Normally, there are no spreads in baseball, as the scoring tends to be low to start with. It is not unheard of for the book to post a run line (a wager with a spread of runs), especially if the teams are very mismatched. But almost always the betting is focused on the money line numbers, “straight up.” A “total runs” number is usually posted as well. It can be wagered just like any other total. Futures bets are always available for division and league titles. College baseball is sometimes available for wagers, though not at every book.

One big, practical difference exists between baseball and the other sports formatted in this way. The main ingredient of the terms in the money line will be the pitchers named as starters. This is so important, that all bets are literally “off” if there is a change in the starting pitchers before the first pitch is thrown. The ticket will be refundable. So when the line is posted, the team name is provided with the starting pitcher’s name.

It is possible to opt for a valid bet even if the pitcher changes, but it must be specified at the time of betting. The choices are to hang onto the action even if a specified team’s pitcher changes, and/or the other team’s pitcher changes. An “action” bet keeps the bet in the system if either or both pitchers change. A “one specified pitcher” bet keeps the action alive it the other pitcher is changed. Note that with the pitcher change the terms of the action almost certainly will change as well. In such a case, the money wagered will be applied at the new terms, not the old ones. If a line moved from -170 to -160, for example, the old wager would have an extra $10 invested, but at the -160 level.