Baseball betting odds can be a little bit tricky to understand if you have not seen money lines before, so let’s look at how it all works. A money line is not a point spread so all you care about is your team winning the game. Let’s look closely at MLB betting odds.
MLB betting odds are listed in two main ways. You have the money line and the run line. Most bettors only play the money line. There are also two main money lines in baseball odds. You have the 20 cent line and the 10 cent line. For example, the 20 cent baseball betting odds might have the Yankees at -160 and the Red Sox at +140 while a 10 cent line would have the Yankees at -160 and the Red Sox at +150. As you look at higher favorites on the MLB betting odds board you will find that the line gets higher.
For example, we had that previous example of the Yankees at -160 and the Red Sox at +140. That was a 20 cent line in baseball betting odds. If the Yankees went up to -180 you might only see the Red Sox at +155 on the take back in baseball odds. If the Yankees went up to -200 you might only see the take back on Boston at +170. That is now a 30 cent line in baseball odds. It is not at all uncommon to see this as the MLB betting odds on a game get higher.
Another option in regards to baseball betting odds is the run line. The favorite in a game will be listed at -1.5 runs with the juice reduced and the money line underdog will get the extra 1.5 runs at higher baseball odds. For example, you might have the New York at -1.5 +120 and Boston +1.5 -140. The run line option is really only a good option in baseball betting odds if you are laying the run and a half because the only way it benefits you taking the +1.5 is if the team loses by exactly one run.
The other option on the baseball betting odds board is to bet the total. This is the total amount of runs scored in the game. It is that simple and is also based on a baseball betting odds money line. You might have the total at 9 runs with the over at -130 and the under at even money.