Here are five ways to utilize the runline in baseball.
The big favorite -1.5 runs
Whether you’re betting an ace like Doc Halladay or King Felix, or wagering on the Yankees against the Royals, prices can be very steep. Betting the -1.5 runline can cut your risk in half. On April 7 Halladay was -200 at home to the Mets and Jon Niese, but the runline was -1.5 even money. The Phils won 11-0.
The runline improves your odds by about $50 for road favorites and $100 for home favorites. You’ll get better prices on the runline for home teams since they effectively lose an inning of at bats if they are winning. Also, if the game goes to extra innings you can only win the runline on a multi-run walk-off home run.
The big favorite -2.5 runs
If you’re expecting a shutout from your pitcher or an offensive explosion from your team then winning by three or more runs is not an unreasonable expectation. You can improve your odds by another $75 if you choose to lay 2.5 runs.
Turn the favorite into plus money
Some bettors like to play all underdogs and the runline can turn a favorite into plus money. Maybe you thought home cooking was what the Red Sox needed to earn their first victory but you didn’t want to lay -140 with Lackey against the Yankees. The Sox won 9-6 and the runline paid 140 for 100.
The alternate runline
If you really like the underdog then take the alternate runline (-1.5) and improve your odds even more. Perhaps you really liked the Nats chances against the knuckleballer Dickey in the Mets home opener but weren’t impressed with the +120 comeback. The alternate runline paid +220 in the Nats 6-2 victory.
The big underdog +1.5 runs
This is the opposite of the first runline betting scenario. Maybe you thought Brett Myers and the Astros were undervalued at +220 against Halladay in the Phillies home opener but your gut told you not to trust the Astros. The +1.5 runline still paid out +105 and cashed the ticket even though the Astros bullpen blew the game and the Phillies won 5-4 in their last at bat.
Losing by half a run can be frustrating but betting the runline can increase the bettor’s bottom line in the long term. Explore all the options and make baseball betting as profitable and as interesting as it can be.
