World Series Betting Sites

The World Series is an annual best-of-seven s’ between the
champions of the American League and the National League. The winner becomes the
Major League Baseball champion and receives the Commissioner’s Trophy. Also
called the Fall Classic, this competition has been played since 1903, making it
the oldest major sports championship in the United States that’s still being
played.

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball played in
the entire world. The MLB is divided into two separate leagues, the National
League (or NL) and the American League (or AL), each with a unique set of rules.
Each league consists of 15 baseball teams, equaling a total of 30 overall in the
majors.

Of all the major sports, baseball is a favorite among sports gamblers. It is
a game primarily dictated by data, which provides significant amounts of
research materials for enterprising handicappers looking to find an edge. It is
also the best sport for betting upsets, as the worst teams defeat the best at a
higher rate than any other professional game. The most recent champions, the
Houston Astros, were actually underdogs in their World Series matchup against
the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Whether you’re betting on an average mid-season game or the World Series, the
strategies and factors to consider when betting on a baseball game mostly stay
the same. The main difference is that both league champions will have fewer
weaknesses to exploit and will be closer in talent than two random
regular-season opponents. There is still an edge to gain from proper research
and analysis, but the deciding factors may take more effort to pinpoint.

In this guide, we will walk you through some of the most memorable moments in
World Series history, cover some baseball betting strategies and highlight basic
rules of sports gambling you should always follow. Furthermore, we will discuss
what attributes to look for when choosing an online gambling site. Picking the
right online sportsbook can be every bit as important as placing the right bets.

Online sports betting is so immensely popular that there’s bound to be scam
operations out there trying to fool consumers into handing over their
hard-earned money. We want to share the criteria we use when selecting a
legitimate betting site, as well as provide a list of recommendations based on
the research and vetting that our experts have already done.

Here is a list of the best rated and most trusted online betting sites:

Rank	Gambling Site	Deposit Bonus	Get Started
#1	BetUS	125% Up To $2,500	Visit Site
#2	BetOnline Sports	50% Up To $1,000	Visit Site
#3	MyBookie	50% Up To $1,000	Visit Site
#4	SportsBetting.ag	50% Up To $1,000	Visit Site
#5	Bovada Sports	50% Up To $250	Visit Site

The Factors We Consider When Choosing a Betting Site

Understanding the World Series

Home Field Advantage

Major League Baseball has been trying to find the fairest way of determining
which team has home-field advantage for years. Home field is especially
important for the World Series because the home team plays by their rules. If
the game is in an American League stadium, the pitchers do not hit; a designated
hitter does instead. But in a National League Stadium, pitchers must take
at-bats.

Before 2002, the league settled to just alternate home field advantage
between leagues annually. However, after a tie in the 2002 All-Star game, the
commissioner wanted to add some stakes to the Midsummer Classic. It was decided
that whichever league won the All-Star game would have home-field advantage in
the World Series.

This system led to its own set of frustrations, and in 2017, the league made
a change once again. Home-field advantage would strictly be determined by
regular season records. The team with the most wins during the season gets home
field. Thus far, people enjoy this system much more than previous attempts.

American League

The American League has been in existence since 1901 when it was established
by the original 8 charter franchises. The league is separated into three
divisions, the AL East, the AL West and the AL Central, each of which consists
of 5 teams.

As stated earlier, in American League ballparks, a designated hitter replaces
the pitchers in the lineup. This allows for more specialized positions and
stronger hitting lineups, but requires less strategy on the part of the manager.

For the 96 years, the American League teams only played National League
franchises in exhibitions or the World Series. As of 1997, the leagues engage in
interleague play during the regular season that counts towards the actual
record. The American League has won 66 of the 113 WS – a winning
percentage of 58%.

Listed below are the teams that compete in the American League:

National League

The National League is even older than its counterpart and was founded in
1876. Like the American League, this organization also began with 8 founding
clubs. The most successful team in NL history is the San Francisco Giants, which
has won the National League championship 23 times.

When baseball is played under National League rules, the pitchers must occupy
a spot in the batting line-up. This requires more well-rounded players and more
strategizing for the manager to plan around the pitcher’s bat, as pitcher’s tend
to be weaker at the plate. Depending on the game
situation, managers are forced to use pinch hitters, pinch runners and double
switch substitutions to give their team the best chance to win.

Of the two leagues, the National League has had less success in the World
Series. They’ve only won 48 of the 113 World Series matchups.

Listed below are the teams that compete in the National League:

The Road to the World Series – MLB Playoffs

After the 182-game regular season has reached its conclusion, it’s time for
the playoffs. Five teams from each league qualify. This includes the three
division winners as well as two wild-card teams per league. The wild-card
entrants are the teams with the best regular season records despite not winning
their respective divisions.

The six division-winners automatically advance to the second round of the
playoffs. The first round is a single-game showdown between the two wild-card
qualifiers within each division. The loser is eliminated from the playoffs while
the winner goes on to play whichever divisional champ has the best record.

The second round of the MLB playoffs consists of the American League Division
Series (ALDS) and the National League Division Series (NLDS). The
division-winning team with the best record faces off against the wildcard entry
while the other two division winners compete against each other. All of the
series in the divisional round are best-of-five. The winners advance to the
league championship.

The final two teams in each division square off in a best-of-seven series to
determine the winner of the pennant. The teams that win the pennant in their
respective leagues advance to the World Series. These semi-final round of
contests are called the American League Championship Series (ALCS) and National
League Championship Series (NLCS).

Finally, the two league champions face off in the World Series. Like the
previous round, this includes a best-of-seven series.

Memorable World Series Moments

Kirk Gibson’s Home Run – 1988

In Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, the game was tied in the ninth inning. In
his one at-bat of the entire series, Kirk Gibson was called upon to pinch hit.
Gibson was severely injured and barely capable of walking. The at-bat was a long
one, with the Dodger legend fouling off ball after ball.

After each foul, he crumbled in pain, only to slowly drag himself back to his
feet.Finally, the perfect pitch was delivered, and Gibson smashed a
historical walk-off homerun. You will still see the clips of this moment in
nearly all sports highlight reels.

Bill Buckner’s Error – 1986

Back in 1986, the Red Sox curse was still in full effect. Up two runs, with
two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Boston looked poised to win their first
World Series in sixty-eight years. All they needed was one more out. Mookie
Wilson served up that out on a silver platter, grounding a ball in Buckner’s
direction.

Rather than collect the routine grounder and complete the out, Bill Buckner
committed an error that allowed the Mets to send home the game-winning runs. The
Sox had one more game to make things right, but New York won out in the end,
extending the tortured franchises curse for another few decades.

Derek Jeter Becomes Mr. November – 2001

Only two months after 9/11, the Yankees were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks
in game four of the World Series at Yankees Stadium. Arizona was leading the
series 2-1. Up 3-1 going into the ninth, the Diamondbacks were cruising to
another win.

First, Tino Martinez tied the game with a two-run homer in the ninth, which
pushed it to extra innings. The very next inning, Derek Jeter added another
dramatic moment to his impeccable legacy with a walk-off homerun.

Willie Mays’ Incredible Catch – 1954

If you’ve ever watched baseball in your life, you’ve undoubtedly seen the
Willy Mays catch. It was game 1 of the 1954 World Series, and the game was tied
2-2. With two runners on base, Indians slugger Vic Wertz came up to the plate.

He connected with the pitch and drove it deep to center field. Both runs were
sure to score. Willie Mays had other ideas. The legendary Hall-of-Famer tracked
the ball all the way to the warning track, where the ball dropped into his glove
while in a full sprint creating one of the most iconic baseball highlights of
all time.

Kirby Puckett’s Game-Winning Homer – 1991

Kirby Puckett’s legendary home run came in what many baseball historians
consider the greatest World Series ever played. Five of the seven games were
decided by the final at-bat. Puckett’s moment came in the 11th inning of game
six.

The score was tied 3-3, and the Twins needed to win in order to see game
seven. The slugger rose to the occasion and launched a walk-off homer to
left-center field that pushed the series to a seventh and final game. Kirby’s
Twins went on to win the series in that final matchup.

Types of Bets to Make on the World Series

Moneyline Bets

When betting on baseball, moneyline bets are the most common wager that you
will find. When betting the moneyline, the
underdog has a (+) in front of the three-digit number next to their name while
the favored team has a (-) followed by a three-digit number.

When calculating the payout for an underdog, the positive number represents
the amount of money won if you bet $100.

The favored team’s negative number represents the amount you must stake in
order to win $100.

For more in-depth information about moneyline bets, check out this article:

Run Line Bets

Run line bets are a form of point spread or handicap betting. In baseball,
the point spread is fixed at plus or minus 1.5. You can either choose to give
the underdog 1.5 runs or take 1.5 runs from the favorite. Since the spread
doesn’t change regardless of how uneven the teams are, each run line bet still
has moneyline odds as well.

For example, a team may realistically be a four-run underdog. Since you can’t
change the point spread, you can only make a heavy underdog into a
moderate-to-light underdog. In this situation, if the team is sitting at +450 on
the moneyline, taking them on the run line will move the odds to +220. Now you
will only need them to lose by less than two runs.

Run lines are particularly helpful when betting on favored teams. The odds
for a favorite may not pay out enough to be worth the bet on the moneyline, but
if you bet the run line, you will get reduced odds and a better payout.

Totals Bets

Totals bets, also known as over/unders, are one of the most popular ways
people wager on baseball games. These wagers are based on the total number of
runs that both teams score in a game combined. Often, bookmakers will set a
totals line with a half point added, which is called the hook. This guarantees
that every bet placed will fall on one side of the line or the other, with no
ties.

For example, you may see the totals value set at 4.5 for a game between the
Astros and Red Sox. If the combined runs for the game equal five or more, bets
on the “over” win. If there are four or fewer runs, the game went “under.”

You can find a more in-depth explanation for Totals Bets and the strategies
behind them here:

Futures Bets

As their name implies, futures bets are made on the outcome of some event
that will be decided in the future. For example, before the beginning of the MLB
season, odds are offered on each team’s chances to win the World Series. There
are also futures bets regarding which teams will win the AL or NL pennants and
individual awards like MVP or the Cy Young Award. Due to all of the uncertainty,
the earlier you place these wagers, the better they typically pay out.

You can find a more in-depth explanation for Futures Betting here:

Proposition Bets

Prop bets can be offered on anything. These are gambles that don’t fall into
the other categories like moneyline or futures, and often don’t involve the
outcome of the game. Instead, they will be offered on specific possibilities.
For example, a World Series prop bet from 2017 offered odds on whether or not
game seven would enter extra innings. This paid out 13/2 for “Yes” and 1/16 for
“No.”

Another good example from last season was the wager on if “Cody Bellinger
hits the first home run in the game.” This bet paid out 8/1 odds. While
proposition bets aren’t always the easiest to handicap and probably aren’t the
smartest long-term betting strategy, they do allow for more creative and
entertaining gambling.

Parlays

A parlay bet is a combination of wagers combined into a single ticket. If any
individual pick on the card losses, the entire card is lost.Conversely,
if each pick on the ticket wins, you will receive a much more substantial payout
than you would have collected had you placed each winning bet individually.

When a sports gambler feels they have accurately handicapped an upcoming
game, a standard betting strategy is to parlay both the moneyline and a totals
bet for the same game. For example, you would say you bet “the Dodgers and the
under.”

You can find more information regarding Parlay Bets by following the link
below:

Things to Consider When Betting on the World Series

Starting Pitchers

There is no more important position in all of baseball than the starting
pitcher as they are the only player that is active in every play of the game. A
starting pitcher’s performance correlates more with the outcome of the game than
any other position.

The Ballpark

Baseball is the only sport in which the dimensions of the playing surface
change from park to park. The bases and foul lines stay consistent, but
everything else varies. Parks will have different distances to the various
outfield walls, and the walls themselves can be different heights.

Some parks are more advantageous for pitchers, while others offer more
significant benefit to hitters. When handicapping a game, don’t forget to
research the effect that specific parks have on both offense and defense. Also,
determine if it’s more beneficial to left-handed or right-handed hitters. You
can then use this information to make more informed picks.

The Rules

In the World Series, a significant deciding factor in each game is which set
of rules the game is being played under. Teams design their rosters to mesh well
with their ballpark and the rules of their specific league.

Teams that are accustomed to having a DH in their lineup may struggle to
adjust to having to replace that big bat with their pitcher. A National League
team that is used to all of their player’s batting may not spend the same amount
of money and attention to filling their designated hitter role.

Travel and Circadian Rhythms

Research has proven that jet lag and cross-country travel affect athletic
performance. Circadian rhythm, our body’s natural internal clock, determines
when we want to sleep, eat and wake up. A study done at Northwestern University
discovered that these rhythms also play a part in athletic performance and that
disrupting them may have an adverse effect.

The researchers found that teams flying from west to east while crossing
multiple time zones, give up more home-runs while hitting fewer homers
themselves. Each time zone traversed requires an additional 24 hours of
adjustment before performance normalizes. Keep these facts in mind when the
World Series is returning back to the East coast from the West!

Bullpens

While MLB betting odds are frequently decided based on starting pitchers,
strong bullpens can be just as vital to a team’s success. One way to find
excellent value is by wagering on teams with average starting pitchers, but
strong bullpens. Since the odds are disproportionately based on the starter,
this presents an opportunity to fade the public and grab favorable odds.

Similarly, finding teams with a quality ace that’s starting, but who is
backed up by bullpens that blow leads for them are ideal for betting as well.
These starters will bring in lots of action, creating a prime opportunity to
fade the public.

Umpire Assignments

Knowing who will be behind home plate and what their tendencies are is vital
information that often gets overlooked by the average sports gambler. After all,
nobody impacts the outcome of a game more than the man who’s calling balls and
strikes. Research has shown that while umpires don’t have a significant effect
on which team wins or loses, they strongly influence totals betting.

The score of a given game is strongly correlated to the size of the umpire’s
strike zone. Officials with a larger strike zone will result in lower scoring
games and fewer hits, as this gives the pitcher an advantage. Umps with a
smaller strike zone force pitchers to throw balls over the plate, leading to
more contact with the ball and more runs.

Beginner’s Betting Tips

Bankroll Management and Staking

If you are planning to bet on the World Series or any other sporting event,
it is critical that you adhere to responsible bankroll management. First,
determine an amount of money that you can comfortably afford to lose and set
that amount aside as your bankroll. Next, design a staking plan and decide how
much you will be gambling per bet. Once your system is set, stay focused and
don’t deviate from it. Lastly, resist any temptations to chase your losses or
increase your betting amounts when enjoying a winning streak.

For an in-depth look at bankroll management, check out the link below:

Shop for the Best Odds

The difference between winning and losing in sports betting can be determined
by the slightest of margins. For this reason, you should always take the time to
shop for the best odds. It’s a good idea to have accounts open with several
sites so that you may grab any extra value available if the website’s odds
deviate from each other.

Carefully Choose Your “Experts”

You’ve probably noticed by now that there’s a ton of “noise” out there on the
Internet. A never-ending army of experts and handicappers are continually trying
to get you to sign up for their services and bet their picks. There’s nothing
wrong with using information from outside sources, but you should ensure they
are giving you good advice.

Keep track of the information you get from different sources, and note when
this info leads to wins or losses. Over time, you will be able to see which
experts are genuinely a help and which are leading you astray.

Data Collection and Analysis

Remember, being a successful sports gambler is all about identifying value in
the odds. Most casual bettors base their decisions on mainstream narratives and
useless talking points from the pundits on television. Instead, try to
continually collect and analyze data. Discard what helps you, and keep what
leads you to wins.

Once you get decent at predicting the outcomes of games, you can maximize the
value of all your picks. As long as you can identify a team’s realistic
probability of winning a game, betting is as simple as comparing the percentage
of likelihood you discovered to the implied probability from the odds and
betting whenever a wager holds positive value.

For an in-depth look at research and analysis, check out the link below:

Let’s Play Ball!

Baseball is a favorite sport among professional handicappers because of the
plethora of data available and the predictable nature of the game. The same way
Billy Beane used moneyball to identify underappreciated talent and market
inefficiencies, we use research and analysis to find mispriced odds and exploit
them for value. Betting on the World Series makes things even more interesting
because the rules change depending on which team is playing at home.

Gambling on the World Series takes many of the same skills other forms of
betting require. It’s always important that you find a reliable, trustworthy
site with favorable odds to wager on. It’s equally crucial that you stay
disciplined and organized with your bankroll and staking plans.

When handicapping World Series games, try to discover factors that impact the
outcome of the game. While the majority of the public merely bets on starting
pitchers or hot lineups, you should study the umpire’s tendencies, the recent
travel both teams have experienced or the strength of the bullpen.

The World Series is the longest-running major professional sports
championship in America. Each year, the best teams from the American and
National Leagues face off to determine who reigns supreme for that season.