Ever since the Department of Justice repealed the Bradley Act in 2018 it’s given individual states the right to choose whether or not sports betting is allowed locally.
That means that many people can finally bet on baseball legally. Sadly, many people are new to baseball betting and make huge mistakes.
So, to help you make money instead of losing it we’ve gathered some essential baseball betting tips for you. As long as you follow the advice in this guide you’ll have the best possible odds of winning. Let’s get started!
Don’t Bet on Your Favorite Team
Ever wonder why massively popular teams like the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox are always overpriced? Simple: because oddsmakers like to make money.
They know that the average, non-professional gambler is going to bet on their team no matter what the odds are. This is a problem because it doesn’t matter how high any of these teams’ win ratio is.
Because they’re playing with a huge minus number next to them you will always end up in the red if you bet on them consistently. So, do yourself a favor in baseball betting: keep your favorites out of it.
Does it feel wrong to bet on your rivals during certain games? Sure. But trust us, it’s much better than the feeling of losing money pointlessness.
Focus on Plus-Money Underdogs
If you’re consistently taking bets with an -110 minus number, then you need to win a little over 50% of the time if you want to break even.
However, if you bet on plus-money underdogs with numbers like +120, +150, or even +175, then you can win less than 50% of the time and still come out with positive units at the end of the season.
The flipside to this is that these teams are underdogs that are expected to lose. However, at the end of the day everyone’s rooting for the underdog, right?
If you put money on teams and they lose, then you only risk what you wagered (much better than negative-money bets). But, if they win, then you stand to make a huge payout.
Go Against the Public
This is a broad betting baseball betting strategy, but there is some logic to it. Whatever the public bets on, you bet on the opposite. Why does this work out typically? Because most of the time when the public bets it loses.
We’ve already briefly touched on why. The average Joe is betting with their gut, not their mind. That means they’ll pick favorites, home teams, and teams with their favorite players over more logical choices.
The public is also prone to recency biases. For example, if the team just had a good game, then they’ll bet on them like crazy. Similarly, if the team lost the last game, then they’ll avoid them like the plague.
When you bet against the public, you’re likely to come out with a negative win rate. But, because of plus-money underdogs, you can make a lot more money this way.
Wait to Lock in Your Bets
You can usually start betting on baseball lines the night before the big game. However, we always recommend waiting first. Why? Because the starting lineup is a vital consideration that betters need to take.
If a star player isn’t on the starting lineup, then it can throw off the entire course of the game. However, coaches aren’t required to release their official lineup until a few hours before the game.
And, nothing’s worse than realizing the lineup isn’t what you want it after you’ve placed the bet. So, play it safe and wait until you’ve seen the lineup to place your bet. That way, you avoid this unfortunate scenario.
Pay Attention to Certain Factors
Many different conditions can influence baseball betting odds. The first factor is the weather.
Baseball can’t be played in the rain. But, you do need to pay attention to the wind speed in the city.
Many experts have found that when the wind speed is five MPH or higher, it can positively influence teams. How? When it blows in it becomes harder for teams to hit homers, which benefits under.
But, when it blows out it becomes easier for teams to hit homers, which benefits overs. You also need to know which umpire is playing that day.
The umpire shouldn’t be the reason you don’t make a bet. But, they do have a consistency that you can exploit. For example, maybe one umpire has a tight strike zone that leads to a lot more walks.
Or, maybe they like to piss off the home-field crowd which benefits the road team. These are all things you need to consider. At the end of the day, umpires are just people.
Do Your Research
We’ve talked about the importance of paying attention to the environment and similar factors on the day of the game. However, this isn’t the only type of research you need to be doing.
You also need to be scrolling for forums and professional gambling websites. Here you can learn expert predictions that might otherwise go over your head. Websites like this also provide you with free picks and parlay bets.
Remember that it takes experience to get good at baseball betting. So, until you get the necessary hours under your belt it makes sense to rely on the expertise of others.
Enjoy These Baseball Betting Tips? Keep Reading
We hope this article helped you learn some essential baseball betting tips. The most important advice we can give is to bet with your brain, not your heart. It’s easy to feel an allegiance to a certain team.
But, if you want to make money, then you’re going to need to think logically without bringing favoritism into it. Did you love this article? If the answer is yes, then keep reading to find hundreds of others just like it.
