How to Bet on Baseball
How to Bet on Baseball – Baseball Betting Guide, Tips & MLB Betting Odds
Baseball is the American game, and the major professional league in the US – MLB – has been dominated by teams like the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox since its inception.
Though baseball is exceptionally popular in North America, it is also enjoyed by people in different parts of the world and has a global audience.
So if you're a keen baseball bettor, let’s look at how to bet on baseball online and how you can get started with betting at Stake Sportsbook .
Baseball Rules & Gameplay
The objective of baseball is to score more runs than the other team. A standard baseball field has four bases, and you are given three chances to hit the ball before attempting to run around the bases. If you make it back home without getting out, you score a run for your team.
Each baseball team has nine players, and baseball fixtures consist of nine innings. Each team gets to bat and play defence for one inning at a time, and the team that scores the most runs in each inning wins.
In terms of scoring points, a home run is scored when the ball leaves the playing area, awarding one point to the batting team. However, the batter can also stop at each base in the field after hitting the ball. If they are “tagged” in between bases, they are out and must return home without scoring a point. But if they make it round without being tagged, they score a point for their team.
A maximum of four points can be scored on one hit. You might hear, “All the bases are loaded, “ meaning a player on each base is trying to make it home.
The team with the most points at the end of nine innings wins the match, and additional innings can be played in the event of a tie.
Major Baseball Tournaments & Leagues to Bet On
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the biggest baseball league in the world and is the flagship tournament in North America, with 30 teams competing in the regular season before the World Series. Within this, teams are often split into the National League and American League. You can even bet on the MLB Spring Training Series at our online sportsbook.
However, you can also bet on various other baseball leagues and events at Stake.com, including the following:
NCAA Baseball : This is college baseball in the United States and attracts vast numbers of spectators throughout the academic year. You can bet on D1 fixtures at Stake.com, backing teams in the American league like LSU, Florida, and Southern Miss, alongside others.
KBO League : The KBO League is the biggest professional baseball league in the Republic of Korea, with teams like the LG Twins, Doosan Bears, and SSG Landers competing for the main prize.
LIDOM : This is the professional baseball league in the Dominican Republic, which consists of MLB prospects as well as MLB veterans. Current teams include Aguilas Cibaenas and Tigres del Licey.
Nippon Professional Baseball : Baseball is huge in Japan, and Nippon Professional Baseball is the biggest league in the country. You can also bet on Japanese pre-season fixtures at Stake.com.
Double A Baseball : This is the second highest level of minor league baseball in the USA, with 30 teams competing in the Eastern League, Southern League, and Texas League.
Australia Baseball League : The Australian Baseball League is a pro baseball league that started in 2010. The Brisbane Bandits and Perth Heat are the most successful teams in ABL history, with four titles apiece.
International : You can also bet on international baseball tournaments like the esteemed World Baseball Classic. This lets you bet on popular teams from your favourite nations, including the USA , Japan , Mexico , and Australia .
Best MLB Teams & Players
It’s impossible to ignore MLB as it’s the world's biggest and most-watched professional baseball league. Split into two divisions (NL & AL), MLB has 30 teams – 29 from the US and one from Canada.
The legendary New York Yankees are the most successful team in MLB history, with 27 titles. The Houston Astros won the 2022 World Series and secured their second title.
In the history of MLB, many legends have cemented their place in the Hall of Fame, including icons like Babe Ruth (NY Yankees & Boston Red Sox), Willie Mays (San Francisco Giants), Hank Aaron (Atlanta Braves), Barry Bonds (Pittsburgh Pirates & San Francisco Giants), and Ty Cobbs (Detroit Tigers).
In the class of 2023, LA Angels’ Shohei Ohtani was perhaps the best hitter, though Aaron Judge of the Yankees pushes him close. As for pitchers, Framber Valdez of the Astros has been incredible recently, while Shane McClanahan (Rays) and Gerrit Cole (Yankees) also have incredible arms.
As we explain below, you can bet on all of the leading MLB teams and players at Stake.com.
How Do You Bet on Baseball?
Betting on baseball and other sports at Stake.com couldn’t be easier. First, create an account at Stake.com and deposit your local currency or cryptocurrency, choosing from the likes of Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and others.
With funds in your account, you can check for the upcoming baseball fixtures and look at the odds. You can then decide which types of bets to place (as introduced below) before laying a stake and locking in your bet. It’s then a matter of watching the action unfold to see if your selections come home.
Refer to our sports betting guide for further tips to help you bet on baseball.
If you're new to the world of sports betting, be sure to read up on even more easy sports to bet on for beginners!
Types of Baseball Bets & Baseball Betting Markets
There are many ways to bet on MLB and other baseball leagues and fixtures. Some of the most popular baseball bet types at Stake.com include the following:
Outright : An outright bet is a wager on the team you think will win a specific event or tournament. So, for instance, you might back the Yankees to win the 2024 World Series in an outright wager.
Moneyline : In baseball, a moneyline bet is a wager on one team to win a specific baseball fixture. For example, you might back the Astros to beat the Rays in a particular game week.
Parlay : Building a parlay bet is a great way to increase your odds when betting on baseball. This is a single bet that involves multiple outcomes. So, for example, in an MLB game week, you could build a four-team baseball parlay in which you back Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Toronto, and Minnesota all to win their respective fixtures. They would all need to win for your parlay to be successful.
Same Game Multi : Similar to parlay bets, you can use our 'Bet Builder' function to place multiple bets on a specific fixture or event within the single betting slip to increase your odds of winning.
Props : In baseball, proposition betting allows you to place a wager on occurrences that aren’t linked to the end result of a match. For instance, you could bet on the highest run scorer or the player you think will score the first home run.
Handicap : A baseball handicap bet is a wager on which team you think will win a match, but with a points handicap they must overcome. So, you might take Cleveland at a 1.5 handicap to beat Kansas City, meaning they must win by two points for your bet to come home.
You can also check out spread betting at Stake.com to mix things up when you make your MLB and baseball selections throughout the baseball season.
Live Baseball Betting – How to Live Stream MLB & Place In-Play Bets
Live baseball betting adds excitement to your betting slip and allows you to place wagers after baseball fixtures have already started. Given that baseball is a relatively long game, live betting is a great way to mix things up as the action plays out, and there are lots of live baseball betting markets to choose from at Stake.com.
Learn more about how live odds work and the differences between pre-match and live betting in our guide.
You can also watch free live streams of some of the biggest baseball fixtures directly from your Stake account. Simply log in, check which upcoming fixtures are available, sit back, place your bets, and watch for free from your computer or mobile device.
Baseball Betting Strategies & Tips to Win
Baseball betting isn’t rocket science, but with a wide range of betting options, developing a simple strategy you can follow as you place your bets is helpful. Here are some tips that will help you out when betting on baseball games:
Before making a selection, look to stats to help you. Relying on baseball stats is a great way to find value and can help you as you place prop bets and other wagers. We offer a great range of baseball betting tips, expert picks and predictions to help you make informed decisions. You can check out our MLB 2024 predictions and World Series picks to win over on our blog.
Always check a team’s head-to-head history before backing them against a specific opponent.
Home field advantage is important in baseball, as some teams don’t travel well. Again, bear this in mind before picking a team to win.
Utilise our monthly bonuses and ongoing promotions so you can add to your bankroll while betting on baseball at Stake.com.
Baseball Betting Odds & Payouts Explained
When reading baseball odds, you can easily determine the favourite and the underdog, which is an important first step. You can adjust the settings in your account to show odds in fractions, decimals, or the American format.
As for payouts, you can access your winnings immediately after the odds have been settled. You can then store your winnings in the Stake.com Vault or process a withdraw to access your baseball winnings instantly.
Deposit & Withdrawal Methods for Baseball Betting
Easily deposit crypto units or your local currency into your account to bet on baseball and other sports by following these simple steps:
Step 1 – Retrieve your deposit address, located in Wallet > Deposit.
Step 2 – Choose the method that suits your needs. Stake.com supports multiple currencies , including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Dogecoin (Doge), Litecoin (LTC), and others.
Step 3 – Use your deposit address as the ‘send to’ location for your crypto wallet or exchange.
Step 4 (Optional) – If you wish to make a deposit via fiat currency, you deposit via the available payment methods associated with your currency , or you can buy crypto for Stake via Moonpay.
Stake.com offers live support to players via our customer support staff for help with issues regarding baseball betting and depositing and withdrawing units .
Moonpay supports multiple payment options, including Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and others, to buy cryptocurrency to bet on baseball and other sports. For a full list of supported payment options, please refer to the Moonpay documentation .
Why Should You Bet on Baseball at Stake.com?
Stake.com is the home of online sports betting, with a huge selection of baseball markets available. What’s more, as you bet on baseball and other sports, you can earn exclusive rewards as part of the Stake VIP Club .
As a sportsbook customer, you can also take advantage of the incredible games available at Stake Casino - we offer a great range of sports-themed games for all you keen sports bettors and baseball fans!
