When it comes to betting on sports, the majority of gamblers are going to be betting on the moneyline or point spread. Fewer people place bets on the Over/Under for the runs/point total. Usually, the people that place a bet on the Total have either placed a Parlay bet or they are trying to hedge a bet that they made on the spread or money line.
Total Betting
This wager type is the easiest to understand and it is called total betting. Here you’re wagering on whether the total number of points scored by both teams will be over or under the posted betting total.
For example in baseball this bet might be over/under 8.5 runs, in hockey over/under 5.5 scores, in football over/under 40.5 points, in basketball over/under 200 points.
The same as is true for point spread, unless otherwise stated these bets are assumed to be offered at -110 (risk $110 to win $100), though at online betting sites are usually stated. It’s also quite common to see each option have a different price such as over 5.5 -130 / under 5.5 +110.
When it comes to MLB sports betting, you are really going to need to know the MLB teams tendencies. The most important of the statistics that you need to know when it comes to betting on the Total runs is the pitching matchups.
Specifically, there are some pitchers that seem to get lots of run support from their offense. Conversely, there are some pitchers who receive little run support. If you combine this information with the pitcher’s ERA, you can get a very good idea if you would want to bet on the Total one way or another.
Parlay Betting
I mentioned the Parlay Bet earlier in this post. This is a combination of two or more bets. In order to receive a better payout, you are choosing to combine these bets together. If you lose one bet in the Parlay, then you have lost the money on the bet.
I have seen 3, 4, 5 and even 6 game Parlay specials. These are usually for picking the spread winners for several different games. However, you can choose to make a 2 bet parlay with a combination of Point Spread or Moneyline and the Total Bet that you place.
Hedging Bets
Hedging your bets is the complete opposite of a Parlay. The bets that you are placing do not have an effect on each other. You are basically risking losing the juice that you paid if you split the two bets. But, you will win large if you are correct about both bets.
It really is amazing, but the start of Spring training is only a little more than a month away! Did you know that you can bet on baseball games from your iPhone or other smartphone/mobile device? Now you can! Take a look at these mobile baseball sportsbooks.
