John Ford | April 16, 2020 | Updated on: December 4th, 2023
MLS playoff betting is extremely exciting, as the league season draws to a close and the top teams begin their plight for the biggest trophy in United States soccer – the MLS Cup. All this leads to is some amazing sporting matches filled with class, precision and unmatched levels of competitiveness. Sportsbooks often add to the excitement by introducing additional betting lines not available at any other time of the season. With all the drama and potential to win extra funds for your bankroll, you can bet that there are a load of US bettors having a go at wagering on the MLS playoffs.
If you are interested in learning more about betting on the MLS playoffs, make sure to keep on reading. In our ultimate MLS playoff betting guide down below, we get into all the different types of wagers US gamblers can make on games as well as the best tips to keep in mind while planning your bets. So, read on and make the best bets at online gambling sites now!
Best MLS Playoffs Sportsbooks 2023
Looking to place a bet on the MLS playoffs this year? Well, have a look at the sports betting sites down below. They provide the best list of betting lines and odds on games throughout both the regular and post season.
MLS Betting Playoffs Links
Popular MLS Playoffs Betting Lines
As previously mentioned, betting on the MLS playoffs can be rather exciting. This is due to two major reasons. Firstly, the format of the tournament changes. The best performing regular teams enter a knockout stage in which failure to win a match leads to them being eliminated in the race to lift the MLS Cup.
Secondly, the playoff season also leads to soccer betting sites introducing new betting options to the mix. This often comes in the form of the new prop bets, but these could also be new progression betting options related to the overall new format of the tournament.
Below we have listed the most popular MLS playoff betting lines:
- 1X2 Bets or 3-Way Moneylines – these are bets made on the overall outcome of a match. Within regulation time, matches can end in a win for either of the two teams or a draw.
- To Progress/Standard Moneyline – with these wagers, bettors attempt to predict who will win the match overall or more simply stated which team will progress to the next round.
- Spreads – sportsbooks give the team favoured to win a handicap. Gamblers then bet on whether or not the team will be able to overcome the handicap.
- Over/Unders – here bettors attempt to predict whether the overall scoreline will be over or under a line set by a sportsbook.
MLS Playoff Props
As we mentioned a bit earlier, some MLS betting sites introduce new betting options for the MLS playoffs in the form of interesting prop bets. It is important to distinguish between standard and exotic prop bets.
Standard prop bets involve betting on an aspect of the game you can actually research, such as which team is more likely to score first. Exotic bets are wild, and could involve betting on the colour of the undershirt of the team’s top striker.
Top MLS Playoffs Betting Tips
Sports betting is a pretty big game and every second person on the internet claims to be a pro tipster. While we have been in this game for a long time, we won’t claim our tips will guarantee that you make winning bets every time. If they did, it wouldn’t be gambling and the authenticity of the MLS would be questioned.
However, all this said, we do have some general betting advice that is sure to help you make more educated bets. We also do from time to time provide some picks and predictions for MLS playoff games we thing our US bettors can easily profit off. But, before you blindly place your next bet, consider this:
- Playoffs Are A Defensive Game – in general, playoffs see teams play a little more defensively than they would during the regular season. The reason is that it is pretty easy to get knocked out of the tournament by a lucky goal. So, we don’t recommend frequently making over bets here.
- Small Wins Are Likely – in line with what was stated in the previous tip, don’t expect to see a goal rush in playoff games. The competition is fierce and teams try to make sure that they do not make defensive mistakes. So, it is important to expect teams to make through by a goal. Sometimes, the goal may not even be well-executed, but it’s what gets a team through to the next round.
- Focus on Stats – make sure that you understand all the ins and outs of the teams involved in the match you would like to bet on. You want to know how many goals a team is capable of scoring, when they are most likely to score, and whether their defensive line is at all effective, among other things.
Check out our other MLS betting guides:
Understanding MLS Playoff Odds
MLS playoff odds are pretty easy to read, even though some potential sports bettors may be frightened by them. When it comes to reading odds, all gamblers need to know is that there are three formats: fractional, decimal and American. Naturally, US sportsbooks will default to the American format. However, most sites allow users to switch between all three options available.
The three formats work as follows:
- Moneyline/American – this is the most popular format in the USA. Bettors use the formulas listed below to calculate their potential winnings based on the mathematical symbol next to the number.
- Negative – (100/odds) x stake
- Positive – odds x (stake/100)
- Fractional – as the name already pretty much implies, odds are represented as a fraction. To calculate your potential winnings with this method, just multiply your bet by the top number of the fraction.
- Decimal – odds are represented as a decimal. All bettors need to do is multiply their stake with the decimal number to calculate how much they could win. This includes your stake.
Bettors should now be able to work out how much they will be able to win on a potential bet. With that out of the way, why are waiting to place bets?