Baseball / Moneyline Betting 101

By Tony George / Tony George Sports

Baseball is confusing to the recreational gambler.  Well, let me state that another way, MONEYLINE WAGERING is confusing to the occasional gambler.  Let me do a short and sweet review of the Do's and Don't in moneyline wagering and a crash course in capping MLB.

MONEYLINE BETTING IN BASES - THE GOLDEN RULE - LESS IS MORE!

By any account, you are risking more trhan 11 to 10 odds (ATS betting) when betting in bases if you are in fact playing a favorite, so your 10% juice is magnified big time, plus dime lines if under -150 at most legit books.  What this means is simple, if the Yankess are -140 to beat the Red Sox, then you are wagering $140 to win a $100 plus 10 percent vig (dime line) , or basically risking $150 to win a $100.

For this reason I rarely if at all am willing to lay over -150 on any game in MLB in any season.  It minimizes risks, and once you consider I have hundreds of clients who follow my plays weekly, and I would say 75% of them are recreational gamblers who have a basic knowledge of moneyline wagering.  This puts the responsibility on ME to assure a money management program with a bankroll based on the fact I am not laying -235 and -190 all the time, and those lines many times carry a .20  cent line. 

On heavy favs you can lower the odds from lets say -230 to -120 with a run lin, or -1.5, but the team basicxally has to win by 2 runs to cover the bet at the lower odds.  This can backfire so choose your spots wisely if using this as a tool to lower odds on heavy favs. 

So in essence I find and suggest you do the the same, favorites under -150 to wager on, or Totals Plays which are 11 to 10 odds or -110, or short or big dogs.  ALSO limit your plays to 2 or 3 daily MAX.  I rarely put out more than 1 play a day, use a flat bet unit method when wagering, and slowly and surgically strike the books with the best bet of day, every day, 1 unit at a time.

SOME KEYS IN CAPPING BASES - Bullet Points

• Heavy emphasis on Starters
• Equal emphasis on bullpen ERA
• Use recent stats - Last 3 to 5 Games
• Bet listed pitchers only
• Slugging percentage and on base percentage is KEY
• If division opponent, check recent history and trends for teams and starting pitchers
• Batting averages are different when a team faces right handers vs left handers - check those stats
• Never chase a loss with a heavy favorite that you are just sure will win - DOOM!
• Tread lightly with run lines - they look good on the surface but can be dangerous
• Playoff time - The stats do not lie - trust them

Hopefully with these takes and tips, you can create success in MLB.  I have managed to turn a profit in 6 out of the last 7 MLB seasons, never laying over -150 using this approach and capping emphasis.  Best of luck.