A Guide to MLB Betting: Favouring the Underdog
For sports bettors in Europe, Major League Baseball betting might be something of a foreign proposition. However, if you take a moment to try something a little bit different, you’ll find that it can be an immensely profitable endeavour.
As outsiders looking into the world of MLB betting, the seemingly obvious thing to do in order to limit your risk is to stake some money on the favourites in each game. In most sports it’s the perennial favourites, the teams that have proven themselves to be stronger, faster and fitter, over a period of time that often prevail. However, while this strategy may work in other sports, it’s not quite so effective when betting on baseball.
Favouring the Underdog in MLB Betting
Numerous data studies have shown that over the course of a baseball season you’d actually lose more money if you bet on the favourite in every event. Contrast that with betting on the underdog and you’ll see that you could actually make a small profit by moving away from the favourites. Of course, this is not a hard and fast rule in the MLB betting world; the gruelling nature of the game means that many top teams often suffer losing streaks that will cost them a handful of games throughout the season and this will hurt your bottom-line.
The beauty of betting on the underdog in Major League Baseball is that your win rate doesn’t need to be that high for you to make a profit. In fact, if the conditions are right, you can finish the season with a much healthier bankroll than you started with just by achieving a 44% success ratio. The reason this is true is because the returns you’ll receive when you win will be much larger because the odds will be longer.
Low Scores = High Profits
One useful system for picking an underdog to bet on is the low scoring system. If you can find a low ranked team who won their previous game by three runs or fewer, then they are worth betting on in the next game. The reason for this is that it shows they are a strong defensive team that can grind out results against better opposition. Baseball teams like these are perfectly constructed to pick off higher ranked teams who are having a bad day.
MLB betting can be a minefield for the novice punter, but if you can do some research and establish which teams are the underdogs then you should consider betting on them. Like diamonds in the rough, you’ll find that over time they’ll reward you with some unexpected riches.