{"id":382173,"date":"2025-02-17T15:36:26","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T15:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/?post_type=definition&p=382173"},"modified":"2025-02-17T15:36:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T15:36:26","slug":"run-line-betting","status":"publish","type":"definition","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/run-line-betting","title":{"rendered":"Run Line Betting"},"content":{"rendered":"

When wagering on baseball games, there are three major bet types: moneyline, total, and run line betting. The run line is the same as a point spread in sports like the NFL and the NBA. There are, however, some differences in how the run line generally works compared to what you will see in other popular American sports, and we will delve into the details here.<\/p>\n

How Does Run Line Betting Work?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Baseball’s equivalent of the point spread is the run line. When placing a wager on the run line, in most cases, the favorite is favored by -1.5 runs against the underdog, who will be listed at +1.5 runs.<\/p>\n

If you bet on the favorite, your team must win a single game by two runs or more. On the other hand, if you bet on the underdog at +1.5, your side can win or lose by one run, and your ticket will still be paid out<\/p>\n

\"Runline<\/p>\n

Betting on the run line enables the equalization of uneven matchups in the MLB. This way, you can bet on a clear underdog and still have a decent chance of winning based on the run line, which serves as a handicap.<\/p>\n

Next, we will look at real-world examples to help you better understand how run line betting odds look in practice.<\/p>\n

Run Line Betting Example<\/span><\/h2>\n

Let’s take a look at an example of a run line bet to give you a better understanding of how to go about placing an MLB run line wager.<\/p>\n

In the below example, we have the Arizona Diamondbacks favored by +1.5 against the Texas Rangers, who are listed at -1.5.<\/p>\n

\"Runline<\/p>\n

The primary way of looking at this is that if place runline bets on the Diamondbacks, they must win by at least two runs for you to cash your bet. If you wager on the Rangers, they can lose by one, and you still cash your wager. Yet, you may note that MLB run lines are almost always set at 1.5 (except for alternate run lines, which we will discuss later).<\/p>\n

Due to this, you will note that there are wildly differing odds to further even the action. In this case, the Rangers pay out +128 on the run line, meaning a $100 winning bet garners you $128 in winnings. On the other hand, a winning Diamondbacks wager will take a $148 bet to win $100 at -148.<\/p>\n

What To Consider Before Run Line Betting<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before betting on the run line, here are some key considerations to make:<\/p>\n