If you want more information on how to bet on the World Series in Major League Baseball, you’re in luck. Here, we break down everything you need to know, from World Series betting tips and strategies to how to place a World Series bet.
How To Bet on the World Series
The first thing to consider when betting on the World Series is what type of wager you will place. Before the series has started, you can place a futures bet on what team will win the World Series. In addition, once the teams have been decided, you can place bets within the series on each game or the series as a whole.
Placing a bet on the World Series, whether before it starts or during, is easy. Sign into one of the best online sportsbooks for World Series betting, or create an account if you haven’t done so yet. Navigate to the baseball betting section, and you will see World Series betting options from which to choose.
Of course, how to bet on the World Series and win is a different question, and we will get into that later in this World Series betting guide. Let’s start with the basics by looking at exactly how to place a World Series bet.
Start betting on the World Series today at BetOnline.
How To Place a World Series Bet
Below, we will look at how to bet on the World Series from a practical standpoint. We will show you exactly how to place a World Series bet step by step, using BetOnline as our example.
1. Register for Your Favorite Sportsbook and Sign in
First, sign up for and log in to your online sportsbook of choice. If signing up as a new bettor, you must provide details such as your email address and create a username and password. Additional personal details like your full name, address, and date of birth will be needed.
Once this is completed, sign in, and you will be ready to bet on the World Series.
2. Navigate to the Baseball Betting Section of the Sportsbook
Now that you’re signed into your sportsbook, navigate to the baseball betting section. These options are often found in a drop-down menu at the left of the screen. Since the World Series is a prominent event, you may also see it highlighted on the sportsbook’s homepage.
3. Select a World Series Betting Option
Now you need to find a World Series betting option you would like to engage in. Before the beginning of the World Series, your only choices will involve futures betting. Once the series has started, you can bet on the whole series, individual game outcomes, props, and more.
4. Enter the Amount You Would Like To Wager
Now that you have located a betting choice, you must select the amount you want to bet. When you populate your wager amount, the sportsbook bet slip will show you what you would stand to win. You will also have the opportunity to create a parlay from multiple betting options.
5. Submit Your World Series Bet
Once you’ve selected your World Series bet and entered your dollar amount, you’ll be ready to submit your wager. Upon doing this, the sportsbook will enable you to track your bet via your account.
Sign up and start placing bets on the World Series with BetOnline.
Types of World Series Bets
Now that you have a solid understanding of how to place a World Series bet, let’s look at the various types of wagers you can place.
How to bet on the World Series winner is a tough question to crack, and one of the first steps is knowing what types of wagers are available.
World Series Moneyline Betting
The simplest way to wager on each World Series game is on the moneyline. With this wager, the bettor needs to guess which team will triumph in a specific game (the payments are based on the odds). You can also wager on the winner of the entire series via moneyline odds.
For an example of how moneyline wagers operates consider that the Atlanta Braves (-160) are betting favorites against the Texas Rangers (+130) in game one of the World Series. These use the American odds format.
In this instance, a $160 wager is necessary to win $100 if the Braves win. A $100 bet on the Rangers garners you a $130 win if they emerge victorious. The moneyline bet is the most common single wager American bettors place.
World Series Run Line Betting
Another popular World Series betting option is wagering on the run line. This is Major League Baseball betting terminology for what is known as a point spread in sports like football and basketball. You will generally see the run line set at 1.5 runs for all MLB games and certainly during the World Series, as the matchup will be fairly close in most cases.
With World Series run line betting, you either get 1.5 runs (say the Rangers are +1.5) or give them (if the Braves are -1.5). This means that if you bet on the Rangers, they can lose by one run, and you still win your bet, and the Braves must win by at least two for you to win your Atlanta bet.
Both sides will have odds and competitive betting lines denoting your payout, which can differ considerably more for MLB run line betting than you’ll generally see on an NFL point spread bet.
World Series Totals Betting
Another fun option for World Series betting is to wager on the total of a World Series game rather than a side. Here the sportsbook sets a total number of runs that will be scored between both teams, and you choose either the over or the under.
Perhaps in our Rangers/Braves example, the total is 7.5 runs. If you bet the under, you win if seven or fewer runs score, while you need at least eight to score to win on the over. Similarly to run line betting, there will also be odds denoting your payout for either the over or under in totals betting markets.
World Series Prop Bets
Prop or proposition betting is a fun way to wager on the World Series without worrying about a specific game or series result. With a prop, you wager on a micro outcome within the game or series. This can involve either team/game outcomes or individual player statistical scenarios.
You’ll find a nicer selection of prop betting options for big events like the World Series than throughout the regular season. Examples of common props are whether a player will hit a home run, an over/under on the number of strikeouts for a starting pitcher, or a combined hit total for both teams in a World Series game.
Prop bets are one of the best options for finding beneficial odds that better favor the bettor in World Series betting. Player props focus on individual performance, while other wagers center on team props in the championship series.
World Series Parlay Betting
The option of Parlay betting is a great choice if you are looking for how to bet on the World Series and win a large amount from a small investment.
Here you can pair together multiple betting options, at times from the same game, for larger payouts if all your selections hit. An example would be to pair the over in a World Series game with one side winning (say the over and Atlanta, using our Braves/Rangers example).
There can be restrictions on some same game parlays (SGPs) at certain sportsbooks, which may make certain World Series parlay bets off limits. This is particularly true when two betting selections correlate closely enough to give the bettor a significant edge.
Still, it’s wise to look at the betting options and see where you may find parlays in which the selections correlate in a beneficial manner.
World Series Live Betting
With the rise of online sportsbooks, live betting has become increasingly popular. The number of in-game betting options for the World Series can be even better than you may find throughout the regular season. With live betting, you can wager on ever-changing odds on in-game outcomes.
A standard option is to bet on the currently generated moneyline, run line, or over/under of a game that is already started. Yet more specific in-game betting options can be thrilling, like wagering on the exact outcome of the next at-bat from a hitter.
Live betting on the World Series enables you to enjoy a lot more betting action on the games and often find in-game odds edges.
World Series Futures Betting
It is essential to discuss futures wagers in terms of analyzing how to bet on the World Series winner. If you can pick the winner from the title odds before the series starts, you can get huge payouts depending on the betting odds.
A common example of a World Series futures bet would be to wager on the Tampa Bay Rays during the regular baseball season to win the series at +650 (a $100 wager wins you $650).
World Series futures betting involves ever-changing odds set by sportsbooks before the World Series (before the regular season and until the series starts) on which team will win. There are other World Series futures markets as well, such as betting on what two teams will make it to the World Series.
World Series futures betting is the only way to wager on the World Series winner odds well before it starts and offers great opportunities for large winnings on reasonably feasible outcomes.
World Series Betting Tips and Strategies
It’s time to get into World Series betting strategy at this point in our World Series betting guide. How to bet on the World Series is one consideration, but how to bet on the World Series and win is another.
Let’s take a look at some of the best World Series betting strategy tips we’ve gleaned over years of betting on the Fall Classic best-of-seven series.
1. Consider World Series Futures Bets
One of our first tips involves betting on World Series futures. Big championship events such as the World Series allow you to place bets on some fairly long odds with a chance for a considerable payout. You may also notice off-season or in-season events that make a team more viable to win it all and pounce on advantageous odds before they have moved considerably.
2. World Series Prop Bets Are Your Friend
It is far more difficult for sportsbooks to maintain consistently accurate prop betting options and lines. Looking for odds that may be more advantageous for the bettor on prop betting markets throughout the World Series is a great way to find bets with more expected value (EV).
3. World Series Odds Are the Most Important
It is common for sports bettors to think more about what outcome they expect than the odds they are receiving on the bet. The best way to emerge successful in sports betting is to consider the odds you are getting on whatever wager you may be looking to place. One of the smart baseball betting strategies to look at multiple top-rated MLB sportsbooks to find the best odds and jump on any betting markets that may give you an edge.
4. Don’t Bet on the World Series With Your Heart
If you place a bet on the World Series to wager on what team you want to win or which players you want to succeed, this is not a winning strategy for professional sports. Perhaps the only goal is to bet for fun; if you don’t care if you lose, then perhaps this approach is perfectly fine. Still, if you want to win money, consider analytics and online betting odds when making your bets, not which outcome you want to see as a fan.
5. Keep an Eye on World Series News
You will definitely want to ensure you find out about any injuries or other pertinent information as soon as possible. It is also good to consider specific factors like bullpen usage and how this may affect your betting considerations. The more information you can take in (the sooner, the better), the easier it will be to find a betting edge on all American sports including Major League Baseball.
Keen to try out some of our betting strategies? Try Bovada.
Most Recent World Series Winners
Let’s take a look at a list of the teams that have won the World Series in recent years.
2003 | Florida Marlins |
2004 | Boston Red Sox |
2005 | Chicago White Sox |
2006 | St. Louis Cardinals |
2007 | Boston Red Sox |
2008 | Philadelphia Phillies |
2009 | New York Yankees |
2010 | San Francisco Giants |
2011 | St. Louis Cardinals |
2012 | San Francisco Giants |
2013 | Boston Red Sox |
2014 | San Francisco Giants |
2015 | Kansas City Royals |
2016 | Chicago Cubs |
2017 | Houston Astros |
2018 | Boston Red Sox |
2019 | Washington Nationals |
2020 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
2021 | Atlanta Braves |
2022 | Houston Astros |
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World Series Betting FAQs
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