How to Bet on Baseball

For most baseball enthusiasts, betting on baseball games is easy. But for those who have never placed a bet on a team, here are the basics.

• Three Types of Bets
• In baseball, there is the Money Line, the Run Line, and the Total.
• The Money Line - Which team will win
• The Run Line - The point spread just like in football
• The Total - Number of scored runs

The Starting Pitcher

All bets are refunded if the starting pitcher whose name is on the roster doesn't pitch in a game.

The Over or Under Scoring Process

The total number of runs scored in a game can make the difference for those who bet the totals. A bookmaker or bookie sets odds. For example, the Over and Under is the same at 7.5. As the bettor, you have to figure out whether the combined runs from both teams are over or under the bookie's number. So, if you think 8 is the number, then you would take the over. On the other hand, if you think 5 is the number, you would take the under odds.

Yankees vs. Mets

The bookie has given bettors an over/under number of 7.5, which is the combined number of runs scored by both teams. The player can wager on the game to go either over or under this number. If the final score falls precisely on the number, the wager is refunded. If the Yankees, the home team, is ahead, betting the total means the game must play for at least 8-1/2 or nine innings.

Winnings

If you bet $100 on the Yankees, the payout would be $150, the original bet plus $50 in winnings. But, if you were going to gamble on the Mets, you would win $270, which is the initial bet plus whatever the odds bet is. It could be a minus or a plus number. The odds betting works like this: The plus odds are the winnings on a $100 bet. American odds of +120 would win $120 on a $100 bet. The minus odds would look like this. American odds of -120 would payout $100 on a $120 bet.