Baseball is a team sports game with a baseball and a bat. Each team has nine players (sometimes ten). The game lasts nine innings, meaning both teams attack and defend nine times each. Despite the fact that this sport is not widely popular in Russia, many Russian bookmakers accept bets on baseball. For those who have recently got acquainted with this sports game and want to apply their knowledge when playing in a bookmaker’s office, we explain the main features and nuances that need to be taken into account.
Teams switch sides after three players of the attacking team are eliminated from the game. Victory is awarded to the team that scores the most points (“runs”) by the end of the ninth inning. There is no fixed time in baseball. Any single attack can last for a long time or vice versa, depending on how quickly the team manages to succeed in it.
Important features
- Baseball championships are held mostly in the summer, when most other team sports take a break.
- High odds can be placed not only on the underdogs of the championships, but also on the leaders due to the stability of baseball leagues. In the United States and Canada League (MLB), the number of wins and losses is between 60/40.
- Baseball doesn’t have a draw, which makes it easier to predict whether one of the teams will win.
Types of baseball bets
Victory of one or the other team (“P1” or “P2”)
In baseball, there are two main bets on the outcome: the victory of the first or second team. As we have already written, there is no draw in baseball, but some bookmakers accept bets on the victory of a particular team, taking into account additional innings. That is, if the teams failed to identify a winner in the first 9 innings, an unlimited number of innings will be added until the winner is identified.
Victory with a handicap of one of the teams
The handicap in baseball, as in other sports, implies the total difference in points (runs) between the teams. For example, if you bet on K1 with a handicap (-1.5), then the final score in favor of this team for your win should be a winning difference of 2 points (wound) or more in favor of K1. If you choose the handicap of another team (+1.5), then the team should not lose with a difference of two or more points (runs).
Total
Total — this is the total number of points (runs) that teams can score in nine main innings. Also, some bookmakers offer bets on the individual total of one of the teams, that is, on a specific number of runs (points) held by the home or away team.
We have described only the main bets on baseball that are accepted by bookmakers. With the popularization of baseball, some bookmakers also offer bets such as” who will make the first or last run in the inning?”,” will there be an extra inning?”,” who will make the first run and win the match?”,” will there be a home run and what type?”, etc.Such offers of bookmakers are mainly taken by players who are well versed in all the subtleties of baseball. Novice betting enthusiasts, in most cases, play on the main outcomes, and we will tell you about which bookmakers offer an extended line for baseball in a separate column of this material.
Baseball betting Strategy
As in any sport, to make a profit on betting, you need to understand it (although this will not be a guarantee). Baseball is not an exception, but rather the opposite: it is considered a specific sports competition, in which you need to know all the subtleties in order not to lose the whole bank.
There are many strategies for baseball, but they mostly come down to the “catch-up” strategy (you can find out what it is in a separate article of our Betting School).
Live-bets on an inning draw
Once again, baseball games don’t end in a tie. Teams at the end of the game determine the winner in extrainning. But bets on a draw in the main innings are accepted. The probability of a draw in 9 innings is extremely high, and therefore the “catch-up” strategy is quite popular among players in live betting on a draw.
The downside is that the odds for a draw in an inning do not exceed 1.85, which forces the player to have a solid pot and increase the bet several times to win back the previous loss and get a plus.
Outsider bets
Baseball is one of the most unpredictable sports, where known outsiders sometimes win over the favorites. And the odds on them are quite high. Many distance players like to take the wins of teams that are at the bottom of the standings. If you lose,the bet on the outsider’s next game increases. Again, to be in the black, you need to conduct pre-match analytics and have a solid bank.
Pre-match analytics
Although this sport is not as popular in our country as football or basketball, you can easily find information about past matches. Before betting on baseball, study the standings, past and personal meetings of the teams, as well as injuries and suspensions of the main players of the squad.
Choosing a stadium
In baseball, all stadiums are different. They can be wider or narrower, longer or shorter. Each stadium has its own wind rose, which means that the wind can both interfere with players and help, slowing down or speeding up the flight of the ball. For this reason, some sports venues host high — scoring matches, while others host grassroots matches. Many bookmakers indicate in advance the stadium where the teams will play.
Pitcher
Baseball is a team sport, but the individual skill of athletes decides a lot. Learning about the team’s pitchers is one of the most important factors when choosing bets. A pitcher is a defensive player, and in simple terms, a player who throws the ball. Almost all the dynamics of the game depend on his throw. In the pre-game analysis, special attention should be paid to studying all the pitchers of each team: their physical condition, motivation and, most importantly, participation in the upcoming game.