Major League Baseball is the best professional baseball league in the world.  OddsJet compares MLB betting odds from some of the most trusted betting sites in the world.  This MLB odds comparison allows OddsJet to show you the best odds for every game on the schedule, which helps bettors to maximise their potential returns.  If you are looking for MLB Futures, OddsJet also displays the best World Series odds for each team to win the MLB outright.   

MLB Odds explained

Money Line

Quite simply, when you are betting on the Money Line, you are betting on the winner of a Major League Baseball game - there is no handicap.  Favorites and underdogs are determined solely by the odds pricing. 

Run Line

For MLB, the Run Line is the most popular type of handicap betting.  However it is different than basketball and American football where the point spreads can vary widely from game to game.  Much like the ‘Puck Line’ in hockey betting, an MLB Run Line involves a static handicap where the favorite is assigned -1.5 runs, and the underdog is assigned +1.5 runs. For a favorite to win a Run Line wager, they would need to win by two runs or by a score of say 5 to 3.   If the favorite only wins by one run, they will not have successfully surmounted the handicap, and the underdog will have won.

Total or Over/Under

For MLB, the Total or Over/Under refers to a figure set usually between 6.5 and 11.5 for the total number of runs to be scored by both teams through the course of a game.  The sportsbook sets this run total figure and sets odds pricing for the respective Over and Under outcomes.  Given the handicap, these prices tend to be fairly even.

MLB Odds expressed in American, Decimal and Fractional Formats

For American odds format, keep in mind the difference between positive and negative expressions and that the figure of $100 is involved in two ways.  Odds that are below the even money mark are always listed with a negative number.  Negative American odds express the amount one would need to wager in order to return a profit of $100.  For example, if Baltimore is favoured heavily, you might see an odds figure of -260.  This is expressing that a wager of $260 would return a potential profit of $100 for a total return of $360.  If you are wagering on the Run Line, you will likely see odds around -110 on both teams, meaning a wager of $110 will potentially return $100.  When you see a positive MLB odds price in American format this is expressing that the odds are above even money.  For odds of +170 on St. Louis, the odds are expressing that you would potentially receive a profit of $170 on a stake of $100.  This would yield a total potential return of $270. 

For the Decimal MLB odds format, you simply multiply your stake amount by the decimal odds price to see the full amount that would be returned on a win including your stake amount.  For example, if you wagered $100 at a price of 1.53, your total return would be $153, a profit of $53. 

For Fractional MLB odds format, the expressed odds price represents the potential profit return that will be achieved over and above the stake amount.  For example, if you bet $50 at an odds price of 1/2 (one-to-two), your potential return includes the $50 stake amount, while your potential profit is the fractional odds price multiplied by the stake, or in this case $25 (1 divided by 2, multiplied by $50) for a total return of $75.  In the case of underdogs, the numerator will be higher than the denominator, such as 23/10 (said twenty-three-to-ten).  Your potential profit would simply multiply the fraction by the stake.  If your stake is $100, this would be 23 divided by 10, multiplied by $100.  Thus your potential profit would be $230.  Including your returned stake of $100, your total potential return would be $330.