Major Baseball League (MLB) Betting Guide
How to Bet on MLB
After knowing which team you should bet on, you must choose where to bet. Here at LeoVegas Sportsbook, you can do that without leaving the comfort of your own house.
Knowing all the betting lines, how the odds work and how to do MLB betting is essential to success. You have to understand how everything works, how MLB is scheduled, and when it's possible to place baseball bets. Specific teams are more likely to win than others. Below is an example of the Houston Astros v Chicago White Sox betting process.
- Enter the LeoVegas sportsbook via our app or desktop.
- Baseball can be found via the 'Live' tab if a game is ongoing. The 'Upcoming' tab if a match is scheduled to start shortly. Or you can use the dynamic search function and type 'MLB'.
- From this point, you can select the match of your choosing, in this instance, the Astros v Chicago Cubs.
- Once you click on the fixture, you can select whichever market you'd like to bet on. You can cover everything from Moneyline to Over/Under within LeoVegas.
- Once your selection is added to the betslip, select your wager, and make your best bet! BET NOW ON MLB
MLB Betting Lines
There are many lines that you can bet on regarding the MLB games. It all depends on you and your predictions. Here are some:
- Championship Winner: This bet means that you will choose a particular team in the beginning or even in the middle of the league that will be the championship winner. This bet is also referred to as futures betting.
- Moneyline bets: Betting on a moneyline is betting on which team will win the game. For example, if the moneyline has Cincinnati at +150 and St. Louis at -170, then St. Louis is the favorites. Making a bet of $100 on St. Louis and winning would mean a win of $150. This betting line is one of the most common in baseball betting.
- First Team to Score: You choose which team will be the first to score. So, following the previous example, the odds are it would be St. Louis, so betting on them would be a great choice.
- Team to hit the most home runs: Another popular betting market is the team to hit the most home runs in the game. You simply have to choose which team will strike the most homers!
- Best Regular Season Record: If you fancy a team to dominate the MLB regular season, you can bet on them to have the best regular season record with LeoVegas. Post-season results won't matter!
- American League/National League MVP: Have you spotted a player dominating their conference? With LeoVegas, you can bet on the player you believe will win the American League/National League Most Valuable Player Award.
- Rookie of the Year: You can select the rookie you believe will significantly impact their franchise with our Rookie of the Year betting markets.
- Player to hit the most home runs: Much like the team to hit most home runs market listed above, you can go into more detail and select the individual player that is most likely to hit it out of the park on gameday!
- Pitcher to hit the most strikeouts: Another player-specific market is based on the pitcher. You can choose which pitcher will force the most strikeouts within the game, and if they do, your bet is successful!
- Most stolen bases: By definition, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner advances by taking a base to which he isn't entitled. With LeoVegas, you can bet on which team will have the most stolen bases within the game - taking you closer to the action!
What is the Major Baseball League (MLB)?
The Major Baseball League is a professional organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the whole world. There are, in total, 30 teams and they are divided equally by the National League (NL) and by the American League (AL), while there’s 1 in Canada and 29 in the United States. The NL and AL were created in 1876 and 1901. It was only in 2000 that they were merged into a single organization that is now led by the Commissioner of Baseball.
How Many Teams Play in the MLB?
There are 30 teams that play in the MLB – 29 from the United States and 1 from Canada. These are the major teams, so they are the best teams of both countries. Overall, there are 2,430 games to be played. Each team will have to play 162 games, a huge number of games.
MLB Teams
The MLB is filled with recognizable franchises, with teams such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox leading the way in notoriety. The Yankees hold the current record for most championship appearances and victories by any team - appearing in 40 World Series and winning 27 times.
The standard of consistency within the MLB is the St. Louis Cardinals. They have 11 World Titles (second-most within the MLB), but more impressively, they've only had one season below .500 in the last century!
Other franchises include the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox.
MLB Regular Season
The regular season of the MLB has 26 and half weeks. It’s a huge season, but it’s worth it to celebrate the best in this sport. There’s an official Opening Day for those who are the ultimate baseball fans and can celebrate the start of the new season. There may be one or even more Opener baseball games scheduled outside the United States before the actual official Opening Day.
MLB Playoffs
In 2022 there will be a new format regarding the MLB Playoffs. The MLB is going to implement a 12-team playoff bracket, having six teams from each league, instead of last year’s format with 10 teams (five from each league). Each side of the bracket will get three division winners and three-wild card teams.
MLB Season 2023 Schedule
The MLB season kicks off on March 30th, and what a season it should be! All 30 teams should be in action on opening day for the first time since 1968, so there are some terrific games to watch.
The headlining fixture from the opening weekend is the World Champion Houston Astros battling the Chicago White Sox. While it's the first game of the World Champions title defense, it also marks José Abreu's first game against his former team.
Throughout the campaign, fans can look forward to plenty of heavy-hitting matchups. In April, the Philadelphia Phillies will visit the Astros for a three-game series; these two played out a classic in the fall of 2022 - let's hope for more when they meet again.
The MLB is also going across the pond to London as part of the MLB World Tour. The British fans will enjoy the St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs in a two-game series at London Stadium. There's all this and more during the 2023 MLB season!
MLB Spring Training
What is Spring Training in the MLB? Spring Training represents the preseason for all MLB teams and players. The training consists of numerous practice sessions and some exhibition games to prepare for the upcoming regular season.
Throughout Spring Training, teams located near each other often play against one another in exhibition games. These games will usually occur from mid-February until just before the opening day of the regular season.
MLB 2023 All-Star Game
In 2023, the 93rd Major League Baseball All-Star Game will occur on July 11th. The All-Star game will emanate from Seattle and pits the National League's best against the American League's best.
MLB Top Players
The best players of 2022 have already been ranked. So, it’s time to get to know some of them:
Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is a SP/DH from the Angels and he is an incredible player. He has the spotlight due to a .965 OPS with 46 home runs, 26 steals, all while he also pitches to a 3.18 ERA in 23 starts on the mound. Ohtani was named the Most Valuable Player in Baseball last year and, without a doubt, he was and still is.
Mike Trout
A CF from the Angels, he was ranked number 1 in last year’s list. Trout only played 36 games due to his injury, but he did an incredible job at the MLB. He knocked off the Top 100 throne wonderfully. He’s an excellent candidate for MVP.
Joey Votto
A FB, Votto is a Canadian-American player who has conquered the MLB. Born in Toronto but now playing in Cincinnati, he has been able to play in the Major Leagues since very early and even to do what was thought impossible - from home runs to many runs batted in. A great player in this Major League, Votto doesn’t go unnoticed.
MLB Betting Tips
When choosing a team for MLB betting, you must be careful. The odds can change in a second, especially in live betting. However, there is more to consider: injuries from players, knowing the weather is a huge plus since this will influence how teams play, some teams also will cave under pressure so it’s important to know which ones are more likely to, etc.
MLB Betting FAQ
How do spreads work in baseball?
The spread is the number of runs a team is expected to win or lose by. This market creates a hypothetical deficit/advantage for one of the teams. If a team is favored, they may be set as a -1.5 run against the spread, this means the specific team would have to win by 2+ runs to be successful. Similarly, if a team is placed at +1.5, they'd have to lose by 1 or less.
Can you bet on a series in MLB?
You can bet on a series in MLB with LeoVegas. It can be as simple as selecting who you think will win the series!
What does +2.5 mean in MLB?
This gives a team +2.5 runs to their final total. For example, if you place a wager on a team at +2.5, and that team loses 4-2, you would still win your bet as it added 2.5 to the run total.
What does -1.5 mean in betting MLB?
The - symbol is usually regarded for the favorites within the game. In opposition to the +2.5 market, a -1.5 takes away 1.5 runs from the total of the team. This means your selection would have to win by 2+ runs to be successful.
How many MLB games are there in 2023?
In 2023, the MLB will consist of 162 regular season games. However, if a team wants to lift the World Series, they'll have to play at least 32 postseason games, or at most, 53 postseason games.
What is the format for the MLB Playoffs 2023?
The MLB playoffs consist of 12 teams - six each from the National League and American League. The top two division winners with the best record in the American League and National League each receive a first-round bye.
As for the other teams that make the playoffs, the division winner with the third-best record, and the three Wild Card teams, play in the Wild Card round of the MLB playoffs bracket.
After the Wild Card Series, the teams will advance to a best-of-five Division Series, and then a League Championship Series that is settled in a best-of-seven. The postseason culminates in a best-of-seven World Series matchup between a team from the American League and National League.
When MLB season starts in 2023?
The first games of the MLB season will take place on Thursday, March 30th 2023.
What are the MLB changes for 2023?
The MLB has made some slight rule changes for the new season. The joint competition committee approved these rules this past October: a pitch timer, restrictions on defensive shifts and larger bases.
As for the 2023 MLB playoffs, nothing has changed. The games begin as a best-of-5 Division Series, and then best-of-7 League Championship Series, before the best-of-seven World Series.