World Series Winner: Another popular bet to place is on the winner of the entire series. This type of bet will have better payouts than wagering on a single game, but it’s obviously a bit more difficult since your team needs to win the entire series and not just a single game. In a single game, one pitcher can easily be the difference, but. How to Bet on the World Series. The World Series is the pinnacle of the baseball season, and there are plenty of bets to be made surrounding it. A bettor can always make a bet on each individual game of the World Series, but there are other ways to make some money as well. Let’s take a look at a few of the types of bets available.

• Latest World Series Odds
• How To Bet On World Series
• World Series Odds Now
• How To Bet On The World Series
• How Much Money Is Bet On World Series

As the calendar turns to fall, betting on the MLB regular season winds down. Meanwhile, the intensity on the diamond is about to be turned up several notches. The MLB Playoffs get underway right after the season is in the books, culminating in the World Series.

The evolving legal sports betting environment only adds to the excitement and anticipation. Folks in a number of states, including right here in Colorado, can legally and safely bet on the World Series and sweat the action right along with the players on the field.

We’re going to walk through how you can do so in full detail. Read on as we discuss everything you need to know about betting on the World Series and the latest odds and lines at Colorado sportsbooks.

World Series odds at Colorado sportsbooks

How to bet on the World Series

Throughout the MLB season, there are a number of different ways to get in on the action and place your MLB wagers. The same holds true for the World Series. Here are the top options you’ll have at your disposal.

• Futures: The futures market is always going with opportunities, including picking the winner of the next edition of the World Series.
• Series: When the Fall Classic rolls around, you’ll be able to place your bets on the winner of the series.
• Games: You can drill down even further into the individual games by betting on the moneyline, run line, or totals.

Futures bets are a great way to get involved at any time. We’ll cover what you need to know there in a bit.

For the series itself, let’s consider a hypothetical matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Once the matchup is finalized, sportsbooks will release odds on the outright winner of the series which may look something like this.

• Los Angeles Dodgers -130
• New York Yankees +120

As the oddsmakers see it, the Dodgers are slight favorites to win the series. For your reference, a winning $100 bet on that side would return a total of $176.90. If you bet $100 on the Yankees and they go on to win, the total return would be $220.

When it comes time to bet on the individual games, you’ll have a number of different options to consider. Let’s begin by looking at the moneyline.

• Los Angeles Dodgers -140
• New York Yankees +120

For this game, the Dodgers are once again favored, which you can tell by noting the negative odds next to their name. As the positive odds for the Yankees indicate, they’re the underdog for this matchup. Moneyline is a simple bet in which you merely have to choose the winner.

Next, there’s a run line in MLB betting which is similar to the point spread used for other sports. The run line is generally the same for all games and set at 1.5.

• Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-110)
• New York Yankees +1.5 (-110)

If you place a bet on the Dodgers with the run line, that means they would have to win the game by a margin greater than 1.5 runs to cover. For the Yankees, a bet on that side means they have to keep the final score closer than that or win the game outright to cover.

Totals betting is also quite popular for MLB. For these wagers, oddsmakers set a benchmark of an estimated total runs scored in the game. Bettors then get to choose if they think the total runs will be Over or Under that amount.

• Over 8.5 (-110)
• Under 8.5 (-110)

You’ll see lots of MLB totals set between 7.5 and 9 runs. Games that fall lower than that can be viewed as potential pitching duels, while those with totals higher than that range could be high-scoring affairs.

Beyond these three main bet types for the individual games, there will also be numerous prop betting opportunities, which are essentially side wagers on things that might happen during the game.

Live betting opens up even more possibilities. These are bets that you’ll be able to place after the action has already started. It’s a fast-paced market which opens the door to even more opportunities.

What are World Series futures?

We mentioned the futures market earlier, and now it’s time to take a closer look. Futures are wagers you can place on something that has yet to happen.

For MLB purposes, that means things such as team regular season win totals, players that’ll win individual player awards, league and division winners, playoff teams, and the winner of the next World Series.

MLB futures odds are released in advance of the season. Using the World Series as an example, each of the MLB teams will be listed in descending order with their corresponding odds, such as:

• Los Angeles Dodgers +350
• New York Yankees +400
• Houston Astros +750
• Atlanta Braves +1400
• Minnesota Twins +1600

And so on for each team. Some futures bettors like to take a long-term view and place their wagers in advance of the season. Others will keep an eye on the market and take a more active approach as appealing opportunities pop up.

As you can see in our example of World Series futures odds, there’s a potential for nice returns if you manage to pick the right team. For example, a $100 winning bet on the Astros at odds of +750 would return a total of $850.

World Series betting odds

At virtually any point during the season – and even in advance of it – we can take a peek at the odds for the winner of the next World Series. The futures market will list out all teams in contention, from favorites all the way down to longshots.

Once the playoffs begin, the field is cut down dramatically. You’ll only see odds listed for the teams that actually qualified for the MLB postseason.

When the matchup for the World Series becomes official, you’ll then see odds for the outright winner of the series. As the individual games approach, you’ll see all of the lines for single-game betting.

MLB odds and line moves

Sports betting odds for the winner of the World Series don’t stay stagnant. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see substantial movement after the initial release.

Once sportsbooks release the odds, the betting public has its chance to weigh in. Depending on the amount of action that comes in, there could be some movement.

Let’s consider the fictitious odds for a trio of favorites which look something like this.

• Los Angeles Dodgers +400
• New York Yankees +450
• Houston Astros +700

As the action begins to come in, sportsbooks take in a good amount of money on both the Dodgers and Yankees. However, not much interest has been shown on the Astros. Oddsmakers respond by adjusting the board a bit.

• Los Angeles Dodgers +350
• New York Yankees +400
• Houston Astros +750

In a nutshell, oddsmakers try to limit liability as best as they can while attempting to even out the action. To help make that happen, they can make sides that are seeing more bets less attractive, while doing the opposite on sides they want to see more money come in on.

Additionally, there can be adjustments in the futures market based on how teams perform. For example, if the Astros hit a tough stretch and drop nine games in a row, they may not see as much action. On the other hand, if the Yankees go on a run and win 12 out of 14, they could see even more bets head in that direction.

Once the MLB Playoffs get underway, it’s possible to see a good amount of line movement on teams in the field based on things such as untimely injuries or potential matchups for the next round.

How do the MLB Playoffs work?

Many moons ago, the MLB postseason format was really simple. The winners of the American and National League met in the World Series, and that was it.

That changed in 1969 with the advent of the League Championship Series. The winners of the two divisions in each league met in the LCS, and the victors in those series advanced to play in the World Series.

That format stayed in place until the 1990s. Expansion led to the need for three divisions in each league, and a Wild Card was also added to the postseason mix. Fast forward to 2012, and a second Wild Card team was added in each league.

There has been talk of further tweaking the format moving forward and expanding to 14 playoff teams, but the current incarnation remains in place for the time being. Here’s how it works.

A total of 10 teams qualify for the MLB Playoffs. That’s five from each league – three division winners and two Wild Card teams.

The Wild Card squads on both sides face off in an elimination game with the winner advancing to the next round, which is known as the Division Series.

That round of the playoffs is contested under best-of-five rules, which means that the first team to win three games in the set advances. The victors move on to the LCS for a best-of-seven series.

The first squad to win four games in the AL and NL advance to the World Series, which is also contested under a best-of-seven format.

The MLB postseason has evolved dramatically over the past few decades, and betting interest has increased right along with it. The entire postseason – and especially the World Series – is one of the biggest highlights of the year for bettors and fans alike.

Biggest underdogs to win the World Series

If you make it to the World Series, then you’ve obviously done a lot of things right. However, there are plenty of times when the Fall Classic hasn’t adhered to the script. Here are some of the biggest and most memorable upsets in World Series history.

• 2019: Washington Nationals over Houston Astros – The Nationals put together a run for the ages during the 2019 postseason, but it was expected that the clock would strike 12 when they squared off with the Astros. That proved not to be the case as Washington sealed the deal with a Game 7 victory to earn the franchise’s first World Series crown.
• 2003: Florida Marlins over New York Yankees – The powerhouse Yankees of the early 2000’s were expected to make really easy work of the Marlins. After stunning New York in Game 1, Florida dropped the next two before roaring back to win three in a row. For an exclamation point, the series clinching win in Game 6 came by a score of 2-0.
• 1990: Cincinnati Reds over Oakland Athletics – For context, this Athletics team was loaded with talent, including then-young sluggers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. What was supposed to be a coronation for Oakland turned into a humiliation, as Cincinnati stunned the baseball world by sweeping the series in four games.
• 1969: New York Mets over Baltimore Orioles – From the time of their debut in 1962, the Mets were rather hapless. That changed in big league fashion in 1969. A loaded pitching staff led the way, but Tom Seaver and company were expected to bow down to the favored Orioles. The so-called Amazin’ Mets had other ideas, taking the series in six games.
• 1954: New York Giants over Cleveland Indians – The Indians roared through the regular season while racking up 111 wins. The lineup and pitching staff were stacked, so the ‘54 series appeared to be theirs. And then it wasn’t. Willie Mays was among those who led the way for a stunning 4-0 sweep and series win for the Giants.

Colorado Rockies – The path to the World Series

The Colorado Rockies joined MLB as an expansion team in 1993. The franchise quickly gained notoriety as home games in the thin air of Denver became conducive to high-scoring contests.

The Rockies are members of the National League West Division. As with all MLB teams, the club has gone through its share of ups and downs along the way.

Here’s a look at the years which wound up with a trip to the postseason.

• 1995: The upstart Rockies made it to the playoffs as a Wild Card, losing to the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series.
• 2007: Another Wild Card berth for the Rockies. The club advanced to the World Series before falling to the Boston Red Sox.
• 2009: The Wild Card Rockies squared off with the Philadelphia Phillies in the divisional round, losing in four games.
• 2017: It was one and done for the Rockies as the team lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card game by a score of 11-8.
• 2018: The Rockies upset the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card game but met their match next round as they were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Larry Walker, winner of the 1997 National League Most Valuable Player award, is the lone Rockies player enshrined in the MLB Hall of Fame. Other notable players include Todd Helton, whose number 17 has been retired by the club.

All-time World Series champions

The Rockies have only made it to one World Series thus far, losing to the Boston Red Sox in 2007. Here’s how each MLB team has fared in the Fall Classic.

Latest World Series Odds

World Series betting tips

When it comes to betting on World Series futures, it’s a matter of attempting to project out the season as a whole. Do you like one of the favorites to take it down? How about one of the longshots? Is a sleeper the way to go or should you stick to a safer pick?

For the World Series itself, normal handicapping rules apply. You’ll want to break down the matchup in full detail, consider what the odds board has to say, and look at numerous ancillary factors. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while doing so.

How To Bet On World Series

• Current Team Momentum: To make it to the postseason, teams have obviously played at a high level for the season as a whole. However, some teams just get hot when the games matter the most while others tail off. Make sure you have a good sense of which direction each team is trending in.
• Starting Pitching and Bullpen: The pitching matchup is always at the top of the list for handicapping MLB games, but it’s worth an extra mention here. A substantial pitching edge can make a world of difference in a series, as well as for each of the individual games. Be sure to weigh this metric accordingly.
• Postseason Track Record: In the same fashion that teams get hot or cold, there are clubs that step up when the pressure is highest while others do not. While each season is a different story, consider the overall track record of the teams involved, especially if it’s a situation involving clubs that have regularly made the playoffs in recent years.

The 2020 MLB season wrapped up on Oct. 27 with the LA Dodgers hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy. Looking at World Series odds for 2021, the Dodgers are now +350 at DraftKings Sportsbook to win it all again after landing reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer in free agency.

The Yankees have the second lowest odds to win it all, coming in at +550. The Padres and Mets have made moves up the odds boards with big off-season acquisitions. San Diego was +1300 at DraftKings right after the World Series concluded but is now +800. The Mets were +3300 at DK right after the 2020 Fall Classic but are now +1000.

World Series odds 2021

MLB Futures Report (Feb. 26)

The Favorites

Los Angeles Dodgers (+350): The rich got richer on Feb. 5 with the signing of reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer. Bauer will join a star-studded rotation that already features the likes of Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw.

New York Yankees (+550): The Yankees were outmaneuvered and out-managed in the ALDS by a Rays team that has the lowest payroll in baseball. They seem to be addressing those issues by turning to their farm system, and had no issues declining team options on veterans Brett Gardner and J.A. Happ. Losing flamethrowing reliever Tommy Kahnle could hurt their bullpen depth.

The Contenders

San Diego Padres (+800): The Padres front office continued its aggressive pursuit of a ring by trading for Yu Darvish and Blake Snell. They re-structured Mike Clevinger’s contract and retained promising LHP Matt Strahm, adding further depth to a rotation that will include Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack.

Chicago White Sox (+850): The White Sox have a promising future, but might be a few years away from competing for a World Series title. Their odds jumped from +1500 to +1000 after a mildly successful offseason in which they acquired Adam Eaton and 33-year-old RHP Lance Lynn.

Atlanta Braves (+1000): The Braves were a hair away from their first World Series appearance since 1999 and might have added the missing piece by signing veteran ace Charlie Morton to a one-year-deal. With Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. leading a fearsome lineup, they’re justifiable favorites in the loaded NL East.

New York Mets (+1000): New Mets owner Steve Cohen wanted to make a splash and he did just that by trading promising prospects for Franciso Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. If their starters stay healthy, the Mets should have the best rotation in the Majors, with Carrasco following Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.

The Longshots

Minnesota Twins (+2000): Every year, the Twins put together a marvelous regular season, only to get smoked in the playoffs. Minnesota has lost 18 straight postseason games, but maybe this is the year they find success.

Oakland Athletics (+2200): If you’re searching for a team that could replicate Tampa’s success with a new-age approach, the Athletics are the best candidate. They’ve yet to put it together in the postseason, but have earned a playoff berth in three straight seasons under Bob Melvin.

Houston Astros (+2500): The Astros lost George Springer to the Blue Jays, and their cheating scandal is going to hurt their free agency prospects for some time.

Tampa Bay Rays (+2500): Behind an incredible bullpen and advanced defensive strategies, the Rays won 68.9% of their close games last season. Then Kevin Cash made a boneheaded move by playing the numbers and yanked ace Blake Snell too early in the deciding game of the World Series. Now Snell and Charlie Morton are gone.

St. Louis Cardinals (+2500): The Cardinals re-signed the heart and soul of their team, bringing Yadier Molina back on a 1-year deal.

Cincinnati Reds (+3300): These odds are too high considering Trevor Bauer basically carried the Reds into the playoffs during a shortened 2020 season and he rejected their qualifying offer.

World Series Odds Now

Washington Nationals (+3300): Howie Kendrick retired, Ryan Zimmerman is back but Asdrubal Cabrera remains a free agent. The Nationals are a great buy-low candidate since they have a studly rotation, but they need to find more offense.

How To Bet On The World Series

Philadelphia Phillies (+4000): The Phillies are addressed their brutal bullpen by bringing in former Rays reliever Jose Alvarado. They also re-signed J.T. Realmuto and Didi Gregorius.

Chicago Cubs (+4000): There is talk of the Cubs trading Kris Bryant in his contract year rather than losing him in free agency. That would be a sign of a potential rebuild rather than a team trying to win a title.

Basics of MLB Futures

Betting on the World Series is available all season long in the form of futures bets. It’s simple — find a team that you like and bet on them at their odds to win it all. For example, the Dodgers were +380 to win the World Series before the start of the 2020 season. If you bet $100 on LA to win it all before the season began, you would have won $380 with a total payout of $480. A $10 bet would have netted you $38.

Futures bets may also include the winner of the American League, National League, and each division. Some sportsbooks delve deeper with “prop bets” on individual achievements, such as who will lead the Majors in home runs, wins, strikeouts, etc.

Generally, books take bets on futures in between game action. When teams are competing on a full slate of night games, your sportsbook of choice might hold off on updating odds in the event there is a catastrophic injury or another event that might change the prospects of a contender.

Here is a quick summary of how the odds are displayed for MLB Futures bets:

• Some sportsbooks will use a system that shows the odds as 5/1, while some display them as +500. This is just semantics, as both systems indicate that a winning $100 bet on the team would cash out at 5x that amount ($500).
• Odds can also be split into fractions. A team may be listed as a 9/2 favorite on one book, which is the same as a +450 favorite, i.e. a winning ticket pays out 4.5x the amount of the bet.

History of MLB futures

Placing a longshot Futures bet on baseball is a very risky proposition. In the NBA, for one, it’s almost akin to throwing away your money. The NFL is a bit more unpredictable with its single-elimination postseason, and the MLB is somewhere in between.

Rarely has a team come out of “nowhere” to win the World Series over the past several years, but plenty of fringe contenders have started the season with long odds before getting hot at the right time. According to archives compiled by William Hill Sportsbook, the Kansas City Royals were listed with +3300 odds to win it all during the first month of the 2015 season. Those odds dropped to +1400 in May, +1000 in June, and were down to +550 by the time the playoffs began.

In 2014, the San Francisco Giants opened the season with +2500 World Series odds and went on to win it all. The Boston Red Sox were getting +2800 odds prior to the 2013 season, and the St. Louis Cardinals were getting +2500 odds prior to the 2011 season.

Hence, there is value in placing a small bet on an underdog early in the season. The Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, and even the slugging Colorado Rockies come to mind as fringe contenders with long odds this year. The past three years, the World Series crown has gone to one of the favored teams. The Cubs, Astros, and Red Sox paid off after opening the season with odds around +1000 or lower. There is a chance that an unexpected champion is crowned, but it is not guaranteed in today’s MLB due to the importance of pitching in the postseason.

Other ways to bet on the World Series

For those with wagering experience in other sports, much of the baseball terminology and concepts will be familiar. However, as with all sports, there are certain bet types and props that naturally are particular to the individual sport.

Here are the various ways to get a wager down on the World Series.

• Moneyline: As with other sports, the moneyline represents the odds of a team winning a game. A “minus” sign indicates the favorite. The number next to the minus sign represents the amount of money a bettor would need to wager to win a theoretical amount of $100. A “plus” sign indicates the underdog. The amount next to the plus sign represents the amount of money a bettor would win on a theoretical amount of $100.
• Runline: Typically set at either -1.5 or +1.5, the runline functions much like the point spread in other sports. In a conventional runline scenario, the favored team must win by two or more runs or the underdog must lose by two runs or less in order for the runline to be covered. Odds are assigned next to the favorite (which is designated with a runline of -1.5) and underdog (which is designated with a runline of +1.5).
• Total runs (over/under): The total combined number of runs projected to be scored in the game by both teams. As with other sports, bettors can place bets on the total either being exceeded or being greater than the amount of total runs scored.
• Series line: With baseball usually being played in multi-game series between two teams — three- or four-game series being the most common — wagers are also available on which team will emerge as the winner in each matchup.
• Player props: A variety of wagers based on individual players reaching certain benchmarks within a game or in a season. Seasonal examples include over/under wagers on the number of hits, extra-base hits or home runs a player might hit in a season. In-game examples include over/under wagers on the number of hits, walks or home runs a player might hit in a game.
• Team props: A variety of wagers based on teams reaching certain benchmarks within a game. Examples include over/under wagers on whether a team will score a team will score a certain amount of runs in a game. Or, how many runs a team will score by a certain inning within a game.
• Parlays: Parlay wagering is defined as a series of bets that must all be correct in order for a bettor to be paid. Parlay bets feature more favorable odds and payouts due to the increased difficulty involved in predicting multiple outcomes correctly.

MLB betting FAQ

Where can I bet on the World Series in the US?

Currently, there are 18 states that offer legal sports betting. Residents of those states can use top online sportsbooks (if available) or casino sportsbooks to place legal, real-money bets.

Who is the favorite to win the World Series in 2021?

After winning the 2020 World Series, the Dodgers are again the favorites to take it all in 2021. They were +400 at FanDuel Sportsbook to claim the trophy again right after the 2020 season ended.

Where can I get MLB betting tips?

How Much Money Is Bet On World Series

PlayPicks.com provides free updates on the movement of MLB Futures lines and offers up-to-date advice on the best bets for games and Futures. Those interested in Daily Fantasy Sports can also check out our free plays and picks each day with advice relevant for DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel.