Some Baseball Wagering Tips: by Rich Green, Editor.

Everyone has their own opinion about which sport is the easiest, and which sport is the most difficult to win money on. Some say the NFL is the toughest, and quote, "On any given Sunday." Others think the NBA is the toughest to win consistently on. But IMHO, the toughest sport to win money on is Baseball. Not because of the sport itself, but because of poor money management, most players' downfall.

Other than a brief break in July for the All-Star Break, every single day from April through September has plenty of action. Like in all sports, we recommend limiting the number of games you wager on daily. Those who have been in our Gold Key program have learned to respect the idea of wagering on one to possibly a maximum of three strong games a day. All it takes is one bad day early in your week going 2-6 or worse, then you must try to chase to get your money back, a dangerous way to gamble. And go 4-3 or 5-4, you won't really make any money.

Your Sportsbook Operator or Man plays with himself when you call in six or more plays a day, knowing he will be getting your money real quick. This doesn't mean you can't place a few "kibbitz" bets, that really won't affect your bankroll. As always we recommend only using lesser plays as parlay games from the strongest plays.

Remember that you are playing a money line in Baseball, not involving a point spread like Hoops or Football. If you lay $180 to win $100 (9 to 5 odds) on say the Yankees, you must win two out of every three games, and then you will only show a $20 profit! It takes only a few losses on games with odds like those to decimate your bankroll.

Try to stick with a team that plays well for a particular pitcher, it's amazing how some teams will give great Offensive support to one starter, but fail miserably for the others. Remember that the star starting pitcher on an average team that lacks other good starters will almost always face the Ace of a stronger team.

For instance, Mike Mussina faced the Ace of other teams regularly with the Orioles, and his team rarely provided any reasonable run support for him. But now he is just another top pitcher on a great Yankee's starting staff. Opponents cannot simply line up their Ace to face him, when other starters on his team are equal or better.

My longtime players know i always figure in "streak handicapping" in any sport. It's my belief that life and sports betting are similar in that they both can be roller coasters, top of the world one moment, then a bottomless pit the next. Look for the team that is winning consistently at good odds, and pound them. If they get hot, keep going with them until they fail to win. Then lay off of them. You only lose once.

The key is to hop on the streak before it comes to an end. Those who shoot dice regularly understand the theory of streaks, and can stand at a craps table for hours, sometimes watching the dice go from consistently winning on the "Do", to consistently winning on the "Don't". But the majority of the time the table is "choppy". Baseball wagering can be the same way. Wait for your team or situation to "streak" then keep playing on them until you lose once, then stop.

Late in the season when contending teams are playing hard for Playoff positioning, the money line can change to "Runs" when these teams face lower echelon teams. Today modern online SportsBooks offer these plays regularly. 

Beware of these plays, there are pitfalls. The favored team at Home will not bat in the bottom of the ninth if up by a run, and a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth or extra innings will beat you also if you've laid more than a run. A long drive hit will only score one run in extra innings, regardless of the number of runners on base, enough to win the ballgame, but not cover the Runs line.  We saw last year in the Playoffs a player never finish rounding the bases after hitting a home run to win the game, the run did not count.  But we do use the Runs Line Plays when deemed profitable to our betting strategy.

Our longtime players know how much we base our wagers on Defense. For that is the key to winning in any sport. And Baseball is the only major sport where the Defense holds the ball! That's why Pitching and team Defense win World Series. Also Baseball games are won more on team play than most any other sport. Again, just look at the Yankees. Yes, they have a great SS and CF, but it is their solid Defense, Pitching and team play that wins for them. They know that regardless of the situation during the game, they will prevail in the late innings with great Defense, Pitching, and clutch team hitting.

Ever notice that those teams that pay so much for one or two great Offensive Superstars rarely win it all? SS Rodriquez when he was with  the Texas Rangers with his massive contract comes to mind.  Whatever sells tickets we guess.

There are many other "tricks of the trade" to Baseball wagering. Look for more articles on this during the season. Take care and happy Baseball betting, Members!