MLB
Nippon
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
Chess
Entertainment
eSports
Fantasy
Football
Golf
Hockey
Horse Racing
MMA
Motor Sports
Olympics
Politics
Soccer
Table Tennis
Wrestling
Casino
Home
Betting Guide
Betting over/unders is one of the most popular pastimes in all of sports betting and baseball is no different. The interesting thing about baseball is just how much variation there is from game to game with the totals set. On any given night you might see a game with a total 6.5 or less if the pitching match-up is right and another game with a total of 10+. That doesn’t seem like much just reading it, but any baseball fan can tell you that is a big, big difference.
Teams can score a wide variety of runs on a night to night basis and that makes betting the over/unders in baseball a lot of fun.
This article will cover the ins and outs of betting MLB Over/Unders (Game Totals), how to bet them, where to bet them and our strategy for picking winners. This is a big one, so let’s get right into it.
Where To Bet MLB Over/Unders (Game Totals):
America: Bovada is one of the top sites for betting over/unders in MLB. The odds are always posted early and are updated as needed on gameday.
Canada: It’s hard to find a better site for betting game totals than Sports Interaction. Competitive lines and an easy to navigate platform.
Everywhere Else: 888 offers over/under lines on all of the day’s games with competitive lines to boot.
What are MLB Over/Unders (Game Totals)?
MLB Over/Unders are essentially the total number of combined runs that two teams will score in a game.
For example, let’s say that the Nationals are playing the Marlins and the total is set at 9.5 runs. You would then have to bet whether this game will go “over” 9.5 runs (meaning 10 or more runs combined) or “under” 9.5 runs (meaning 9 runs or less combined).
It doesn’t matter if the score is 10-1 or 6-5, that would still be over. It is simply the combined score of the two teams.
Common MLB Over/Unders (Game Totals) Questions:
How are the MLB Over/Unders set?
There are multiple factors taken in when setting an MLB Over/Unders. The quality of the offense, the runs per game averages of both teams, the bullpens, where the game is being played and the expected weather are factored in as well, but the starting pitcher has the biggest effect on the number that is set. The better the starting pitchers, the lower the over/under. The higher the ERAs, the higher the totals.
Why do the numbers always seem to have a .5 at the end?
Simply put, so there is a winner. An over/under set at 9.5 when the game ends 5-4 has a winner and a loser. An over/under set at 9 when the game ends 5-4 has no winners and no losers.
What if I only want to bet the MLB Over/Under for the starting pitchers?
You have a couple of options here.
The first is the 5-inning line over/under. This is a total set only on the first five innings of the game and nothing more. This is a nice way to bet on the time that the starters will be active as most starting pitchers tend to only go about five or six innings in their starts.
You would bet this when you think that a particular starter, or starter match-up is going to have a great run and not give up many runs. This is when you can bet under on that play as you are rooting for both of them to allow little runs. Conversely, you bet over on this one when two starters without much talent are starting and you think there is going to be an over. Or if something like the wind is blowing out in Wrigley Field.
The other thing that you can do is best the first inning only. This is a riskier bet if you are going over and it will usually have positive odds. By the same token, it will have higher odds with a negative value, like -200, to go under because it is just such a small sample. This can be a lot of fun though as long as you choose your match-up wisely.
How To Bet MLB Over/Unders (Game Totals):
Bovada: From the sportsbook, select “Baseball” from the menu, then “MLB”. The day’s games should be listed here with the over/unders, moneylines and runlines for each game right there on the page.
Sports Interaction:: From the left side of the website find “Baseball” and click that. Underneath there you should find “MLB” and the day’s games will be listed with over/unders for each one.
888: Right from the homepage find “Baseball” under the “Sports A-Z” section. Click “MLB” from there and the day’s games should be posted with all of the over/unders.
MLB Over/Unders (Game Totals) Betting Strategy:
One thing that I like to look at when betting MLB totals is the recent starts of the starters. A player could be on a really great or really bad run and those can be good to ride with the totals. You don’t just want to look at the results though as the underlying numbers tell the real story.
A shutout with a lot of walks and few strikeouts is unlikely to repeat itself, a loss with a few hits allowed and unearned runs is likely to correct.
More advanced bettors can also look at the umpiring crew for each game. Despite MLB’s intentions, there can be a wide discrepancy between umpire’s strike zones. A wider strike zone can lead to more pitches which leads to more walks, more runners and an early exit. Bullpens are more likely to give up runs and that can lead to an over.
All Where To Bet MLB Articles:
Where To Bet MLB Player Props:
Where To Bet MLB Futures & Awards:
Where To Bet Other Baseball Leagues:
