What if I told you that you could greatly increase your baseball betting profits by simply doing your research and getting your bets out the night before any MLB game? The average bettor will wait until the day of the game to place their bets, but by doing so they are missing out on a key opportunity to maximize their profits.
Most sportsbooks will post odds for the following days’ games the night before a game is scheduled. Taking advantage of these early lines can really work in your favor.
Taking advantage of pitching matchups is the key to long-term success in baseball betting. Because teams use a set rotation for their starting pitchers, you have the ability to do your research on a game well in advance.
For example, if you find a pitcher who has pitched well on the season and has a strong track record against a specific team, going up against a pitcher who has struggled of late and hasn’t performed well against the opposing team, there is obviously value on the team with the better pitcher in this game.
Because so many wait to place their bets until the lineups are officially set, you have the opportunity to get great value before everyone else jumps on ship. For instance, if you were to get your bet in the night before on the above example you would likely only have to pay -120 juice compared to -140 to -150 juice once everyone else got a hold of the information. There are usually at least 3-4 games that you can take advantage of on a given night and, over the long run, you are going to save a lot of money and profit a lot more at the same time.
There is no need to worry about a starting pitcher getting scratched at the last second because of an injury or illness. Almost every sportsbook will give you the option of placing your bet with the “listed pitchers” for that game. By taking advantage of this option, if for someone reason a starter can’t go, your bet simply becomes a wash and you don’t lose a dime.
Another thing that might scare people away from betting on games early is the fear of a key offensive player getting hurt, or simply not being in the lineup the next day. There is no doubt that this could have an effect on the outcome of the game, but over the long run you are going to make more money by taking advantage of the lines ahead of time. This also goes back to my point about pitching being the biggest key in baseball betting. Even if a star player isn’t in the lineup, there is still a very good chance that the better pitcher will deliver a win more times than not.
One other thing worth looking at the day before a game is the weather. You can easily find the expected weather for a game days in advance. This would be more profitable for betting baseball totals ahead of time. You can snag the under early when rain is expected or the wind is projected to be blowing in, or lock in the over when the wind is going to be blowing out. Because weather can be extremely unpredictable, betting totals ahead of time is a bit more of a gamble.
If you are still skeptical about placing your bets early, I challenge you to take the time to at least look at the lines the night before and see how much they change by the time you regularly place your bet.