Introduction to Baseball Betting
Baseball betting can be a lot of fun and there is no shortage of baseball action at Viva Macau Sportsbook. More than 2400 MLB games are played during the regular season at a rate of roughly
Fifteen games a day. We will offer Moneyline, Run Line, and Totals (Over/Under) markets on each game, which means more than 90 new wagering opportunities every day. With that many games on the betting board, you can be sure that our lines will be packed with Exotic Singles.
Many seasoned punters say that baseball is one of the easiest sports to show a profit on. MLB stats are readily available on all leagues, divisions, teams and players. There are many different kinds of wagers available, so if you are new to baseball betting, it is good to understand the different types of wagers and rules of settlement.
If you are new to baseball betting, you should review Viva Macau's Sportsbook Rules to make sure you are familiar with the terms of settlement before you place any wagers.
In baseball, lines are set in anticipation of a scheduled starting pitcher. If there is a pitching change prior to the start of the game, all wagers on the game will be refunded.
Most international baseball rules, including the MLB, will specify that a game will end early if a team is leading by 10 or more runs after the opposing team has batted in at least 7 innings, or if a team is leading by 15 or more runs after the opposing team has batted at least 5 innings. Should a game end early as a result of this rule all bets remain valid.
With that in mind, let's take a look at what kind of opportunities you can find on our lines.
Straight Wagers
Baseball Futures are often listed far in advance of the event. For instance, Viva Macau Sportsbook offers future bets on the winner of each MLB division, the winner of both the National and American league pennants and the winner of the World Series Championship, only weeks after the previous season wraps up. Typically, the earlier you take Futures action, the more appealing the odds. For Future markets to have action, all relevant games need to have been played by a specified date, regardless of the fact that a single team may have a majority of wins. Also, all games need to be declared official in terms of Las Vegas Gaming Standards. We update all our Futures markets on Mondays, so they may be unavailable.
Everyday throughout the MLB season, Moneyline, Run Line and Totals wagers will be posted the night before each game.
If you place a Moneyline wager, you are making a straight-up bet on the team to win. Bets will be considered to have action if at least 5 innings of play (or 4 1/2 innings if the home team is leading) have been completed. Sometimes a game is called or suspended after the first five innings and, in that case, the winner is determined by the score after the last full inning, except when the home team ties the score or takes the lead in the bottom half of the inning. The stake of any wager having no action will obviously be refunded.
On the other hand, our Sportsbook Rules require that in the case of Run Lines and Totals, for any wager to have action, the regulation 9 innings (or 8 1/2 innings if the home team is leading) must be completed.
Run Lines are baseball's version of an Asian Handicap, somewhere in between a Point Spread and a Moneyline wager. The Run Line equates the abilities of two unequal teams with a Point Spread adjustment AND makes a wager more or less attractive through adjustments to the Moneyline. To win here, the team you bet on needs to win or lose by the margin dictated by the Run Line. Again, like Asian Handicaps, Run Lines are often offered in multiples of 1/2 point, so there is no possibility of the bet being graded a push.
"5-Inning Lines" are baseball's version of a half-time wager. These bets can be in the form of Moneyline, Run Lines or Totals, but are settled based on the results after the first five innings of the game. To have action both teams need to have completed batting in the fifth inning.
Exotic Singles
Baseball betting has a long and rich history and continues to be enormously popular. For that reason, you will find our lines packed with exotic singles.
Baseball "Firsts" and "Lasts" wagers are exactly what they sound like, and could be wagers on, for example: who will score the first points in the game; or will the first pitch be a strike. Lasts wagers are the reverse of Firsts. The terms of the Firsts or Lasts wager will be stated on the line. For either to have action, the specified event must occur. In the case of Lasts, any player that takes part is considered a runner, and overtime is included in determining the outcome. Proposition wagers on players not taking part in the game will be considered void and will be refunded.
Wagers on whether any of teams will score in the first inning, may also be offered. In this case, if the first inning is completed without either team scoring, a 'NO' bet will win, and if either team does indeed score, a 'YES' bet will be a winner. Also, these types of bets will have action no matter what happens in the rest of the game, even if it is rained out after the first inning.
Another popular baseball prop is a "Correct Score" wager, where you take a bet on what the actual score will be at the end of the game. Keep in mind that extra innings are included in determining the outcome of this bet.
Most Exotic Singles are posted on the day of the game. The general rules that apply to Run Lines and Totals, apply equally to Propositions
Combination Wagers
Most straight-wagers offered in our baseball lines can be included in combinations, such as Parlays, If Wagers and Reverses. A lot of punters like to use Parlays to both bet the Moneyline or Point Spread and the Over/Under. If both a Point Spread and a Totals Market have odds listed at .91 (-110), for instance, the payout on two $55 tickets would only be $210, but if you take a Parlay that included both wagers on the same ticket, a $100 bet will yield a $360 payout.
Baseball wagering can yield some huge returns if you employ proper handicapping procedures and use a combination of straight and combination wagers to cover multiple bets every day. Start putting together your ticket by Checking Our Lines today.
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do.
I stare out the window and wait for spring." ~ Rogers Hornsby
Viva Macau Sportsbook - March, 20 2008
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