Back
How To Bet On MLB Playoffs | LeoVegas

How to Bet On MLB Playoffs

Baseball fans are gearing up for Major League Baseball playoffs. The postseason will see 12 teams battle to reach the World Series, with just one team able to lift the Commissioner's Trophy.

The Major League Baseball regular season is a long and exhausting 162 games. It whittles the American League and National League down to the six best teams from the respective leagues. The MLB playoffs start in October, and will unfold over the course of a month, providing some of the best baseball of the season.

Table of Content:

Baseball betting fans love placing bets on the playoff games. But before you wager on your favourite team, you need to know how to bet on the MLB playoffs.

BET NOW ON MLB

Introduction To MLB Playoffs

The MLB playoffs are the end of a long baseball season. Teams play 162 games during the regular season. The six best teams from the AL and NL (a total of 12) qualify for the postseason.

Each series within the playoffs features a best-of-three, best-of-five, or best-of-seven format

The structure changes depending on the round. This adds to the excitement of the MLB postseason, as the best of the best play against each other.

The playoffs are fast paced with teams playing nearly every day. Managers must make quick decisions to win close games. Players must also perform on little rest. While the regular season can be boring at times due to the length of the campaign, the playoffs are quick, intense, and bring out the best in top players.

If a team doesn’t perform or a player struggles in the postseason, there is very little time to overcome the problem. Unlike in the regular season, teams must sort out their issues quickly or their season is over.

Regular Season Recap

With 162 games to play in the MLB regular season, there is a lot of baseball for fans to watch. The 2023 season has seen the Atlanta Braves soar to the top of the standings in the National League.

Meanwhile, their rivals, the big-spending New York Mets, crashed and burned. The Mets are set to miss out on the playoffs once more, despite spending millions in the offseason.

In the American League, the Baltimore Orioles have surprised fans, posting one of the best records. The Orioles last qualified for the playoffs in 2016. The Houston Astros are the reigning MLB World Series winners. They will be one of the favourites to lift the trophy once more in November.

Playoff Format And Structure

The 2023 MLB playoffs could feature up to 53 games. The number of games offers plenty of betting opportunities for baseball fanatics.

The playoffs will begin with the Wild Card series. This is a best-of-three game series featuring the division winner with the lowest win percentage and the three non-division winning teams, who had the next best win percentages after the division winner.

In total, 12 teams will qualify for the playoffs; six from the AL and six from the NL. The teams with the best regular-season records from their respective leagues will receive byes in the Wild Card round.

This leaves the four remaining teams in each league to play a best-of-three game series. The teams to win two out of three games will advance to the League Division Series. The Wild Card round begins on Tuesday, October 3.

League Division Series

The League Division Series will start on Saturday, October 7. The League Division Series is a best-of-five. The No. 1 seeded team will play against the lowest seeded team left in the playoffs.

The No. 2 seeded team will play against the next lowest seeded team. After having byes in the Wild Card round, the top two teams will begin playing in the playoffs.

Teams must win three games to advance to the League Championship Series. The series follows a 2-2-1 format, where the team with the home-field advantage plays the first two games and the last game at home, while the other team plays two games at home.

League Championship Series

The League Championship Series is a best-of-seven game series. Teams must win four games to advance to the MLB World Series 2023.

The series follows a 2-3-2 format, where the team with the home-field advantage plays the first two games and the last two games at home, while the other team plays three games at home in the middle.

The team with the better regular season record in each league is awarded home-field advantage in their respective League Championship Series. This advantage includes hosting more games at their home ballpark, which potentially influences the outcome of the series.

The League Championship Series typically features the best teams from their respective leagues however, there are often some surprise teams that reach the League Championship Series.

World Series

The World Series features the winner of the AL League Championship Series and NL League Championship Series. At one time, MLB kept the AL and NL teams separate until the World Series. However, in the mid-1990s, to increase attendances and interest in baseball, inter-league play was adopted. This saw AL and NL teams play regular season games.

The World Series is a best-of-seven series. The first team to win four games is crowned champion. The series follows a 2-3-2 format, where the team with the better regular-season record has the advantage of playing the first two games and the last two games at their home ballpark. The opposing team plays three games at their home ballpark.

The World Series dates back to 1903. It has only been interrupted by World Wars and labour stoppages due to player strikes. The winning team is awarded the Commissioner's Trophy, recognising it as the best ball club for the season.

One of the issues with the current MLB playoff format is that it may not reward the best team with the Commissioner's Trophy. Due to six teams in each league making the playoffs, a team could qualify with the sixth-best record and win the World Series by building momentum rather than being the best of the best.

Types Of MLB Playoffs Bets

Bettors have plenty of options when it comes to MLB playoff betting. The most popular bet for MLB games is the moneyline. The moneyline bet isn’t just the most popular, it’s also the simplest to make. A moneyline bet is a wager on the team you predict to win the game. If the team you selected wins, then the bet wins.

The runline bet is another popular bet type. The runline bet combines elements of both the moneyline bet and the point spread bet. Bettors focus on the margin of victory rather than simply picking the winning team. Bettors must not only consider the winning team but also the margin of victory.

Over/Under (Totals) Bets

An over/under bet is a prediction on whether the total combined score of both teams in a game will be over or under a specific number set by a sportsbook. The "total" refers to the sum of the number of both teams.

To make an over/under bet, bettors should research the pitchers involved in the game. In addition, knowing of any injuries or absent players can help make a winning prediction. Bettors should also be aware of any previous head-to-head meetings between the teams. Finally, bettors should be up to date on the offensive and defensive performances of the teams in recent games.

Prop Bets (Player and Team Props)

Prop bets are a type of wager in which you can bet on specific events or outcomes that might occur during playoff games. Prop bets focus on individual player performances, team performance, and various in-game scenarios. A prop can add a layer of excitement to a playoff game.

Player prop bets include:

  • Over/under hits, RBIs, strikeouts

  • Will Player X hit a homerun

  • Will a Pitch X throw a complete game

    Team prop bets include:

  • Over/under runs

  • Which team will score the game’s first run

  • Game’s winning margin

    Additional prop bets include:

  • Total hits in a specific inning

  • Total homeruns in a game

  • A homerun in a specific inning

  • Will a player hit for the cycle

  • Will a pitch throw a no hitter

Futures Bets

An MLB playoff futures bet is a wager placed on the outcome that will be determined in the future, typically at the conclusion of the MLB regular season or playoffs. A futures bet allows you to predict the outcome of the playoffs before they happen.

Bettors can wager on the outcome of the World Series before the start of the playoffs. This allows bettors to lock in the odds on a team. The odds won’t change once the bet is made. Bettors can also place futures bets on the League Championship Series.

Some bettors will place a wager on the World Series winner before the MLB regular season begins. This allows bettors to get great odds on a specific team. If the baseball club goes onto win the World Series, then the bet wins.

Parlays and Accumulators

A baseball parlay or accumulator bet combines multiple individual bets into a single wager. In an accumulator bet, the bettor selects two or more separate bets on different baseball games and combines them into a single wager. Each selection within the accumulator must be successful for the overall bet to win.

Accumulator baseball bets can include moneyline, runline, over/under, or any other available bet types. The reason bettors like accumulators is due to the amount of money that can be potentially won.

The odds increase when the selections are combined together. A small stake could result in a large payout. However, there is a risk with parlay betting. The more selections added to the bet slip, the more risk the bet incurs.

MLB Playoffs FAQ

How many wildcards are in the MLB playoffs?

There are three wildcard teams in the AL and three wildcard teams in the NL.

How does the MLB Wild Card work this year?

The winners of the three divisions (East, Central, West) qualify for the playoffs. The next three best teams based on win percentage qualify for the playoffs regardless of their division.

How many games are in the World Series?

The World Series is a best-of-seven series. of course, there could be as little as four games if there's a sweep.

What is the MLB playoff format bracket?

The first and second seeded teams in the AL and NL will receive byes in the first round. This leaves the third seeded team to play the sixth seeded team, and the fourth seed to play the fifth seed in the Wild Card Series.

What is the home away format for the MLB playoff series?

The League Championship Series and the World Series will have a 2-3-2 game format. Both series are best-of-seven games. The League Division Series is a best-of-five game season, and the format is 2-2-1.

Do playoffs count for MLB home runs?

Home runs hit in the playoffs do not count toward a player’s regular season stats. Moreover, playoff homeruns do not count for a player’s overall career stats.

How does home-field advantage work in MLB playoffs?

The higher-seeded team will have home-field advantage in the MLB playoffs. In the World Series, the team with the better regular season record is given home-field advantage.

How many World Series games do you have to win?

The World Series is a best-of-seven series. A team must win four of the seven games to be crowned World Series champions.

What MLB team has the most World Series wins?

The New York Yankees have won the most World Series titles with 27.