Looking to get some betting action on the 2020 World Series? SportsbookWire.com has you covered with a full Betting 101 guide to Major League Baseball and the World Series. We’ll be providing game-by-game picks throughout baseball’s 2020 championship series, and here we’ll go over all the key terms you need to know to place a legal, online MLB bet.
2020 World Series betting: Bet types
Money line
The money line is the most straight-forward bet of all sports bets. Simply pick which team will win a given game. Opposing teams will be expressed as a favorite or an underdog (more on this below) with favorites being given odds of -100 or lower and underdogs generally getting plus-money at odds of +105 or higher.
Against the spread (ATS)/Run line
On against the spread bets, lopsided matchups are handicapped by giving favorites a line of -1.5 or -2.5 for them to win by 2 or 3 runs instead of the outright/straight-up victory.
Underdogs will get lines of +1.5 or +2.5 on the other side, and they’ll need to stay within either 1 or 2 runs in a loss or win outright in order to cover the spread.
Over/Under (Total)
The Over/Under asks for how many runs the two teams will combine to score in a game. Odds are typically equal on lines ranging from 5.5 to 9.5 (or higher).
Series line
The series line is a form of futures bet asking for the outcome of an event at a later date. Odds will adjust based on the results of each game, injuries or other factors. The closer a team comes to securing the World Series victory, the less profitable their odds will be.
Prop bets
Prop bets can be available for the series as a whole or for an individual game, team or player. These allow bettors to predict statistical accomplishments of players or teams, or winners of awards such as World Series MVP.
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2020 World Series betting: Key terms
Favorites
The favorite is the team viewed as more likely to win the game. In a regular season, home-field advantage can also factor into the betting odds and lines, though that won’t be the case this year with the World Series being played at the neutral site of Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Still, the official home team will have the advantage of batting last each game and that’ll be weighed into the odds.
Underdogs
Underdogs are given higher odds to win the game to represent their lower implied win probability. They need to pull the upset and generally are given plus-money odds to do so.
Chalk
Though it’s unlikely to be seen in the World Series, chalk is the term used for low odds that often aren’t worth a bet due to the risk associated with a very small return on a winning ticket.
2020 World Series betting: How do odds work?
With the AL and NL champions meeting in the evenly-matched, best-of-seven World Series money line odds should stay within -200 for the favorites and +200 for the underdogs. A $100 wager would return a profit of $50 or $200, respectively, with a win by either side.
Run line or Over/Under odds will usually be equal on both sides of the lines and can range from a more conservative -105 to -125. The lower the number, the more likely the sportsbook views that result.
Want some action on the 2020 World Series? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
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