Betting on MLB: Understand the Favorites and the Underdogs

When it comes to MLB betting, there’s only one goal that every bettor takes in mind, and that is to win every bet they make. Though, it is perceived that sports betting in Major League Baseball is one of the most complicated sports betting. There are many statistics to check out that will affect how you will place your bet.

Betting on MLB is also the most profitable sports betting since there are a lot of betting lines to choose from. This article will explain the moneyline as the most straightforward betting line and a more in-depth understanding of the favorites and the underdogs.

MLB Betting Basics

Whatever sports betting you choose, they are always betting on the basics that you should learn. With MLB betting, you need to learn the betting lines first. There’s a lot of MLB betting lines, but the most common and popular among bettors is the moneyline.

For newbie bettors, betting on moneyline is the easiest way to learn the ropes of MLB betting. It’s pretty straightforward as you need to guess and bet on which team will win the match.

In the moneyline, you always need to watch out how the sports maker placed FanDuel’s top picks. This will be your first reference on how you’ll place your bet. You’ll see team names with a plus (+) symbol and a minus (-) symbol placed after the team names. The plus (+)  symbol means the favorites, and the minus (-) symbol is the underdogs.

Cash In Big Prizes In Moneyline

Now that you have learned that the symbols placed beside the team names have a meaning, let’s break down what it can do to help you win big prizes in the moneyline, but first, it’s best to understand more about the meaning and what it stands for.

The Favorites

First things first, the plus (+) symbol is given to highly favored teams by the public. They’re the favorites. They have an excellent playing performance, solid field lineup, they might have won consecutive games and other circumstances that put them in a public spotlight.

The best example for this is the current MLB favorites like the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, best to consider that favorites for every match will always be different, just like with the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, where the Rays are the favorite and the Yankees are the underdog.

When to Avoid the Favorites?

Every bettor, especially the newbies, would like to risk their money on betting on the favorites. Betting on heavy public favorites cost a dime, and sportsmakers know how to handle such a wave of attention from the public. They will add an enormous and hefty amount on the favorites but with less take home.

If you feel like betting on the favorites, try other MLB betting lines such as the spread or the runline, but try to avoid it sometimes in betting in the moneyline.

The Underdogs

On the other side of the field, there will always be underdogs. These teams are labeled with a minus (-) symbol, which indicates that they are highly expected to lose the game. Sometimes, the previous match’s favorites become the underdog in a particular match because that all depends on how the public perceives the current matchup. The sports maker will arrange it accordingly to favor the public.

Also, it’s best to remember that not all underdog teams have poor performance. Underdog teams are labeled as underdogs because, with matchmaking, the other team proves to be stronger than them. Or, the other team is a highly public favorite. Sometimes, with this case, winning underdog upsets the entire public.

When to Bet On Heavy Underdogs?

Betting on a heavy underdog is such a risky move, but if you played it well, you’d cash in big prizes with a small amount to risk.

For example, between the match of Yankees and Dodgers (Yankees -155 / Dodgers +136) where Yankees are the underdogs, if the Yankees win, you’ll win $155 for that match plus the $100 that you wagered.

With this example match, you can see that the Yankees from the previous matches are the heavy favorite, but with this one, they are now the underdogs. Circumstances like they’re the away team making it favorable for the Dodgers, so if you play this well and bet on the Yankees, chances are you’re going to win. Since this is a quietly favorable matchup of two popular teams, you need to consider their lineup, especially the starting pitchers.

Takeaway

Sports betting is fun, and you get to see your favorite sports and team playing while you bet on them and probably win. However, if you want to be serious in sports betting, it requires you to have the money to wager on and knowing when and where to place your bet. That goes without saying that understanding the basics is essential, and learning what the favorites and the underdogs mean always comes in first.