Tip One: Pitchers

First of all, don’t ever bet solely on a pitcher. While the game has some dominate pitchers, they rarely pitch the entire game. The average innings per game for a pitcher is usually between 6 and 7. The bullpen of each team comes into play often. How many times have you seen a really good pitcher go out there, pitch well and either get a no decision or lose? It happens quite often.

Think about this. Most pitchers grandpashabet will have 33-35 starts per season. A great pitcher will win 17-20 games per season. That still leaves up to 50% of his starts that he didn’t win. He may have not lost, but he at least got a no decision. You certainly want to take the pitcher into consideration, but in moderation. Imagine he has control for up to 60% of the game. What about the other 40%?

Tip Two: Losing Streaks

No matter how tempting it is, don’t ever bet on a team simply because they are on a losing streak. While all streaks end, some can go on for quite awhile. Many baseball bettors lose money each year because they chase streaks the wrong way. They also compound that error by increasing their bets with each loss.

If you are going to bet on a streak, bet with it. For example, if one team has won 5 games in a row and the other has lost 5 games in a row, take the winning team if you can’t make up your mind using other factors. Do teams win or lose 10 games in a row? You bet. How about 15? Sure do. Don’t try to rationalize a team’s losing streak. If there are other reasons to bet on the losing team that’s fine.