Top MLB Betting Lines and Odds for Baseball Bettors

The way you'll see odds presented for MLB games isn't notably different from other sports.

That said, there are still multiple formats for these odds. The three you need to know about to read MLB odds and understand how to bet on MLB games are American, Decimal, and Fractional.

American betting odds, or moneyline odds, are primarily used in the United States.

They are based on a baseline bet of $100 and can be either positive or negative, indicating the profit or the amount you need to bet to win $100, respectively.

Basic Concept

Positive odds indicate how much profit you will make on a $100 bet, while negative odds indicate how much you need to bet to make a $100 profit.

• Example: Odds of +250 mean you will make a profit of $250 on a $100 bet. Odds of -150 mean you need to bet $150 to make a $100 profit.

Calculating Winnings

• Positive Odds: Winnings = (Stake x (Positive Odds / 100)) + Stake
• Example: If you bet $100 at FanDuel with odds of +200, your total return will be $300 ($100 x 2 + $100). The profit is $200 ($300 - $100).

• Negative Odds: Winnings = (Stake / (Negative Odds / 100)) + Stake
• Example: If you bet $150 at odds of -150 at DraftKings, your total return will be $250 ($150 / 1.5 + $150). The profit is $100 ($250 - $150).

Comparing Odds

• Positive Odds: Indicate a lower probability of the outcome and a higher potential return.
• Negative Odds: Indicate a higher probability of the outcome and a lower potential return.

Quick Tips

• Odds of +100: This is evens, meaning you double your money if you win.
• Negative Odds: These show the favorite in the matchup, requiring a larger stake to win a smaller profit.
• Positive Odds: These show the underdog in the matchup, offering a larger profit for a smaller stake.

Decimal betting odds, commonly used in Europe, Australia, and Canada, are a straightforward way to understand potential returns from a bet.

Basic Concept

The decimal number represents the total return for every unit bet. This includes both the profit and the initial stake.

• Example: A bet with odds of 2.50 means you will receive $2.50 for every $1 bet if your wager is successful.

Calculating Winnings

• Formula: Winnings = (Stake x Decimal Odds) - Stake
• Example: If you bet $10 at odds of 3.00 at BetMGM, your total return will be $30 ($10 x 3.00). The profit is $20 ($30 - $10).

Comparing Odds

• Higher Decimal Odds: Indicate a lower probability of the outcome and a higher potential return.
• Lower Decimal Odds: Indicate a higher probability of the outcome and a lower potential return.

Quick Tips

• Decimal Odds of 2.00: This is evens, meaning you double your money if you win.
• Odds Less Than 2.00: These are "odds-on" and signify that the return is less than double your stake.
• Odds Greater Than 2.00: These signify that the return is more than double your stake.

Fractional betting odds, commonly used in the UK and Ireland, may seem less intuitive at first glance than the other formats. However, once you understand the basics, they provide clear insight into the profit you can make relative to your stake.

• Basic Concept: The fraction represents the profit relative to the stake. The numerator (top number) is the profit, and the denominator (bottom number) is the stake.
• Example: Odds of 5/2 mean you will make a profit of $5 for every $2 bet if your wager is successful.

Calculating Winnings

• Formula: Winnings = (Stake x (Numerator / Denominator)) + Stake
• Example: If you bet $10 at odds of 3/1 at Bet365, your total return will be $40 ($10 x 3/1 + $10). The profit is $30 ($40 - $10).

Comparing Odds

• Higher Fractions: Indicate a lower probability of the outcome and a higher potential return (e.g., 10/1).
• Lower Fractions: Indicate a higher probability of the outcome and a lower potential return (e.g., 1/2).

Quick Tips

• Fractional Odds of 1/1: This is evens, meaning you double your money if you win.
• "Odds-On": These are fractions where the numerator is smaller than the denominator (e.g., 1/2), indicating that the return is less than double your stake.
• "Odds-Against": These are fractions where the numerator is larger than the denominator (e.g., 3/1), indicating that the return is more than double your stake.

Anyone interested in betting on baseball will find a variety of available markets ranging from common bets to more exotic wagers.

Below is a rundown of some of the options for MLB betting:

MLB Moneyline and Runline

The simplest MLB bets are moneyline and runline wagers. These MLB lines are generally what bettors see first in the baseball section of any online sportsbook.

• A moneyline is a bet on which team will win the game outright, regardless of the margin of victory.
• A runline bet is a point spread wager. Outside of extreme scenarios, the run line is almost always -1.5, meaning that when you place a bet on this market you are generally wagering on one team to either win by two or more runs or stay within one run of their opposition.

MLB Totals and Props

A couple of other popular bet types are totals and prop bets.

There are multiple different ways to bet on totals. The most common formats are game run totals where bettors wage on whether both teams will combine to produce more or fewer runs than a specified line. It's also possible to bet on one team's output as opposed to the game total.

Bettors can also get more specific with their totals bets by targeting specific sections of the game such as the first three innings or first five innings.

When it comes to prop bets, there are a dizzying array of options. Most sportsbooks have specific markets for outcomes for all 18 players in the starting lineups of a game as well as both starting pitchers.

Examples of prop betting markets for hitters include runs, hits, RBI, total bases, home runs, and stolen bases. The most common pitching props are wins, outs, and strikeouts.

MLB Parlays and Series Betting

MLB betting allows for plenty of parlay possibilities, either within a single game or combining multiple contests.

The simplest parlay bet is a wager that multiple MLB games will simultaneously have specific results. Instead of placing moneyline bets on three different teams, a bettor may try to increase their potential payout by putting those three wins into a single wager.

For example, if a player bet $10 each on three narrow favorites (for a total of $30) at Caesars Sportsbook, and won each bet, their profit would be slightly below $30 if each team won. A successful $30 parlay on all three outcomes could yield a profit of over $150.

It's important to remember that putting multiple bets into a parlay vastly reduces the chances of winning, though, and parlay bets tend to be extremely profitable for sportsbooks.

A notable betting type particular to Major League Baseball is series bets. Because the MLB season is primarily structured in three-game series, it is possible to wager on which team will win at least two of the three contests. There are two-game and four-game series where these wagers aren't available, but the three-game format is most common.

There are plenty of strategies baseball fans use to wager on America's pastime. While none of them are foolproof by any stretch of the imagination, here are a few worth knowing about:

MLB Futures and World Series Odds

Baseball can be difficult to predict on a day-to-day basis, leading some bettors to prefer futures betting.

Sportsbooks offer a variety of futures markets on season-long team achievements such as winning divisional titles, exceeding a particular win total, or earning a World Series title.

It's also possible to bet on individual players exceeding specific statistical thresholds or winning awards like the Cy Young or MVP.

First Inning and First Five Innings Betting

On the other end end of the spectrum, it's also possible to wager on a particular section of any given game. The most common bets in this genre are bets on the first inning or first five innings.

While these intervals may seem arbitrary, there is a structural reason they are favorites among MLB bettors. The first five innings, for instance, are the period of the game when it is most certain that both teams will be using their starting pitchers and it is difficult to know which relievers might come out of the bullpen after that.

Because MLB lineups are structured so that teams send their best hitters to the plate in the first inning, bettors may be more confident in a particular outcome at the beginning of games. Some pitchers also have lengthy statistical track records of thriving or struggling in the first inning.

Baseball is one of the most statistically dense sports on the planet, which means there are plenty of research resources bettors can draw on, whether they are high rollers or just fans who like to bet on their favorite team.

MLB Betting Tips and Predictions

There is no shortage of betting tips and predictions available to MLB bettors. In many cases, sportsbooks will have content sections with suggested picks — and some go a step further than that, like FanDuel which has a TV channel.

Another place to look for tips is independent websites that provide MLB game picks that aren't associated with a specific sportsbook. As a consumer, you can be more confident these outlets don't have an incentive to push any particular bets and often you can see their experts' betting records.

It's also worth noting that some MLB websites that aren't designed to be betting-specific can provide useful wagering info. For example, every day FanGraphs' live scoreboard shows winning probabilities based on its projections that bettors could compare against the implied probability on the odds at various sportsbooks.

Another free website that is rich with advanced statistical data is Baseball-Reference, which has dedicated pages for every MLB team and active player. Baseball Savant has less historical data, but it dives deep into concepts like exit velocity, bat tracking, and sprint speed to paint a detailed picture of individual players' capabilities.

For fans and bettors willing to invest in a subscription, Baseball Prospectus is a strong option with a suite of proprietary statistics that cannot be found elsewhere.

MLB odds evolve significantly throughout the season and within games.

Baseball is a sport that lends itself to live betting because of the relatively slow pace of play and breaks after every half inning, and during pitching changes. This allows bettors to evaluate the movement of the odds and find logical entry points for their wagers of choice.

For instance, if a particular pitcher is warming up in the bullpen for the final inning that might give a bettor confidence in a late moneyline wager. If a starter is pulled with the bases loaded that will move the line and might provide an entry point for a bet.

In some sports, like basketball or hockey, meaningful substitutions can happen too quickly to inform live betting strategies.

Understanding MLB Odds

Types of Baseball Bets

MLB Betting Strategies

Live MLB Odds and Betting Lines

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