MLB Opening Day is finally here, and this season starts with a bang.
The New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants kick off the festivities with a primetime game at Oracle Park on Netflix.
If you’ve never bet on baseball or have tried and found it too confusing, this is the perfect article for you. Here we’ll break down the different ways bettors can wager on America’s pastime, plus how to cash in on bonus bet offers for the first games of the season.
How to bet on MLB Opening Day
There are a ton of different ways to bet on baseball, but this will cover the most common markets that bettors focus on.
Moneyline bets
Betting the moneyline is the easiest type of bet to understand because it is simply a wager on which of the two teams will win the game. Understanding the odds can be daunting for new bettors, but in reality, the concept is simple.
It’s easiest to comprehend using a fiction unit of $100. The Yankees are -123 favorites to win in their Opening Day game against the Giants, who are +101 underdogs. If you wanted bet on the Yankees, you would need to wager $123 to make a $100 profit, plus have your stake returned to you.
If you wanted to wager on the Giants, you could place a $100 wager and would profit 101 dollars, plus have your stake returned to you if they win.
Runline bets
The runline is just the point spread, but for baseball. The line is typically set at 1.5 with the odds shifting based on market movement and other factors.
For example, the Yankees are -1.5 on the runline with +149 odds for their Opening Day game against the Giants. San Francisco is +1.5 on runline with -182 odds.
A bet on the Yankees means they need to win the game by at least two runs, while a bet on the Giants means they need to the final tally to be within one run, or win the game.
Over/Under bets
An Over/Under bet, or total, is another wager that is simple to understand even for newbies. This is a bet on the total combined runs that will be scored in the game, with odds on either side of the Over or Under.
The Yankees-Giants game has a total of 7, with the odds on the Over listed at -105 and the odds on the Under listed at -115. In this case, if the game finished with exactly 7 runs, the bets would push, and bettors would have their stakes returned.
Player Prop bets
Player props are increasingly popular in baseball, and there are a myriad of props to wager on these days. Sportsbooks list props for everything from home runs and walks for hitters to strikeouts and Earned Runs for pitchers.
The format is similar to game Over/Unders: the book sets a line, in this case, we’ll use Aaron Judge’s hits at 1.5, and applies odds to both sides of that line. Judge is -242 to have Under 1.5 hits and +179 to have Over 1.5 hits against the Giants.
Futures bets
Futures bets are more difficult to hit on because you are wagering on the outcome of something far down the line, but these bets offer bigger payouts compared to the typical odds on individual games. Examples of a futures bet include, but aren’t limited to, World Series odds, total wins for a team, division winner, league winner, and awards.
A note on the last one, though, some states don’t allow betting on subjective markets like awards. Currently, New York and Virginia prohibit those types of bets, so no betting on AL or NL MVP if you live in the Empire State or the Commonwealth.
World Series Odds
| Teams | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +230 |
| New York Yankees | 10/1 |
| Seattle Mariners | 12/1 |
| New York Mets | 13/1 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 15/1 |
| Boston Red Sox | 16/1 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 16/1 |
| Chicago Cubs | 18/1 |
| Atlanta Braves | 18/1 |
| Detroit Tigers | 20/1 |
| All others | 22/1 or longer |
Best sportsbook promos to use for MLB Opening Day
Now that you know how to bet on baseball, here are all the places you can make your wagers and get a welcome bonus when you sign up.
Kalshi also lets users make peer-to-peer trades for MLB games. You can get $10 free with your first $10 trade on Kalshi during the tournament.
What to bet on for MLB Opening Day
Wednesday, March 25
- Yankees vs. Giants (8 p.m. ET, Netflix)
Thursday, March 26
- Pirates vs. Mets (1:15 p.m. ET, NBC)
- White Sox vs. Brewers (2:10 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Nationals vs. Cubs (2:20 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Twins vs. Orioles (3:05 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Red Sox vs. Reds (4:10 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Angles vs. Astros (4:10 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Tigers vs. Padres (4:10 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Rangers vs. Phillies (4:15 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Rays vs. Cardinals (4:15 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
- Guardians vs. Mariners (10:10 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
Friday, March 27
- Yankees vs. Giants (4:35 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Athletics vs. Blue Jays (7:07 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Rockies vs. Marlins (7:10 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Royals vs. Braves (4:15 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Angels vs. Astros (8:10 p.m. ET, Apple TV)
- Guardians vs. Mariners (9:40 p.m. ET, Apple TV)
- Tigers vs. Padres (9:40 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
- Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers (10:10 p.m. ET, MLB TV)
*National broadcasts in bold
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.