How to bet on the World Series?

How to bet on the World Series

A grueling, 162-game regular season and a tense, captivating postseason lead to the World Series. Major League Baseball might feel the need to make changes to attract new fans, but the MLB playoffs always deliver sporting drama of the highest quality.

With World Series betting markets going live almost immediately after the previous Fall Classic ends, bettors spend all 12 months of the year considering their futures wagers. Odds are constantly on the move, giving us opportunities to land some sizeable returns if you back a team at the right time.

Once the World Series finally begins in late October, bettors have a whole regular season and several rounds of postseason play to inform their betting decisions. Playoff baseball is always full of surprises, though, so bettors need to put a lot of consideration into their preferred markets and World Series strategy.

⚾World Series Prop Bets
🎉Name the Finalists
🔍World Series vs Regular Season
💡Strategies
✨Our Tips

World Series Prop Bets

World Series winner bets are the most popular among baseball fans. Bettors are not limited to picking the team that will eventually lift the Commissioner’s Trophy, however. The best MLB sportsbooks offer a diverse range of World Series props, including the location of the eventual champion, which teams will make the Fall Classic, and who will join the exclusive club of players to hold aloft the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award.

World Series MVP winner

FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and the other big-name North American sportsbooks usually push their World Series MVP market live towards the end of the regular season.

Bettors can dive into this market once most of the playoff teams are confirmed. Naturally, the favorites tend to come from the teams with the shortest odds to win the World Series. Remember, though, that plenty of non-stars have won World Series MVP over the years – there’s often some longshot value to be found.

Baseball betting with FanDuel

League of winning team

As it sounds, this prop is a wager on whether the eventual World Series winner will come from the American League or National League.

American League teams have won more World Series overall, but it’s a pretty even split in the 21st century.

Division of World Series winner

Think you can pick the division of the World Series winner? This could be the market for you.

Choose from the West, Central, and East in the American and National Leagues. With six divisions to choose from, there can be some interesting odds in this market.

If a division has two or three teams you’re high on, this can be a good way to hedge your bets.

State of World Series winner

Unlike the previous two markets, this focuses on geography rather than the MLB structure. States with multiple teams are available, or you can opt to bet on “any other state”.

For example, you might fancy a Californian team to win the World Series. This would pay out if the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, or Oakland Athletics won the Fall Classic.

It’s a controversial option in New York, as it would be a way of backing the Yankees or Mets to go all the way.

Name the Finalists

This market can be presented in different ways. It’s most often called “Name the Finalists” but can also be “Name the World Series Teams” or other variants. Whatever term is used, it’s clear what this means.

You have to pick the two teams to make the World Series. There are some lengthy odds available in this market, though you are obviously battling against a lot of variables.

Notably, even if you pick the favorite in each league in the offseason, you are likely to get odds of +1000 or longer.

World Series vs Regular Season Differences

Quantity is the key difference between the regular season and the World Series. A 162-game regular season gives teams and players the time to go through slumps, to overcome injuries, and for the best teams to come out on top. It’s the ultimate large-sample-size in sport, giving teams the chance to make the playoffs even with a couple of terrible months mixed in.

The World Series is, at most, seven games. The natural randomness of baseball means the best team in that season doesn’t necessarily win the World Series. In 2023, two wild-card teams met in the Fall Classic, with 100-win teams falling a couple of rounds earlier.

There is inherent randomness in the postseason and World Series. Where hitters often have cold patches in the regular year, these can be series-losing in the Fall Classic.

A poor start from an ace will be shrugged off from April to September, but it can be career-defining in the depths of October or early November.

A relief pitcher having a string of poor outings might see them given extra rest in the regular season. In the World Series, it is likely to put a major dent in their team’s chances.

World Series Betting Strategies

Commit time to hone your World Series betting strategy. There’s a massive amount to consider when making World Series bets, ranging from live wagers once the Fall Classic is underway to early futures bets.

Offseason opportunities

Offseason moves are a key factor when looking at the opening World Series odds. Do the New York Yankees have key players hitting free agency? Have the Philadelphia Phillies been looking to cut payroll? Is there a top prospect set to alter the balance of power in the National League?

Betting early can be a great way to gain an advantage. Prices move considerably throughout the winter, with rumors having an outsized impact on teams’ odds. Once the season begins, you can capitalize on a team having a poor start -- if you expect them to turn it around – by backing them for the Fall Classic when their record is poor.

Key Injuries

Always keep up to date with injury news across the majors, too. This can give you an edge.

For example, if a star player is missing for the Chicago Cubs when they are cruising at the top of their division, it might give their divisional foes a route to the playoffs.
Alternatively, the injury could see the Cubs’ odds lengthen, unlocking some value if that player is due to return before the postseason.

Playoff trends

Postseason baseball is notoriously unpredictable. Don’t get sucked in by the regular-season juggernauts.

Research trends across recent World Series-winning teams – a strong front three of a rotation is a good place to start, and a deep, varied bullpen is always helpful.

Embrace the randomness of October games by finding angles away from the black-and-white analysis of regular-season records. Look into head-to-head matchups before playoff series and check the postseason track records of the key players.

Our World Series Betting Tips

Survey the top sportsbooks to bet on baseball. Find the right betting platform for you by researching the promotions and experimenting with different apps. It’s important you decide on the factors that matter most to you before settling on your preferred sportsbook.

Once you have registered, it’s a question of depositing funds and placing your wager(s). We would always recommend comparing odds before committing to a bet, as there will often be different prices available at the major sportsbooks.

For instance, it’s much better to get the San Francisco Giants at +800 to win the World Series than to take a +650 price because you didn’t shop around.

While you might discover you have a favored place to analyze odds, we would recommend registering with multiple sportsbooks. This makes different markets and the best prices accessible.