MLB Betting

MLB Odds: A Brief History

Founded on February 2nd 1876, MLB has become one of the most prominent leagues not only in baseball, but in sport in general. With its popularity, Bodog MLB Odds are some of the highest you will find in the sportsbook market.

Although the league was formed in 1876, the first ever game of baseball took place some 30 years earlier in New Jersey.

It wasn’t until 1869 that the first professional team was founded, with the Cincinnati Red Stockings setting the trend for years to come. The game evolved somewhat in the 1950s and 1960s into the now 30-team league with 15 in each division.

Most succesful teams in MLB History

If you didn’t know already, you’re about to be shocked to find out just how dominant one team have been in MLB history. But does that mean that we won’t mention the rest? Absolutely not. Here’s a quick look at the major players in MLB history, with one team always in and around the top of the MLB World Series odds.

-New York Yankees (27 titles)

-St Louis Cardinals (11 titles)

-Boston Red Sox (9 titles)

-Oakland Athletics (9 titles)

-San Francisco Giants (8 titles)

MLB: Famous players

We could wax lyrical about some of the MLB stars of years gone by, but we’re going to try and narrow it down to the top three of all time. Before then, we must give honorable mentions to some legends of the sport, such as Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Barry Bonds.

However, we’ve picked our top three, and we’re sure you won’t be disappointed.

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Hank Aaron

Aaron’s 2,297 RBIs remains a sport record, and won’t be beaten anytime soon. A legend for the Indianapolis Clowns and Milwaukee Brewers, it was with the Atlanta Braves where he really made his name. Baseball fans of a certain age will remember him chasing down a certain Babe Ruth’s home run record, but more of him shortly.

Willie Mays

Any baseball player who has a moment simply known as “the catch” belongs in our top three. That is what sport is all about – memorable moments. Winning a staggering 12 Gold Gloves is one thing, but Mays was a wonderful hitter on top of that. He really did have everything, much like our number one star…

Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth is baseball. Today’s game is based around his style, and he is one of few sports people who changed the face of their respective discipline. He led the league in home runs 12 times and slugged a ridiculous 690 career record. He also won all three of his World Series starts as a pitcher. Baseball is Babe Ruth’s game, everyone else just plays it.

How to bet on MLB

The World Series is regarded as a national holiday for baseball fans everywhere making major league baseball one of the best sports to bet on. Even if the game has started, you can still get in on the action by live betting on MLB. The options are huge: MLB playoff odds, MLB mv odds, MLB vegas odds, MLB potseason odds, MLB point sprear, parlay picks… The run line, total, and moneyline odds are all available live, along with a slew of at-bat betting options. Betting live is a great way to feel engaged with every second of the game.

Whether you’re a beginner sports bettor, or a seasoned vet looking for new ways to get in on the action, you’ll benefit from this guide on MLB betting. We’ve compiled this detailed guide to equip you with a betting edge throughout the 162-game season. Baseball fans love intensifying the viewing experience by betting on their favourite teams, and soon enough, you’ll be able to as well. Read on for everything you need to know about wagering on MLB baseball this season.

MLB Betting Odds

Just when you thought MLB baseball couldn’t get any better, you now have the opportunity to pick and choose your favourite teams and players and place a variety of interesting bets on every game you watch. A few examples of popular bets available at Bodog Sportsbook include props, MLB futures odds, parlays, and the big three single bets, but the MLB betting options are really limitless. We’ll explain how to bet on all aspects of the game, starting with one of our most popular bets: the MLB run line.

MLB Vegas Odds

Most likely you already have heard the term “Vegas Odds” or in our case “MLB Vegas Odds”. Vegas Odds is an expression that describes the betting system used in American sportsbooks and it makes it easier t gamblers to understand the most important stats, like point spread, moneyline or others. Vegas Odds were originally created in Nevada when gambling was legalized and nowadays they are many times known as U.S format. In the case of baseball you will also hear MLB Vegas Odds or even Vegas Odds MLB, both terms referring to the same thing.

Betting on MLB Run Lines

One of the most common questions we get asked is: how do MLB run lines work? If you’ve asked this question before, this section is for you. Here is MLB run line betting explained in detail.

In most baseball games, there is a favourite and an underdog. In order to make both teams appealing picks for bettors, oddsmakers use MLB run line betting. The run line bet includes a 1.5-point spread (in most cases) that gives the underdog a boost. Think about the 1.5 points as an acceptable win/loss margin. The underdog can lose by 1 run and still pay its bettors. As for the favourite, they must win by more than two runs in order to pay their bettors. The result is stronger odds for the underdog and bigger payouts for the favourite. 

Betting on MLB Moneyline Odds

For a simpler betting experience, consider betting on MLB moneyline. If you’re wondering what MLB moneyline odds are, you’re not alone. They’re not self-explanatory when you look at them. There’s no spread attached to the game, just odds for each team, so you’re simply picking the winner straight up. If your pick wins, you win.

Moneyline betting is very popular with beginner sports bettors and advanced bettors who are trying to predict an upset. The underdog doesn’t get any advantage, so they have longer odds than they’d have with the spread. 

Betting on MLB Totals

Total betting is unique in that you’re not betting on the winning team; instead, you’re betting on how offensive or defensive a game will be. MLB Totals gives bettors an opportunity to bet on the total number of runs scored in a game. Odds makers will come up with a prediction, and you bet on the actual total score between both teams going over or under the prediction.

Betting on MLB Best Bets

One of the MLB best bets is the futures market. Here is where you can have your say on the winners of major titles – like the MLB World Series odds, or the AL or NL Championships. You’ll even find smaller victories like MLB division winners in the futures section of the sportsbook. A futures bet is a long-term wager on an outcome of a future event. In terms of value, quite often, the further away the event, the better the MLB futures odds are for you. For that reason, people like betting on MLB futures before the season starts.

Betting on MLB Props

MLB props give fans a chance to bet on events and stats that happen alongside games. These propositions don’t involve betting on the winning team in a game or series. They’re more like side bets that complement the betting action. An example of a prop is betting on how many games a team will win in the regular season, and how many homeruns a star player will hit.

MLB prop bets can use the “Totals” style of betting, where you bet over or under a specified number. For example, Will the Yankees win over or under 90.5 games? This is also an example of MLB season props. Another way that prop bets can be structured is with “Yes” or “No” as betting options. For example, Will Tim Tebow make it to the MLB? A third style of prop bet is a single proposition with several answers.

Betting on MLB Parlays

If you have a number of bets you’d like to place, you could place them individually as single bets, or you could group them together in a "mega" bet, also known as a parlay. The benefit of parlay betting is the payout. You’d win a lot more from a parlay bet than you’d win if all your single bets came through. The flip side is all of the bets in a parlay must win in order for your parlay to win. If one of the bets loses, the entire parlay loses.

Between two and 12 bets can be parlayed together in our sportsbook, and when one bet results in a push, it’s removed from the parlay. For a single game, you can combine the totals with the moneyline or run line odds, but you can’t combine the moneyline with the run line. Some futures and props bets can also be included in parlays. To find out if it can be parlayed, add your bets to your Bet Slip and see if the word “Parlay” appears with a box to check. 

MLB Live Betting Explained

It’s never too late to bet on a game at Bodog Sportsbook. Even after the game has started, you can still get in the action by live betting on MLB. The run line, total, and moneyline odds are all available live, along with a slew of at-bat betting options. Not sure who will win the game but think you can pin down which team will be winning at a specific point in the game? Bet on segments of a game such as the first five innings. You can even bet on the total runs in any given inning. Betting live is a great way to feel engaged with every second of the game, as you’re constantly assessing where the game is going in order to gain an edge. Here are some popular live bets:

• Bet on the outcome of the plate appearance

• Bet on the number of runs the at-bat team will have after a half-inning

• Bet on the number of hits the at-bat team will get during the half-inning

• Bet on the number of strikeouts that will be thrown in a half-inning

• Bet on the number of pitches that will be thrown in a half-inning

Every game presents a new opportunity for MLB betting magic. With a keen eye for a potential upset, picking pitchers’ duals for the under, or long-term World Series predictions in the MLB futures, there’s never been more options to add a new flavour to the Big League experience.