During the last five or six years, there’s been some consideration taken by Major League Baseball about how to make games shorter. These long, drawn-out, three to four-hour affairs can cause viewers to lose interest and make even the most ardent supporters head to the exit before the contest is over.

I don’t have a proposed solution to make the games shorter, but there are plenty of ways to make the time more enjoyable. One of those ways involves making money!

Live betting (betting on the game, during the game) means every inning can be a new game for bettors. While some purists may prefer to place their wagers and wait it out, others enjoy the fast-paced nature of playing along throughout the game.

Along with live betting, prop bets offer another way to keep things interesting long after the winner and loser has basically been determined.

Prop bets are fun because you can win them in the first inning or the bottom of the ninth, meaning you’ll stay engaged for the duration of the game.

The Major League Baseball rule that Rose violated prohibits any bet on a game the bettor is involved in, making no distinction between betting for or against one's team. The rule is: 'Rule 21 Misconduct, (d) Betting on Ball Games, Any player, umpire, or club, or league official, or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball. Get the latest MLB odds, point spreads, money lines and over/unders for popular sportsbooks and view SportsLine's expert analysis of each upcoming game. A season wins bet is simply betting on how many games a team will win during the season. You’ll choose an over/under, and in most cases, the odds are around -110. Korean Baseball Betting Tips. While the MLB season may be postponed, baseball is still in the cards.

In this article, I’ll lay out four different types of live and prop bets you can place at any point in an MLB game.

1 – The Score (Live Bet)

Baseball spans more than seven months and has 4,860 regular-season games to wager on, which means it's vital that you pick the right spots and know how to properly place an MLB wager. MLB betting lines can change at a moments notice due to thousands of factors as big as the starting pitcher spraining his wrist before a game or as little as to whether the game is home or away so its good to keep an eye on the evolving moneyline in order to take full advantage of any fleeting underdog odds.

This is probably the most obvious, but betting on the score, meaning the eventual winner or loser, is one of the easiest live bets. While you can place a bet on who will win before the game, odds change dramatically each time a run crosses the plate.

You can double-down on your initial play or even switch sides to bet on the other team if things aren’t going the way you expected.

Another fun aspect of this type of bet is the run-line. The run-line functions just like the spread in basketball or football. It also changes significantly during the game according to the action on the field.

Sure, your bet looks like a winner, but if you’re looking for some excitement, you’re out of luck. That is unless you start throwing down on the run-line.

If you think things are going to continue as they started, maybe you’d like to bet on the Yankees -7.5 and see if you can find a high-value number at that line. Or perhaps you anticipate the opponent making a slight comeback.

You bet on them at +2.5, meaning if they come back and lose by less than three, you can actually make money off both teams.

The trick to in-game betting is to make sure the value is right. Additionally, do yourself a favor.

If you’re fortunate to find yourself in a situation where at least one bet is a certain win, don’t allow yourself to lose money.

In our proposed scenario above, let’s suppose you bet $30 on the Yankees at -110. Once you decide there’s an extremely high likelihood that they’ll win the game, you’ve won $27.

If you choose to continue betting on the game, this is your new bankroll. Whatever you do, don’t end up losing more money than the amount you won on your first bet.

2 – Individual Player Performance

While some people might shoot down prop bets, I find them to be a great value-play and nowhere is that more evident than in baseball. From hits to home runs, walks to errors, you can bet on nearly every player individually and what they’ll accomplish in a game.

Some of my favorite player prop bets include whether a player will hit a home run or the number of hits a player will get in a single game.

Even the best home run hitters in the league typically are around +400 to hit a home run in a game. A $30 bet can be turned in $120 with one swing of the bat. The best part? You’ll usually have four cracks at it.

Another play I’ll make, although less frequently in today’s MLB, is whether or not a player will steal a base.

Because this event is becoming increasingly unlikely, the line can often be +700 or more, even for some of the game’s best base stealers.

Pitchers can be part of the betting action as well. A few popular prop bets might be the over/under on total earned runs a pitcher will allow, how many strikeouts they’ll rack up during their outing, or whether or not they’ll hit a batter.

3 – First Inning Score

This one is for the bettors who want to get quick results. Some teams have a knack for putting runs on the board early in the game, and now you can cash in after just one inning.

One popular prop bet is whether or not a team will score in the first inning. I’ve always liked this bet because the moneylines are typically pretty even. For instance, they’ll almost always be between +110 and -110, which means you’ll get a good return on your money.

This is a type of bet that is best to use when you have some idea about a team’s usual first inning performance. You’d be surprised by the difference between how often some teams score in the first inning and those who don’t.

4 – 3/5/7 Inning Run Lines

Don’t want to wait until the final out is recorded to know if you’ve won? Try betting on the 3, 5, or 7 inning run lines. This bet is comparable to betting on the quarterly score in an NFL or NBA game. It allows you to break down the entire game into segments that pay out when the innings have been completed.

This can be a fun bet if you’re looking to make things interesting when one team has a big lead early in the game.

How To Bet On Mlb Games In Vegas

It can also provide great value. It gives you a chance to make more educated evaluations because you’ve already seen how the game is flowing.

Mlb Schedule

Before you make this play, you must consider all the circumstances in the game, especially the bullpen.

Essentially, you’d be deciding if you think the gap will widen or shrink. Knowing that the Cardinals will likely put in some of their weaker relievers in a sure-win situation, you can find some value in betting on the losing team getting one run closer.

Because so few people make these types of bets, you could find yourself with a slight advantage over the books.

Conclusion

Even those who love baseball can admit that at times, the game can become a bit tedious. Live and prop bets can help pass the time. You might even win a little money in the process.

As with any other type of bet you place in any sport, a little research can go a long way.

You don’t have to be Billy Beane with stacks of data. Nonetheless, readily available trends can help you make more educated plays giving you a higher chance of winning.

Be sure to keep in mind that live betting can result in losses that you may try to recoup by doubling down on your next bet.

While it’s always tempting to chase your losses and win it all back quickly, make sure you stick to your bankroll to avoid falling into this particular trap.

For the best odds and most betting options, check out these MLB betting sites and start planning out your strategy.

Once you’ve found the right sportsbooks for your needs and you have a decent understanding of Major League Baseball and the history of the game, it’s time to start handicapping games. After all, how can you determine the value a line offers if you can’t accurately model how the game will play out?

First, we are going to go over some of the necessary information to study when you are predicting how a baseball game will play out. These are some of the things everybody looks at, so don’t think knowing this automatically makes you an expert.

However, they are the first, base-level things you need to consider before digging deeper.

The most important position in all of baseball is the starting pitcher. Their performance dictates team success more than any other position. This is why you see such large lines in games on those days that an “ace pitcher” is starting.

• For example:

In 2017, the Dodgers were playing a 3-game series with the Padres. The Dodgers were -200 and -210 in the first two games, respectively.

With Clayton Kershaw on the hill for the third game of the series, the Dodgers ballooned up to -360.

Most casual bettors will focus exclusively on the starting pitchers when deciding which side to bet. They will look at the two starters’ statistics and solely use those numbers to base their decision.

Don’t fall for this all-too-simple strategy alone. It’s a great start, but should just be the start, and not the end-all, be-all statistic to hang your hat on.

There is much more than what meets the eye when it comes to these surface-level statistics. There are many more factors to be aware of that will affect the outcome of a game.

Baseball is unique in that the playing surface changes from park to park. Each park has different proportions, meaning different distances from home plate to the various walls. The walls vary in height, depending on which city you are in.

While things like the bases and the foul lines are all uniform, these differing outfields have a significant effect on the how a game will play out.

Some parks are friendlier to hitters, while others benefit pitchers more. Make sure to research the effect that parks have on an offense when you are handicapping your games. Also look into things like whether the park is more advantageous to left-handed or right-handed hitters, then compare those stats to the teams playing there.

Another surface-level bit of information to research is the last couple weeks of performances for each team. Check to see if they are on a winning streak or if they are slumping. See if they have been giving up lots of runs lately, or if they have been scoring lots of runs themselves.

How does each team’s current trajectory compare to the others? Next, predict how things will play out when these two face each other.

There’s much more to analyze when handicapping a game, but being aware of both parties’ last couple weeks of performances is significant information you will want to have your hands on.

• What does the recent schedule of the two teams playing look like?
• Is one team in the middle of a 9-game home stand?
• Maybe one team played on the west coast last night and has to travel east for an early morning game?

While traveling nowadays is a bit easier and faster, don’t think long plane rides and playing in different time zones shouldn’t be accounted for. This by no means is a statistic to live and die by.

There are plenty of instances when players can travel on little to no sleep and still perform the next day. However, in these circumstances, generally by game two of the series, the lack of rest begins to catch up to the players.

A team coming off an extra-inning game or a significantly emotional game is certainly a candidate for a lackluster performance the following day.

These are just a few of the key factors to consider the next time you are scouring the online sites looking for a bet to make. The formula for becoming a successful baseball bettor all starts with understanding the key influences that affect how a game is played.

Now that you have a good grasp on what to be focusing on, let’s examine some bets you can make that will help you get to profitability.

Paying attention to the umpires, specifically who is calling strikes and balls behind home plate, can give you a betting edge over other bettors. There are certain umpires that are known to have “tighter strike zones” than others.

On the flip side, some umpires call strikes much more generously.

Think about it. If an ace pitcher is on the mound and the umpire is calling a loose game, batters are going to struggle. The best pitchers in the game are talented enough. Once you start giving them a larger strike zone, the hitters are at a significant disadvantage.

This combination of an ace pitcher and an umpire who calls a loose zone is a prime contender to bet the UNDER.

On the flip side, let’s say we have an unknown pitcher who was just called up and is making his major league debut. Say he is paired with an umpire who is calling a smaller strike zone. Here we have a pitcher likely to allow baserunners and give up runs.

We also have an umpire who has a history of calling fewer strikes, meaning more batters reach base.

Betting On Mlb Games

This a perfect storm to anticipate a lot of runs being scored, hence betting the OVER. Don’t get too caught up with which umpire is behind home plate, but don’t be afraid to do some research and find out who is in charge of calling balls and strikes.

Mlb Odds Tomorrow

You may be surprised at how much this tip helps you attack the over and under bets.