MLB Live Betting Strategies

By Phil Simon

The internet and online sportsbooks created another way to wager on sporting events. Live betting is all the rage allowing bettors to make their wagers on the fly. All it takes is a device, a strong connection and a sportsbook that offers live betting on its platform. Most of them do and if you come across a shop that doesn’t you should seriously consider switching to another site. There is no difference between MLB live betting and pre-game wagering except one is placed while the game is being played and the other takes place before the first pitch. Is there an advantage to live betting? Absolutely there is since the odds change in real time. Let’s take a closer look at some MLB live betting strategies that can help you build that bankroll.

What is the MLB Live Betting?

Live betting takes place while the game is being played. Odds are updated constantly depending on how the game is going allowing bettors to lock in a better price. Given its pace of play and between innings break, baseball is inherently a game for live bettors. There are some drawbacks and those will be discussed later. You will see all betting markets available when live betting, that includes the moneyline, total and runline. Most books also offer live player betting with wagers available on what the next batter will do as an example. The basics of sports betting apply just like a pregame wager. Live betting is as simple as selecting your bet, putting money down and confirming the wager. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

We talked about drawbacks and there are a few. Let’s say for instance you like the Dodgers in a matchup with the Padres but feel the -200 moneyline price is too steep. If the Dodgers fall behind by a few runs early in the game the moneyline will change and you could grab the Dodgers at plus odds. It makes sense to stick with them since you liked them before the game started. Now with better odds and a higher payout they are worth the risk. All they have to do is overcome that early deficit.

Baseball has lost some of its appeal due to the length of games and the boring carousel of managerial decisions in the later innings. In order to get the odds you like you might have to sit through some dull times. And as we know the attention span of people has decreased. If you are a baseball fan it can be worthwhile, though. Let’s take a look at how the odds can change during live betting.

Dodgers -200
Padres +140

The pregame odds have the Dodgers at -200 meaning you would have to wager $200 to win $100. That number doesn’t change since you confirmed the wager before the game started. With live betting after the Dodgers fell behind by a few runs in the first inning we could see something like this:

Dodgers +110
Padres -110

Throwing down on the Dodgers now yields a positive payout. Taking them at +110 means a $100 wager gives back $110. That’s a big change considering they were heavy favorites before the game started. Another negative with live betting is that books usually have a limit on the amount of the wager whereas you could fork out any amount before first pitch.

MLB Live Betting Strategies

One of the basic strategies for live betting is to wager on a heavy favorite that trails in a game. We outlined an example above with the Dodgers. If it’s early in the game the favorite still has a chance to win the game outright. You will need to pay close attention to what’s happening in the game and determine in your head if that club has a chance to overcome the deficit. It’s a strategy that doesn’t always work, but it’s the best one out there.

Another way to increase your chances of winning is by doing some research. We’ve said this in every article so it must be important. And it is. Maybe a team has a weak bullpen that tends to squander leads late. Or your favorite team has a player who thrives in the later innings. Look closely at batter/pitcher matchups to get an idea of whether or not your team can rally.