Totals in Baseball

Good Afternoon,

One of the things I look at when handicapping is what is the total for game. The total is set by the bookmakers to determine how many runs will be scored in a game.

They look for a number that ideally would split the action so that 1/2 of the bettors are betting under and 1/2 are betting over.

Many people bet on totals because it does not matter who wins. The only goal is how many runs are scored in a game.

The reason I do not bet totals is that you usually end up paying juice/commission. I never want to bet on a game when the cards are stacked against me. I want PLUS money everytime. I do not want to put myself in a position where I have to win more than 50% of my games to break even

If you look at my record you will see that in baseball, about 60% of my bets are made on the National League, because they do not have the designated hitter like the American League. Typically you will find National League totals to be about one run lower than the American League.

Generally speaking, lower scoring games in baseball give us a slight advantage to be ahead after five innings. This is just one of many factors that need to be looked at, but it is something you want to be aware of.

Regards,

George
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