MLB Odds
This page offers up-to-the-minute MLB odds for spreads, moneylines, and totals that help individuals make the best betting decisions on upcoming games. Individuals can compare odds between games, find the best lines across different sportsbooks, and view odds for multiple games at once in order to determine the best
Glossary
MLB Odds Betting Guide
The moneyline is identified by a + or a - in front of what is in every case a three-digit number in MLB betting. Choosing a team on the moneyline is simply choosing a team to win the game. The payout is determined by the line, and the minus symbol before a team’s moneyline often means they are favored. For example, if the Yankees are -150 on the moneyline against the Rays and you bet $10, your payout will only be $5 plus the $10 you put down. If the Rays are an underdog at +130 and you bet $10, the payout for a win would be $13 plus the $10 you put down.
If you bet the Yankees spread (Yankees -1.5), you win only if the Yankees win by more than 1.5 runs. A 2-run win or more is a win in that scenario. If Yankees -1.5 is priced at +140 and you win, a $10 bet will pay out $14 plus the $10 you put down. In baseball, the spread is almost exclusively -1.5. In most other sports, such as football, the spread changes depending on the matchup.
Fans can also bet on the total number of runs in a game or the number of runs by one team in a game by choosing the “over” or the “under.” Futures bets are another option for bettors who want to make an early call on the winner of the World Series, a particular league, or just a division. Futures bets also include awards such as MVP or Cy Young, with many sportsbooks offering lines for the World Series and end-of-season awards before a season even begins.
Most sportsbooks also offer player and team props. For example, you might be able to bet on how many strikeouts Clayton Kershaw has in a start. If the over/under is set at 6.5, lines are set for both the over (7 or more) and under (6 or fewer). Player props can extend to whether a player will hit a home run or how many hits a player will have.
MLB Sportsbook Comparisons
- Best For Parlays: DraftKings
- Best For New User Promotions: FanDuel
- Best for Player Props: BetMGM
- Best For Rewards: Caesars
BetMGM offers a huge number of player props on a given day around baseball. While some sportsbooks may offer player props earlier on, BetMGM is flowing with options in the leadup to first pitch.
New MLB Betting SItes
Some newer MLB betting sites include Bet365, Fanatics, Hard Rock, and BetRivers.
Bet365 is a traditional sportsbook that offers a bonus code for $200 if new users place a $1 bet. Bonus codes for New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, and
Fanatics is known for its sports merchandise side of the business, but the company is breaking into the betting markets as well. Fanatics is still just getting started by beta testing in Ohio, Massachusetts, and Tennessee, with its own app and promo codes to get started fully expected once the sportsbook is up and running.
Hard Rock Bet is currently operational in
BetRivers is another sportsbook that offers traditional betting opportunities and more. With a promo code, BetRivers offers as much as a $500 second chance bet to new users who use a promo code, making it one of the most attractive sportsbooks to try out.
Daily Fantasy MLB Betting Sites
Many sites offer daily and weekly fantasy contests for MLB throughout the season. Not everyone wants to commit to a six-month marathon of a fantasy baseball season, so sites such as PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy allow fans to choose when and how long they want to compete.
PrizePicks is heavily involved in player props and player prop parlays as part of its daily fantasy approach. The site is easy to use and works well for fans who want to bet on a few players around the league on a given night.
Underdog Fantasy also offers daily and weekly fantasy contests for MLB and other leagues. Underdog offers to match up to $100 on a new user’s initial deposit.
Using Stats to Bet on MLB
Baseball is known for its analytics, but the stats that can be used for advantages in betting don’t have to be too complicated. A pitcher’s strikeout rate (per nine innings) is a good tool to use when betting on strikeouts, as is a team’s strikeout rate from an offensive perspective.
If you’re looking to bet on players to hit a home run, it might make sense to look at a pitcher’s home run rate (per nine innings). A pitcher allowing 1.5 home runs per nine might be prone to giving up some bombs.
Some more analytical stats can also be utilized. For pitchers, the easiest to use might be FIP (fielding independent pitching). The stat is a version of ERA that accounts more for what the pitcher can control and less for what the pitcher can’t control.
If a pitcher’s FIP is much higher than his ERA, it’s a sign he’s gotten a bit lucky and may be due for regression. By anticipating regression, you might choose to bet on the pitcher’s opponent’s run total or on some of the hitters he’s facing to hit home runs.
Types of MLB Bets
Can list different types of betting markets sportsbooks offer for the NFL (i.e., player props, anytime touchdown, first touchdown, player head-to-heads etc..) and provide a quick summary for each type of bet
- Moneyline
- Spread
- Over/Under
- To Hit a Home Run
- Strikeout Total
- NRFI/YRFI
- First Five Innings
For pitchers, strikeout totals are often the most popular bets. An over/under figure is set by most sportsbooks for a game’s starting pitchers, but some sportsbooks also give you a line for any number of strikeouts. For example, if the over/under is 6.5 strikeouts but you want to be on that pitcher striking out eight batters, you might be able to make that bet at a better price than Over 6.5.
NRFI (no run first inning) bets are becoming increasingly popular. Some sportsbooks allow you to bet on whether there will be a run in the first inning - in fact, some allow you to make that bet for any inning, but the first is the least volatile because you know who will be pitching and often who will be hitting at the top of the lineup. For example, if a struggling pitcher is facing a lineup that just doesn’t score often, you may find value in betting on a no-run first inning.
Similarly, sportsbooks allow fans to bet on the first five innings. Many have a moneyline set for the first five innings, plus over/unders on run totals. If you bet on the Orioles moneyline for the first five innings, for example, you would win if Baltimore is winning after five. Unlike betting on a full game moneyline, the score can be tied after five innings.
MLB Odds FAQs
- What is Spread Betting?
- What is Moneyline Betting?
- What is an Over/Under?
- Which Sportsbook Offers the Best Player Prop Odds?
- Can I Make a Same Game Parlay on DraftKings?
- How are Parlay Odds Calculated?
- Can I Parlay an MLB Game with a Game from Another Sport?
- Can I Use a Credit Card to Deposit on FanDuel or Other Sportsbooks?
Betting on the spread in baseball means betting on a team to win or lose by a certain amount of runs. For MLB, spreads are almost exclusively 1.5 runs. If you bet on Yankees -1.5, you need the Yankees to win by two or more runs for the bet to hit. If you bet on Braves +1.5, you win if the Braves either win or lose by just one run.
What is Moneyline Betting?A bet on a team’s moneyline is a bet on that team to win. Betting an underdog’s moneyline will pay out more than betting on a favorite’s moneyline.
What is an Over/Under?In baseball, an over/under is most commonly a bet above or below a certain number of runs. If the over/under for a Yankees vs. Red Sox game is 8.5 runs, the over is 9 runs or more while the under is 8 runs or fewer. Both the over and under have a line that shows you how much you can win. Fans can also bet an over/under on strikeouts or the number of runs an individual team will score.
Which Sportsbook Offers the Best Player Prop Odds?BetMGM typically offers the most in-depth player props. While it might not be until late the night before or even the day of the game, BetMGM offers hundreds of player prop options, including a handful for just about everyone in each team’s projected lineup. FanDuel also offers many player props, including the option to bet on a home run for most hitters.
Can I Make a Same Game Parlay on DraftKings?Same game parlays are possible on DraftKings. The sportsbook allows you to string together two or more bets on the same game in hopes all of them hit.
How are Parlay Odds Calculated?Parlay odds are calculated pretty simply by taking the decimal odds of each leg and multiplying. If you place four moneyline bets in one parlay, the odds will be all four lines multiplied after they’re converted to decimal form. Four underdogs would produce pretty distant odds, while parlaying four favorites could turn some low-value moneylines into one line with value.
Can I Parlay an MLB Game with a Game from Another Sport?Sportsbooks do allow certain types of multi-sport parlays, involving games or even props. As with all parlays, all legs need to hit for you to win.
Can I Use a Credit Card to Deposit on FanDuel or Other Sportsbooks?In states that allow use of sportsbooks, credit cards are widely accepted for deposits, though generally discouraged as credit card companies will count sportsbook deposits as cash advances and charge individuals accordingly.