Handicapping and Betting Major League Baseball Articles | Gambling

By: Richard Bleuze

Handicapping and Betting Major League Baseball

Educated baseball handicappers have an unusually high edge on the sports books.

In order to keep up with baseball betting you must keep up with the day in, day out action.  You can either handicap a game yourself or buy picks.  I suggest that you learn to handicap a game.  Besides, it is fun! 

Baseball is a unique sport since there are usually 3 or 4 games each series.  The last game of the series is oftentimes very easy to master prior to the contest, based on the results of the first few games.

Betting on baseball can often be extremely profitable since there is tremendous line value.  In baseball games, on any given night, the best team can lose to the worst team with a greater frequency than any other sport.

I suggest the following baseball handicapping approach: 

1.  Look for profitable situations.  Often in baseball there are certain situations which provide the bettor an advantage.  At times the stats line up the right way in which you get a team that has enough of an advantage in nearly every important category.  Other times, you can catch better teams going for the sweep, fading very poor road teams after a road win, etc.

2.   Most baseball bettors do not pay attention to the bullpens.  That is a mistake since when most starters do not last much too many innings past the fifth inning.  Thus, bullpens often become the most important factor in baseball betting.  The lines on baseball games are mostly established by the starting pitchers, however, bullpens pitchers often pitch a third of the games.  Thus, I suggest that you look to bet against an overworked bullpen and to play on teams with solid and rested pens.

3.  Baseball is a game of statistics and it can be very confusing.  The most important stats are: team won/loss record with starting pitcher, starting pitchers WHIP (walks + hits divided by innings pitched), team batting average verse right and left-handed pitchers, day/night statistics and bullpen earned run average.

4.   Avoid games that the public is betting on to win.  Usually, they lack value.  The sports books are in business because it makes money off losers.  And you do not want to be a loser, do you? 

5.   Shop the lines.  I have found the best baseball lines to be at 5Dimes.   Over the course of the long baseball season, getting the best possible lines will save, and or make you lots of money.  Playing baseball on a 10-cent line is very advantages for the bettor.  Remember, a 10-cent line is a must.

7. Playing 2-team parlays in baseball can be beneficial to reduce the high juice of favorites.  I suggest that you avoid playing 3-team or more parlays as the books cut increases significantly.  In general, you will find that I am against parlays.  This is the only time that I recommend parlays, and I highly recommend only experienced baseball bettors use parlays.

In baseball, the sports bettor must gather the information to handicap the game properly.  In addition, the baseball bettor must be patient.  For the patient informed better, the sports bettor who gambles on baseball will find that the pay offs are higher than playing any other sport.  Finally, I suggest that you have take a long-term view in betting on baseball and that you manage your bankroll properly.

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