Internet Bet

With the March Madness betting winding down, and the MLB regular season right around the corner, now is the time for baseball fans to get in on the action and place their bets for who they think will win the 2012 World Series. The odds have been available for quite some time now, but with a full spring training to assess where teams are at and what their opening day rosters will look like, the time is now to proceed. The Philadelphia Phillies are the top-ranked team heading in to this year according to the odds at 11/2 to win it all, but as was the case when they were the National League favorites a year ago, they may not have the weapons to make that projected run.

Despite boasting one of the best pitching staffs in the history of baseball, a lack of offense held the Phillies back from reaching the World Series a year ago, as the St. Louis Cardinals got through with their more complete offense. After losing Albert Pujols to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the offseason, the Cardinals are listed at just 25/1 to win it all, and aren’t really worth much of a look to repeat anyway. When picking a team to win the world series, always make sure to consider both the pitching and hitting of a team, without putting too much stock in to either aspect. The teams that usually come through have solid pitching, but even better offensive numbers, much like the Cardinals this past season. Taking the time to do a little shopping for the best sports betting odds could be worth it, but just make sure you stick to the teams that have all bases covered both in terms of hitting and pitching.

Although the March Madness betting will undoubtedly take some attention away from the 2012 MLB spring training, there is still a lot of money to be put on the early baseball action. While it may not be the most exciting way to win money, MLB spring training provides a ton of opportunities for players to take advantage of key matchups and make a solid profit. Playing spring training is completely different than playing the regular season games, but there are some important things to remember in order to simplify the game.

As is the case with any sports betting angle, always take the time to find value. Different sportsbooks will have different numbers depending on the action they bring in, so make sure you know where the most money can be made. The most important factor in breaking down an MLB spring training game is to figure out early on who is playing and who isn’t for every team, as veteran stars give up more looks to young players eager to make an impression and earn a roster spot. Starting pitchers don’t matter nearly as much as they will likely only pitch about 2-3 innings, but don’t undervalue them either as they could come in and pitch three shutout innings to put their team in a good position early on. The teams that win spring training games are usually the ones with the most to prove, so try and handicap motivation as a crucial factor when breaking down a matchup.

Anybody who has ever watched a college basketball game understands how big of a factor momentum can be in a game. That said, the team that has the momentum on their side is usually the team that can knock down the crucial three-point shot, or get that timely rebound underneath for a second-chance opportunity and put some points on the board. One thing to note ahead of the March Madness betting tournament is the strong correlation between offensive success and results against the spread, and the categories that mean the most when it comes down to putting up numbers in clutch situations.

Beyond the obvious points per game totals, there are a bunch of stats to pay attention to when approaching any sports betting matchup. Field goal percentage and free throw percentage are two of the most overlooked of the important categories, because often players only pay attention to the number of points a team puts up rather than how they managed to put those numbers up. So often in college ball games come down to missed free throws and terrible shooting numbers, so always make sure to look over how a team has performed before playing them on the Betonline spread. A team can make up a ton of ground or build a big lead if they are able to hit the three-point shot with any consistency, while rebounding is another key as players crash down low on the boards and fight for second chance opportunities. The ability to get those rebounds and drain those big three’s is crucial to covering the number, and among the key stats to always keep an eye on.