What Is The Moneyline In Baseball?

The moneyline in baseball is a bet where you are simply trying to predict who will win the game. You are not given any points, and there is no spread. The favorite will have a negative moneyline (-150, -200, etc), while the underdog will have a positive moneyline (+130, +150, etc).

Introduction

In baseball, the moneyline is the odds given on the game by the bookmakers. The oddsmakers produce lines during the day, after considering both teams’ strengths and weaknesses. The moneyline is how odds are most commonly presented in baseball and other sports.

The moneyline is different from the run line, which is also called the spread. The run line is given as 1.5 runs in baseball, meaning that a team has to win by two or more runs to cover the spread. The moneyline is simply who will win the game outright, without any spread considered.

The moneyline odds are expressed as either positive or negative numbers. A positive number means that the bookmakers think that team is more likely to win. For example, +150 means that you would make a profit of $150 if you bet $100 on that team and they won. A negative number means that the bookies think that team is less likely to win. For example, -200 means you would have to bet $200 to make a profit of $100 if that team won.

What is the Moneyline?

The moneyline is a type of betting line which assigns a betting odds to each team in a baseball game. The favorite will have negative odds, while the underdog will have positive odds. The moneyline is the most common type of baseball bet.

American Odds

Understanding how moneyline betting works is a fairly simple process. First and foremost, bettors will need to decide if they want to wager on the favorite or the underdog in the matchup. Moneyline odds for favorites will always have a minus sign (-) attached to them, while moneylines for underdogs will always have a plus sign (+) attached. For example, let’s say that the New York Yankees are playing the Boston Red Sox in a baseball game and the oddsmakers have set the line at -200 for the Yankees and +170 for the Red Sox.

Decimal Odds

The decimal odds of a moneyline are calculated by adding the probability of an event occurring (represented by the numerator) to 1, and then dividing that sum by the probability of the event not occurring (represented by the denominator):

Decimal Odds = ((Probability of Winning) +1) / (Probabilities of Losing)

For example: If a team has a 50% chance of winning and a 50% chance of losing, their decimal odds would be 2.0 ((.5 + 1)/.5).

Fractional Odds

Fractional odds are the most popular type of baseball betting odds. They are used by bookmakers in the UK and Ireland and are also popular in horse racing. Fractional odds show how much profit you will make if you bet on an event and you are successful. For example, if the fractional odds were 5/1, this means that for every £1 you bet, you would receive £5 in profit if your bet was successful.

How is the Moneyline Used?

The Moneyline is the odds given to a baseball team to win a game. It is calculated by taking the odds of the team winning and subtracting the odds of the team losing. For example, if the New York Yankees are playing the Boston Red Sox and the Yankees have a Moneyline of -200 and the Red Sox have a Moneyline of +175, the Yankees have a better chance to win the game.

Moneyline Betting Strategies

The moneyline is the most popular way to bet on baseball, and it’s also the easiest to understand. You simply pick the team that you think will win. If they do, you win your bet. It’s that easy. However, there is a bit more to it than that. The moneyline can be affected by a number of factors, and it’s important to understand how those factors can affect your betting strategy.

Fade the Public

A lot of people like to bet on the favorite in baseball. After all, who doesn’t like rooting for the team that’s supposed to win? But just because everyone else is betting on the favorite doesn’t mean you have to. In fact, you can actually make some good money by betting against the public, aka fading the public.

The term “fading the public” simply means betting against the team that is receiving the most bets (also known as “the herd” or “the masses”). So, if 60% of bettors are taking the New York Yankees at -120 and you think they’re going to lose, then you would fade the public and bet on the other team.

Of course, fading the public isn’t always easy. People generally like to bet on winners, so it can be hard to find value when betting against the favorite. But if you do your homework and trust your gut, you can make some serious profits by betting against the grain.

Look for Line Value

In order to be successful at moneyline betting, you need to find value in the lines. This simply means finding bets where the odds are in your favor.

There are a few ways to do this. The first is to look for betting lines that are higher than they should be. This often happens when one team is highly favored to win, but the line is notreflective of that.

For example, let’s say the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers are -200 favorites, meaning you would need to bet $200 to win $100 on them. However, if the line is +180, that means the Padres are slight underdogs and you would only need to bet $100 to win $180. In this case, there is value on the Padres since you’re getting them at a better price than they should be.

Another way to find value is to look for two teams that are both undervalued. This could happen when each team has a legitimate chance to win but the odds don’t reflect that. In this case, you could bet both sides and hope that one of them comes through.

For example, let’s say the Chicago Cubs are playing the Milwaukee Brewers and both teams are +155 underdogs. In this case, you could bet both teams and essentially get free money if either one wins since you would be profits no matter what.

Of course, nothing in gambling is ever guaranteed but these are two ways that you can find value in moneyline bets and increase your chances of winning in the long run.

Bet Underdogs Early

The first betting strategy is to bet on underdogs early in the season. This is a good way to get some value on your bets, as the oddsmakers will often times not have a good handle on how teams will perform early in the year.

You will want to be careful with this strategy, as there are a lot of factors that can go into a team’s performance early in the season (such as weather, injuries, etc.), but it can be profitable if you find the right situations.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, betting on the moneyline in baseball is a form of gambling. There is a potential to make some money if you know what you are doing, but there is also a potential to lose money. Remember to always bet responsibly and never bet more than you can afford to lose.