Regular MLB bettors need to find the best odds

It is the time of year where the betting options are dwindling; the NBA and NHL playoffs, some golf, tennis or horses, or baseball. But, with MLB betting, there are almost always a dozen or more games to choose from. And soon, baseball wagering will be all there is to play besides golf and Russian ping pong. But, betting baseball is a bit of a different animal than football or hoops. The lines are generally built around the pitcher and with some pitchers the odds can be outrageous. In addition, the line on favorite and dog are diametrically opposed. With baseball, the bigger the favorite, the more playing the underdog costs you. If you bet baseball on a regular basis, you should always have one out that offers you a Dimeline.

Many sportsbooks or bookies offer 20 cent lines to baseball bettors, where the difference between the dog and favorite is always 20 cents, once the favorite reaches -120. The largest segment of lines that are available is the graduated line. In a graduated line, the difference is 10 cents up to a certain favorite price (ex. -149), then breaks to 15 cents and generally reaches the 20 cent threshold around -200. However, if you are betting on baseball underdogs and betting into either of these lines, you are simply leaving money on the table. Keep in mind, the dimeline or 20 cent line DOES NOT affect the favorite.

Lets take a couple of games off of the board for opening day and look at how the underdog is affect by each of the lines offered at various top online sportsbooks.

Note that the margin between the favorite and underdog is 10 cents at BetAnySports, 15 cents at BetUS and more than 20 cents at US-based PointsBet. If the underdog bettor above wagered both games with a $100 wager, the winnings would be $275 at the dimeline book, a difference of $20 versus the 20 cent book and 3 bucks at the graduated book (due to inflated favorites). With just these two examples it is easy to see how betting MLB underdogs at a dimeline or even graduated line sports book can amount to HUGE earnings (or savings) over the course of a full baseball season. 

Still, this does not mean abandon your current outlet for a dimeline book. As with any sports wagering, it is best to shop your line between several different outlets. But, you might also weigh how much MLB betting you are planning on doing over the course of a 162 game season. You also have to consider the intangibles if you are planning on moving from a 20 cent or graduated line book. "Will I get  paid as fast?" "Do they take bets over the phone?" And on . . . and on.

We think that it is always a good idea to have multiple outlets to shop the line at all times, but no time is this more important than in baseball wagering.

OSGA lists the sports books that offer the Dimeline in baseball. In addition to BetAnySports, who offers a true dimeline, mentioned above, BetMania and YouWager offer a dime up to a favorite of -190, and WagerWeb and Heritage Sports go as low as 4 cents on their overnight lines.

Baseball Betting Tip

A final word and tip on MLB baseball betting. As much as you may like Matt Scherzer or Clayton Kershaw and their game looks like a "lock", never, and we mean never, bet baseball favorites in excess of -165. If you doubt this logic, losing a couple of -240 favorites will show you the way, and then you'll thank us.