Sports betting has become a massive industry – with baseball and soccer being two of the most popular sports for bettors worldwide. There are some people who say betting on sports is pretty much the same, no matter what sports you’re betting on. However, while there are obviously some of the same fundamentals, this really isn’t true. Each sport is different – and comes with its own different quirks, which means that you can’t use the same approach with one sport that you would with another.
And the same is true of baseball and soccer. If you’re someone who heads to Boylesports for their soccer betting markets, for example, and you’re thinking of giving baseball betting a go, you need to consider certain things first. While both sports involve betting on the outcome of games, the betting structures, odds formats, and strategies can be hugely different. Understanding these differences can help you make better-informed decisions and give you a better chance of success.
So, with that being said, here we’re going to look at the main differences between baseball and soccer betting.
Betting Market Structure
One of the main differences is the structure of their betting markets.
Baseball Betting Markets
- Moneyline Betting: In baseball, the most common bet is the moneyline bet, where you need to pick the winner of the game. In this sport, there are no ties, so every bet is either a win or a loss.
- Run Line Betting: This is similar to a point spread in other sports – and is usually set at -1.5 runs for the favourite and +1.5 runs for the underdog. If you bet on the favourite, they’ll need to win by at least two runs for your bet to pay out.
- Over/Under (Total Runs): You can bet on whether you think the total combined runs scored by both teams will be over or under a certain number.
- Prop Bets: These are basically wagers on individual player performances, such as the number of strikeouts a pitcher gets or the total number of home runs hit in a game.
Soccer Betting Markets
- Three-Way Moneyline: Unlike baseball, soccer games can end in a draw, which means that moneyline bets are a three-way market (home win, draw, away win) which makes it slightly more complex.
- Asian Handicap: To take away the possibility of a draw, there are Asian handicaps which give one of the teams a goal advantage or disadvantage.
- Over/Under: Similar to baseball, you can bet on whether the total number of goals scored in a game will be over or under a certain number – normally 2.5.
- Both Teams to Score (BTTS): You can simply bet on whether or not you think both teams will score at least once in the match.
- Prop Bets: There are all sorts of prop bets, including the first goal scorer, number of corners, red/yellow cards issued, penalties and more.
Scoring Systems on Betting
The way scoring works in baseball and soccer can also have a big impact on your betting strategy.
Baseball Scoring
- Unlike soccer, baseball is a high-scoring game – and most teams will score lots of runs per game.
- Because runs come from a series of individual plays, the outcomes can be a lot less predictable than in those sports that have continuous scoring.
- The run line (-1.5 or +1.5) is usually the standard spread, but a blowout win isn’t that uncommon.
Soccer Scoring
- Then there’s soccer – a pretty low-scoring sport, where most matches end around 1-0, 2-1, or even 0-0.
- Because goals are a lot more rare, the three-way moneyline market is a lot more unpredictable – and draws are pretty common.
- Bettors tend to rely on the strength of a team’s defence or attack when trying to predict an outcome.
Live Betting Differences
Because of the flow of the games, live betting can also be a lot different.
Live Betting in Baseball
- Baseball has natural stoppages between innings and at-bats, so bettors have more time to analyse what’s happening and place bets.
- Pitching changes, batting order, and defensive shifts can all affect your in-play betting strategy.
- Some of the most common live bets are predicting the outcome of an inning or how the next batter will perform.
Live Betting in Soccer
- Soccer is continuous – and the odds are changing with every kick of the ball.
- You need to make even quicker decisions, especially if a team looks all set to score.
- The most common goals include the next goal scorer, total goals, and when the next goal will be scored.
So, if you’re a soccer bettor thinking about getting involved in baseball betting (or vice versa), then as long as you understand the differences, you should be good to go.
