Baseball betting gives you a different choice than in other sports and it is called the run line. It is where you are laying or taking 1.5 runs in a game instead of going with the traditional MLB betting money line. Let’s look at the run line and how it works and whether it is a good bet.
Baseball betting run lines are ignored by most bettors simply because they don’t understand them or don’t find them appealing. Run lines were made so that people could risk a lower amount of money on favored teams and still get a win. In fact, you can sometimes get plus money on the run line on favored teams and that is even better in MLB betting. For example, the Red Sox could be -170 on the money line but +110 when laying 1.5 runs. The only way the run line would not be a good bet is if the Red Sox win by just one run. If the Red Sox lose the game outright, you save money by playing the run line instead of the regular baseball betting odds. If the Red Sox win by more than a run, you get +110 instead of +100. The example can be even greater in MLB betting if it is a minor favorite of -150 or less and the run line is +150 or more.
The other side of the run line is where you are taking the +1.5 runs in baseball betting. The problem with taking the run and a half in baseball betting is that it only benefits you if your team loses by exactly one run. In all other situations it doesn’t help you. If your team wins outright, you get a lot more money on the money line than the run line in MLB betting. If your team loses by more than a run then you lose more money because you paid the extra price to take the run an a half. It just doesn’t pay to take the +1.5 runs unless you find a team that consistently loses one run games and good luck at finding that team.
Many people are only going to play the run line with road teams because they want that guaranteed 9th inning at-bat. The problem with that logic is that you are continually taking road teams in baseball betting and that is simply not profitable. Run lines are a way to take favorites without laying big money. Keep that in mind and you may choose to bet some run lines this baseball betting season.