Faith Mortensen | May 18, 2023 | Updated on: December 4th, 2023
MLB playoff betting is one of the most exciting forms of baseball betting available to US bettors. The reason for this is that the best teams in the league have risen to the top after grinding through the 162-game regular season. They then battle it out to determine the season’s World Series Champion. That said, it is important not to get beguiled by all the playoff excitement as this could result in gamblers making bad bets. MLB postseason betting sometimes requires that bettors change their approach if they are to make the most of their bankroll.
If you would like to learn more about the ins and outs about betting on the MLB playoffs, make sure to keep on reading. Below we have a look at how the league’s postseason format works, the popular betting lines often made available on these games, the MLB Playoff Bracket and tips for making wagers. So, read on and start betting on the most important matches in a Major League Baseball season at the best online gambling sites.
Get the Best MLB Playoff Odds Here
If you are looking for the best MLB baseball playoff odds, make sure to visit the sportsbooks listed down below. They are sure to provide you with some very competitive offers!
What You’ll Find On This Page
- Get the Best MLB Playoff Odds Here
- How Does the MLB Postseason Work?
- Popular MLB Playoff Betting Lines
- MLB Playoff Bracket Explained
- How MLB Playoff Betting Odds Work
- Best MLB Baseball Playoff Betting Tips
How Does the MLB Postseason Work?
When the regular season comes to a close, the top ten teams in the league advance to postseason games; five from the American League and five from the National League. A total of six of the teams that advance through to the next round have won their division title, whereas the remaining four are just the top performers in the league outside of divisional champions, also known as wild card teams.
The postseason kicks off with two Wild Card Games. The four wild card teams square off against each other in a single playoff game to determine which team will progress to the next round. When the Wild Card Game winner is decided, it signals the beginning of the American League Division Series and the National League Division Series, which sees the eight remaining teams sorted into best-of-five matches.
Following the result of these series, the remaining two teams of each league play each other in the American League Championship Series and the National League Championship Series in a best-of-seven series. The winners of these two series are generally referred to as pennant winners.
The two pennant winners then play each other in the World Series Championship in a best-of-seven matchup, and so ends the baseball season when the winner is decided.
Popular MLB Playoff Betting Lines
The MLB postseason generally sees sports betting sites introduce a range of new betting markets, so as to entice US gamblers to make more exciting wagers. Here are some of the lines gamblers can expect to find at all of the top-rated baseball betting sites.
- Moneyline – as in the regular season, gamblers can bet on a team to win a match. With most postseason games being part of a series, bettors have the option of wagering on a singular game or the series as a whole.
- Run Line – with these bets, the favored team is given a handicap and the underdog an advantage in order to make the bet somewhat fairer. Bettors then try to predict whether or not the favorite will be able to overcome the handicap. Although run lines are somewhat more difficult to predict during the postseason, many bettors still try their hand at them.
- Totals – with these bets, gamblers attempt to predict the final score of the game. The sportsbook in question sets lines with a number of different predicted scores, and bettors then choose whether the score will be over or under that amount.
- Props – these are bets that don’t really involve the score or victor of the match. Bettors will find that there is a larger number of props available on postseason games than there are on regular season games. Essentially, gamblers can make the usual prop bets (for example, betting on which team will score first) or more game specific (for example, how many strikeouts will Clayton Kershaw get in the Los Angeles Dodgers Game 3 matchup.)
- Futures – these are bets made on something that is set to take place in the future – either a match or an individual achievement. For example, US bettors make future wagers when they bet on a team to win the World Series long before it actually takes place. They also place future bets when they bet on a player to win League or Series MVP.
MLB Playoff Bracket Explained
One of the most popular forms of MLB playoff betting is bracket predictions. College basketball fans should be pretty familiar with this betting option but for those bettors who aren’t, we are about to explain how this form of baseball betting works.
So, once the teams who have made it to the playoffs have been decided, bettors have the chance to predict the progression path of each of those involved. For example, if the Washington Nationals make it to the playoffs, you predict where their journey comes to an end. Will it be as a wild card team, or will it be as the champion of the World Series?
Bracket predictions can be pretty difficult to make as they involve a load of different teams and results, but they can be extremely rewarding. Think of getting the ultimate parlay correct!
How MLB Playoff Betting Odds Work
The one thing we never believe should ever put you off from betting is a lack of understanding of odds. If that is the only thing preventing you from placing a bet on the latest MLB playoff games, then make sure to read on down below.
The first thing you have got to know is that there are three different odds formats: American/Moneyline, Decimal and Fractional. We’re going to explain the American system, but if you’d like to find out more about the others, make sure to read our odds guide.
So, when visiting a sportsbook, you’ll encounter betting lines displayed in the following manner:
Houston Astros +110
New York Yankees -110
The number and mathematical figure next to the team name is the most important thing to pay attention to when determining who the favorite is and how much you could potentially win.
In our hypothetical betting line above, the Yankees are the favorite to win. We are able to determine this due to the minus symbol next to the number. The plus symbol denotes the favorite. The number suggests how much a bettor could win based on a $100 bet.
A US$100 bet on the Astros will payout US$110. Again, we know this because of the plus next to the figure. However, bettors will need to bet US$110 on the Yankees to win US$110.
Best MLB Baseball Playoff Betting Tips
As mentioned earlier, MLB betting strategies for postseason should vary a little from that used in the regular season. However, for the most part, a lot of the general betting tips remain the same. If you are looking to improve your odds of winning, make sure to keep the following in mind:
- Study Up on Teams – as there are fewer teams to focus on in the postseason, there is really no excuse to not be knowledgeable about them. Essentially, you don’t want to place a bet on the Milwaukee Brewers to win the World Series just because Christian Yelich is on the squad, only to find out later that he suffered a season-ending injury right before the playoffs started.
- Pay Attention to Betting Trends – always remember that public betting patterns have an affect on the odds. Many believe that betting against the public is a good strategy to win a lot of money. However, we would like to warn players against blindly doing this. We suggest paying attention to betting trends in order to make yourself aware of a favorable betting situation.
- Focus on Team Bullpens – every baseball bettor knows that the most important position to focus on when betting is the pitcher. In postseason, we suggest focusing on the entire bullpen. The reason for this is that teams often change pitcher erratically based on their performance. If the team is losing a series, bettors may see starters get more game time than usual in an effort to win. However, if the series is more evenly contested, gamblers may see relief pitchers start matches.
- Focus on Run Lines – while we wouldn’t say this is a hard rule, if a match or series features a clear favorite to win, we’d shy away from making the moneyline. The reason is that you aren’t going to make a lot of money on it if you are indeed betting on the favorite. Run Lines, however, tend to offer gamblers better odds regardless of who the favorite is.
Check out our other MLB betting guides: