Why Gambling on Baseball Is Challenging for New Gamblers

As the strangest regular season of baseball comes to an end, sports gamblers can eagerly await the MLB playoffs. Betting on baseball can be one of the most profitable yet challenging sports betting forms, especially for inexperienced gamblers. While baseball ratings aren’t at their highest, especially now that football is back, there’s nothing quite like baseball in October.

If you’re thinking about placing a few bets this postseason, know that it’s hard to win money on America’s pastime. Beginners often struggle with gambling on the sport due to several factors. But a rocky start doesn’t mean you should abandon the sport altogether. Here are seven reasons why betting on baseball is a challenge for new sports gamblers.

1 ‒ Information Overload

New gamblers typically fall into one of two categories. The first category is those who fail to properly analyze a bet and end up losing money immediately. The second is the gambler who does too much research, listens to too many pundits, and overthinks a bet. Both types usually end up losing money, but it’s typically better to be overprepared than the alternative.

When gamblers open up whichever resources they consult, there’s a good chance they’ll fail to locate the best information to help select bets. There’s not one professional handicapper or talking head to focus on, and no one is correct 100% of the time.

I recommend gamblers consult multiple sources and form a composite opinion about certain odds and lines.

Nowadays, it seems like every sports network is getting into real money sports gambling. Just because everyone is getting into the action doesn’t mean their gambling takes are worth listening to. New gamblers can often fail to figure out which sources to consult. It would help if you found a network of references that you can rely on for the best information possible.

2 ‒ There Are More Games Than Any Other League

Any given night during the regular season, there are usually more than a dozen baseball games. This might entice you because more potential action can mean more profit. Just because there are more opportunities to bet doesn’t mean that there’s more money to be made.

Compared to football, which only has a maximum of 16 betting opportunities each week, baseball can have more than 100 weekly matchups. New sports bettors must focus their attention on a couple of lines a night to get off to a good start. That’s hard to do when there are dozens of potential bets each night.

Speaking from experience, I know how easy it is to turn two or three bets into 10 or 12. That’s particularly true for the 2020 season, which has featured several double-headers as a fallout of delays. When there is a surplus of potential bets on the table, it’s tough to focus on a handful of bets. But to win money, gamblers have to be consistent. Unfortunately, consistency is a concept new gamblers struggle with.

3 ‒ Winning Requires Diligence

Unlike other sports, winning bets on baseball requires consistent attentiveness. There are specific methods sports gamblers can adopt to aid in the process, but new gamblers don’t just happen across these methods. In the sports gambling world, these methods are known as betting systems. Ask any savvy baseball bettor about their preferred system, and they’ll talk your ear off.

These systems are subjective and vary between gamblers. No one system is better than others; if one was foolproof, sportsbooks would be out of business. Most gamblers establish their systems of choice over time through trial and error. Losing is a part of the business, and the best lessons are learned by losing.

However, new sports gamblers tend to abandon progress after a few losses. Instead of laboring through tough times and learning from mistakes, it’s easier to try their luck at a different pursuit. If you’re serious about betting on baseball, it’s going to require you to create a system that works for you and your bankroll.

4 ‒ Baseball Is Random

Outside of March Madness, the MLB postseason is arguably the most unpredictable event in sports. That unpredictability extends to the regular season as well. A team’s ace can take the mound any given night and only go an inning or two before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Other nights, a relatively unknown pitching prospect can go off and shut down the league’s highest-powered offense.

Coming into a season, experts typically know how the dominos will fall during the regular season. The sheer amount of statistical analysis allows us to make an informed hypothesis about which teams will make the postseason.

However, 162 games still need to be played to get to that point. While prior predictions might be correct come October, the road is usually winding and unpredictable.

New gamblers struggle to keep their betting amounts consistent. Often, they come across a line that has too much juice to pass up. You can probably infer the rest of the story. The young gambler unloads half of their bankroll on a bet, the bet loses, and their bankroll is decimated. Baseball is too random to take anything for granted. Even if you’re convinced a bet will win, there’s a good chance you’re mistaken.

5 ‒ Beginners Bet With the Public

Don’t worry, this isn’t the part where I advise you to fade the public. As I mentioned earlier, sports fans and gamblers are prone to buying into hot takes and predictions they hear on the radio or see on TV. The media favors certain teams because they produce higher ratings. When they’re offering these takes you hear, there can be an ulterior motive.

Those segments on popular shows can sway casual fans and gamblers to bet on one side. More often than not, that side is usually one of the more marketable and well-known teams. I have no issue with betting on baseball teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, or Red Sox. But sometimes, betting on the less popular teams provides more value.

6 ‒ They Stretch Themselves Too Thin

One of the best parts of sports betting is tracking the results of your matchups. So, it stands to reason that the more results there are to follow, the more enjoyment you’ll achieve. That logic isn’t necessarily wrong, but it is unsustainable.

As I mentioned earlier, baseball provides more gambling opportunities than any other league in the United States. If a gambler who considers themselves a football gambler before anything else experiences a lull during the week, they might turn to baseball. The problem is that once new gamblers start placing bets, it’s hard to reign it in.

Handling your money like a professional is something that a lot of new gamblers struggle with. Gambling is, at its core, entertaining. It can also be addicting. When some gamblers achieve their first victory, the feeling of satisfaction can be overwhelming. It can easily lead to them chasing that feeling until their bankroll is gone.

7 ‒ Focusing on the Wrong Stats

Casual baseball fans are conditioned to focus on the wrong statistics. A pitcher’s win-loss record isn’t the golden standard of baseball statistics. Similarly, home run numbers aren’t nearly as telling as other stats.

Baseball teams have pivoted to scrupulous statistical analysis to make better decisions about the game itself. Instead of focusing on outdated stats, front offices are more innovative. But for some reason, newer, more casual gamblers gravitate towards irrelevant statistics.

I could devote an entire post to which statistics gamblers should focus on. But to keep it simple: instead of wins and losses, look at ERA. Instead of home runs, look at OPS. I understand the tendency to focus on the popular stats and bet it’s a new baseball age. Use all the advanced statistical analysis to your advantage, because oddsmakers certainly are.

Conclusion

Winning money by betting on baseball can be an uphill climb. It’s nearly impossible to luck into consistent wins betting on America’s pastime. Inexperienced gamblers can struggle mightily after they first start betting, leading to an early exit. Despite popular belief, there is a way to win money on baseball, even for fresh sports bettors.

Like most sports, there is a ton of information about baseball to consume. As sports gambling continues to grow in popularity, television networks are turning their attention to the industry. However, it’s easy to experience an overload of information that can adversely affect future bets. There are also more chances to bet on baseball than any other sport, and newer gamblers often stretch their bankroll too thin.

Lastly, even the best baseball bettors can’t account for the randomness of the game. Even if you think your pick is a lock, there’s always a chance something can go awry and turn an easy win into a loss.