and events. A win is a win and you have a much better chance of long-term success by taking it slow and making a consistent profit, rather than looking to get rich quick and cash out.

Develop your own betting system where you pick a certain return you desire on correct bets, and work backward from there so the amount you’re wagering on any one event achieves the same profit. As the odds vary, alter your investment for the desired return.

Due to the number of games during an MLB season, there are more opportunities to win than in any other pro sport. Diversify your wagers for any one day while staying consistent with your number of bets. Be sure to track your results with your losses and gains and never overreact to a stretch of “bad luck”. Stay even keel and change your approach before chasing lost money by betting bigger on higher odds.

Shop around at different books. With online betting gaining steam across the nation, try creating an account at every legal book in your state. This way, you can not only make use of more “welcome” bonuses, but you can also compare odds for each event you choose to bet. Betting at just a single book can often leave money on the table, even if you win. If one book is offering +130 the Marlins and another has +135 odds, you’re talking about a loss of $0.50 on every $10 wagered by betting the lower number.

Finally, avoid the big favorites and target more underdogs with plus-money returns. This way, when making more bets, you have a better chance of making a profit even if you’re losing more wagers than you win.

Sports betting is one of the most popular ways to gamble in the world, and there are a number of different ways in which you can participate. If you enjoy or follow a sport, chances are there are numerous betting odds available for that sport at an online sportsbook, especially if it's a popular league. With each passing year, the availability of betting odds continues to open up to people all over the world thanks to online sportsbooks. Of course, there’s a lot more to placing sports wagers than simply knowing that betting odds are out there.

This is why we’ve put this little sports betting primer together. Here at USAOnlineSportsbooks.com, we want to explain the different betting odds that you will come across when trying to seek out the different sports, leagues, games, and players you are most interested in. It's not too complicated, but a basic understanding of what you’re looking at is essential when it comes to placing your chosen wagers. Just below, we will go down the list of the basic types of betting odds that are readily available, so you’ll know exactly what you’re looking at regardless of which online sportsbook you use.

Different Types of Odds For Wagering On Sports

Directly below we have broken down the basic types of odds and betting lines that you are likely to encounter when gambling at a sportsbook. All wagers fall into one of these categories, which we explain in detail. Chances are that you’ve already heard these terms or are passingly familiar with these odds types, but in case you aren’t, we’ve got explanations and examples to help you out.

Main Betting Lines:

Sometimes called “game odds,” the main betting lines you’ll come across at any reputable USA online sportsbook comprise three different wager types, and they’re almost always published together, in a line. This is what sports bettors refer to when they talk about a betting line on a given contest, although sometimes they use this term to discuss individual wager types within the betting line. The three wager varieties that comprise main betting lines are the point spread, the straight moneyline, and the over/under (and they’re usually listed in this order).

The Point Spread

The point spread is the most mainstream wager type, primarily because of its popular media usage in NFL and NCAA football. Chances are good that you’ve heard – or asked! – what the spread is for a given game. If you aren’t sure exactly what that means, a point spread is simply a way for bookmakers to handicap a contest by “taking” points from the presumed better team and “giving” those points to the underdog. A typical NFL point spread bet will look something like this:

• Green Bay Packers -7.5 (-110) at Minnesota Vikings +7.5 (-110)

Here, the Packers are favorites, which are always denoted by a negative spread number. Here, they are 7.5-point favorites. Conversely, the Vikings, with a positive spread number, are 7.5-point underdogs. This means that a wager for Green Bay to “cover the spread” means that the Packers have to beat Minnesota by at least 8 points to make the bet a winner. Similarly, the Vikes can lose by up to 7 points and still win the wager. The moneyline is shown in parentheses, and this represents the “price tag” for the bet (i.e. how much you must risk to get a given payout).

The Straight Moneyline

While a moneyline is included with every American sports wager type as the bet’s price tag, it’s also the basis for the straight moneyline – or straight up – bet. With straight moneyline betting, you are simply picking which team you think will win outright, and the moneyline shows the financial terms of the bet. With straight moneyline wagering, the favorite is always going to have a negative moneyline, while the underdog almost always has a positive moneyline. (There are rare cases in very tight matchups where both teams will have negative moneylines, though the team with the number closer to zero is always going to be the underdog in these cases.) An example of an NBA straight moneyline wager is shown below:

• Los Angeles Lakers +255 at Boston Celtics -175

In this game, the Lakers are underdogs while the Celtics are favorites. A positive moneyline number shows how much money you stand to win on a $100 wager, and a negative moneyline number shows how much money you have to risk in order to win $100. This is true for all moneylines, regardless of bet type. The only difference with straight betting is that the moneyline also shows which club is favored by the sportsbook. In the above example, a $100 bet on LA to win would net $255, while a $175 bet on Boston to win would earn you $100.

The Total or Over/Under

The total is the third and final common bet type included in game lines, and it is not concerned with winners and losers. Instead, totals bets are only concerned with the combined total points scored between both teams. A bookmaker will post a total number for every game, and your task is to simply choose whether the two teams will combine to go over that number or under that number. This is why totals betting is also called over/under betting, and it is denoted with an “O/U” at most sports betting sites. For example, an MLB totals wager might look like this:

• Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies O/U 8.5 (-110)

Here, the sportsbook has set the over/under at 8.5 runs. If you take the over, and the game ends in a final score of 6-3, you’d win the bet, since 9 is more than 8.5. However, if you take the under, you’d lose the bet. The moneyline in parentheses shows that the cost for either side of this wager is the same: You must risk $110 to win $100. The remainder goes to the sportsbook as the house take, or vigorish.

Parlay Betting

Parlay betting is when you make moves to increase your returns by increasing risk. Basically, parlay betting involves tying multiple wagers together. Each part of the wager is called a leg. Let’s take the football season as an example. You’re sitting at home, and you’re pretty sure that the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to defeat the New England Patriots, and you’re also pretty sure that the Arizona Cardinals are going to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You can bet on them separately, and win money that way, or, you could combine them into one bet – betting on both the Steelers and the Cardinals to win – in exchange for a larger return. The downside, of course, is if only one of the teams wins, you don’t get anything.

That example is of a two-leg parlay but there is not really a limit to the number of legs you can put on a parlay unless the online sportsbook specifies. Parlays are fun, but as far as concerted gambling strategy goes, the jury is still out. There are certain players who have made a lot of money betting on parlays, but there are many who have not. It is worth pointing out that it can be valuable to lay money on straight bets on the various legs of your parlay, to hedge against one leg failing.

Teasers And Pleasers:

Once you understand the concepts of a parlay, there are some advanced parlays that sportsbooks offer known as teasers and pleasers. Teasers are the more popular and common of the two, so we will start there. A teaser is a parlay that has adjusted betting lines in favor of the bettor. Usually, this comes in the form of the point spread or point total adjustments. The bettor chooses whichever lines they want to include in their teaser, and then chooses how much they want to tease the line by. The more points you tease in your favor, the more your payout odds decrease. The most common teaser range is usually 6 points, so we will use that in our example.

Say you have three football games you want to bet on and want to turn them into a teaser. The bets you like are Seahawks -7, Panthers +3, and Jets/Bills over 50 points. A six-point teaser on those bets would move the lines to Seahawks -1, Panthers +9, and over 44 points. You can see how the teaser helps the bettor by giving them much more wiggle room, at the cost of reduced odds. The odds for a three-team 6-point teaser like the example would be around +200, whereas a straight-up parlay would be around +800. Pleasers are the same concept as teasers, in the opposite direction.

With pleasers, you are giving away points to the bookie in favor of increased odds. Our example in a six-point pleaser would be Seahawks -13, Panthers -2, and over 56 points, with a payout of around +2000. While teasers are usually less risky than a standard parlay, pleasers are certainly more of a risk. As with any parlay, remember that all the legs have to hit in order to win.

Futures Odds:

Futures odds are betting lines formed for an outcome that is usually some time out from the time you place your bet. Futures can be found in almost every sport, and the most common ones include a team’s odds to win the Super Bowl or the World Series. Usually, futures are first posted months, or even close to a year, before the given event is set to begin. As a rule, the earlier you place a futures bet, the better the payout will be.

Mlb Betting Odds

For example, in the 2021 NCAA football season, you might see football futures posted months before the season starts. Let’s say the Alabama Crimson Tide are the pre-season favorites to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. As such, they might have futures odds of +300 or so, while the next team on the list trends at +500. If you place your wager on Bama before the season starts, you can get a nice payout. However, once the season is underway, if Alabama really pulls away as the best team in the nation, those futures odds could shrink significantly as the postseason approaches. If you place your bet on the Tide with only a few games to go before the CFP, you might get far more expensive odds in the neighborhood of -150 or more. Futures odds are all about timing, but as with most sports bets, if you see a line you like, you want to place your bet ASAP.

General Prop Betting

These types of odds tend to fall into a more general category. In this category, you have a lot of yes or no questions that you can place wagers on. This category encompasses bets like “Will Lizzo Wear A Thong To The Super Bowl?” and “Which Car Manufacturer Will Win This NASCAR Race?” The odds on questions like this are handicapped by the sportsbooks and then given form on their websites. These odds are generally fun - a lot of them crop up around Super Bowl time to draw in new players - and interesting betting opportunities. There are usually several of these on any major sporting event.

Player Propositions:

Baseball Betting Lines Explained For Today

These are excellent types of bets - the kind of bets a lot of people think about when they think about sports betting. It's pretty likely that you know what these kinds of bets are - you bet on James Harden to score more or less than 30 points in a game, or Alexander Ovechkin to score a goal, or Patrick Mahomes to throw for more than two touchdowns. Prop bets also include yes/no bets, which can be on anything from the gameplay to the pageantry surrounding the game. For example, during the Super Bowl, you could bet on whether or not J-Lo would have butt cleavage, just the same way you could bet the over or under on Tyreek Hill's third-quarter yardage. Some sportsbooks will let you adjust the total you're betting on and receive different odds for it, within reason. All told, player prop bets are some of the most fun you can have in sports betting and are also a good tool to convert your knowledge into winnings.

Team Propositions:

Team propositions are just like player props, except that they deal with team-based single-game performances. The most common team props you’ll come across will be on things like how many yards the offense will rack up, how many turnovers the defense will force, how many hits a club will get, how many fast-break points a team will score, and more. Like player props, most team props are of the over/under or yes/no variety, and they come with moneylines around -110. And, of course, the bigger the matchup, the more team props there are. The Super Bowl is the single sporting event with the most prop wagers posted year in and year out, with the game typically yielding about 400 different prop bets.

Live Betting Odds:

Live betting is a unique way to wager that’s quickly becoming the most popular betting phenomenon at both land-based and online US sportsbooks. Live betting, aka in-game betting, allows bettors to place wagers live, during the actual action of a given game. These real-time odds are posted every few seconds, changing to reflect the pace and trends of the game as its played in real-time.

Most live betting opportunities focus on the main line wager types above, though prop bets can also sometimes be adjusted as a game goes on. As such, there are many good reasons to enjoy live betting, not the least of which is the simple fact that being able to wager on a play-by-play basis is just an immersive, fun experience. From a financial perspective, though, it can also present several opportunities to bettors looking after their bottom lines. For example, if you make a traditional pre-game bet that goes sideways in a hurry, you can use live betting to mitigate or even cancel out your losses. The other side of that coin, of course, is that live betting gives you a chance to double down on a good bet, padding your bankroll more than a simple pre-game wager would.

Live betting is available via mobile and at your site’s standard desktop book, so you can access this type of betting no matter where you are. On average, in-game wagering gives you several hundreds of individual, distinct betting opportunities for every featured game, boosting your daily chances to win by thousands of wagers across the board. Most sportsbooks will even give you a risk-free wager bonus when you make your very first live wager, so you can see if this type of sports betting is for you with zero risk attached!

Best Sportsbooks For A Variety of Betting Odds

In reality, every quality online sportsbook should feature all of the types of odds we mentioned above, and if they don't, you need a new one. Below, we’ve listed our favorite sportsbooks that offer all of the above (and more!). It's easy to get stuck in a rut betting the same lines over and over and over again, but you can avoid that when wagering with our top choices for the best USA online sportsbooks. Variety, after all, is the spice of sports betting!
Bovada Sportsbook: - Players From Most States Accepted + $250 Sign-Up Bonus
Bovada is the most popular sports betting site in the US, with millions of members calling the sportsbook home. While Bovada excels at pretty much every aspect of online sports wagering, the site really shines when it comes to live betting, particularly via their award-winning mobile interface. For maximum enjoyment, live in-game betting really requires a smooth, easy-to-browse interface that is optimized for quick wagers. When you only have a few seconds to get your bets in, you definitely don’t want to be messing around on betting boards that don’t put those odds front and center. Bovada does exactly that, and they do it better than anyone else.

If you sign up for Bovada today, you can opt to accept a $250 new member bonus, which will match your first deposit by 50%. While some bonuses aren’t appropriate for all bettors due to rollover requirements, Bovada’s bonus comes with an industry-best 5X rollover, which means you can get your payouts faster than ever. In fact, with Bovada’s great live betting platform, you’ll meet those rollover requirements before you know it! (Note: Bovada is currently unavailable for residents of DE, MD, NJ, and NV.)

BetOnline Sportsbook: - Bettors From All States Welcome + Bitcoin Accepted!
BetOnline is a world-class sportsbook that’s been in business since the beginning of Internet sports wagering itself. While most users already use BetOnline’s world-class mobile interface for all their sports betting needs, where this arrangement really pays off is with live betting. BetOnline was one of the very first books on the planet to offer live, in-game betting over the Internet, and they’ve been blazing that trail ever since. Just sign up, deposit via any method you like (we prefer Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies like Litecoin, Ethereum, DASH, Bitcoin Cash, etc.), and browse the live boards to see lines change in real-time. When you see a number you like, just tap, swipe, submit, and win!

New members who join BetOnline can claim a variety of bonuses, but if live betting’s your game – or if you simply want to see what all the fuss is about without risking any of your own money – you can get their risk-free $25 free-play on your first ever live wager. If you win, that’s free money, and if you lose, simply email customer service within 24 hours and you’ll get a $25 credit added to your bankroll.

MyBookie Sportsbook: - The Best New Sportsbook For Live Betting Action!
MyBookie is comparatively new, having just launched in 2014. However, they haven’t been resting on their laurels, and they’re already regarded as one of the very best sportsbooks out there. MyBookie is especially unique in the way it’s tailored specifically to US-based players and US sports betting interests. They accept members from all 50 states, and they only post lines on the major US leagues. While this means that international sports fans would be better served by another sportsbook, if you’re only interested in NFL, NCAA, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MMA action, MyBookie has some of the most competitive lines available for these sports.

MyBookie spared no expense in designing their gambling interface, and that makes live betting at the site easy and enjoyable. The odds boards are easy to browse, and every update is posted in a timely manner, with auto-refreshes ensuring that every number you see is active and current. Though MyBookie doesn’t offer any specific live betting perks at this time, their 50% sportsbook welcome bonus (promo code MYB50) is good for up to $1000 in free-plays. Alternatively, you can get a $20 risk-free wager on your very first bet with the service, which is good for live bets and pre-game bets alike.