If you’re looking to add a little excitement to your baseball watching experience, prop bets are the way to go. MLB props are a fast-growing market, with popular prop bets on the number of strikeouts, hits, and home runs for games, teams, and individual players. Prop bets – also known as proposition bets – are betting markets beyond the standard spreads, moneylines, and totals. Prop bets focus on segmented parts of a game, such as individual team or player performances and external occurrences and happenings during an event. This guide will break down what prop bets are, provide some examples of popular prop bets for baseball games, and teach you how to bet on them.
What is a Prop Bet?
You can make a prop wager beyond the standard full-game odds and bet on various aspects of a game or event with a prop bet. Typically a prop bet is used about player props, where you are betting on the performance of a single player in a game. However, you can also bet on game props such as “First team to Score,” “Winning Margin,” and other outcomes in the game. Prop wagers have long been called “sucker bets” in the past, but with the growing popularity of fantasy sports and advancements in analytics, prop betting has become an increasing industry every year.
Game Props In Baseball
Events and occurrences determine game props throughout the game. These odds may be set using spreads, moneylines, Over/Under totals, or wagered on in a Yes/No format. Game props can be graded in terms of the entire game or divided into derivatives such as innings, halves, and quarters.
Some examples of game props in baseball:
- First Team to Score
- Race to X Runs
- Total number of Strikeouts
- Winning Margin
- Odd/Even Total Runs
Player Props in Baseball
The performance of a player decides player props during a game or event. Players can bet on themselves or pit two or more players against each other in head-to-head props.
Some examples of player props in baseball:
- Total number of strikeouts by a pitcher
- Total hits
- Total bases
- Total runs scored
- Total home runs
- Total RBIs
Tips for Prop Betting Baseball
When determining which props to bet, it’s essential to start with having a holistic view of how the game will play. For example, if you think the game is likely to go under the game total betting line, you should consider betting the under for players to hit home runs. Your prop bets should also reflect that since you believe the game will be low-scoring.
When looking for value in the prop exchanges, look into both teams’ strengths and weaknesses to determine which props are relevant. When facing a high strikeout pitcher, a team that struggles with strikeouts could be good to target. Look for trends and patterns that you may use in prop odds to your advantage.
Another critical tip for prop betting is using strict bankroll management. With so many bets available, bettors can get carried away with the number of bets in action. Set aside a percentage of your bankroll to avoid over-betting if you’re a prop bettor.
When are Baseball Props Released?
Depending on which sportsbook you use, player props are usually released the morning of the game. However, some sportsbooks will not release prop bets until a few hours before game time.
This is due to how sharp baseball bettors are and how easily exploitable early odds can be. Because prop bets can be highly profitable to bettors, sportsbooks are typically more conservative on when they make them available.
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