The marathon Major League Baseball betting season starts at the end of this month but for those gamblers for whom the cry of "play ball" can't come soon enough or for those other bettors who consider the 2,430-game diamond campaign little more than a walk in the (ball)park, future book wagering is available right now.
As it always does, action on which team will win the 2008 World Series, and, to a lesser extent, which teams will capture American and National League pennants and division titles, dominates future book activity.
Not surprisingly, the defending champion Red Sox opened as 4/1 favorites to win the 2008 World Series. New York's two teams, the Mets and Yankees, along with the Tigers, appear to be Boston's main competition. The Mets, who made the most significant acquisition of the off-season when they acquired Twins ace Johan Santana, are listed at 9/2 to capture the October Classic. The Yankees, who finished two games behind the Bosox in the American League East before being bounced out of the post-season by the Indians last year, are held at odds of 6/1. Detroit, which bolstered its team with the additions of P Dontrelle Willis and 3B Miguel Cabrera, are a threat at 9/2.
It's double digits on everyone else, including 11/1 on Cleveland, 12/1 on the Los Angeles Angels, 14/1 on the Chicago Cubs and 16/1 on the Arizona Diamondbacks.
At odds of 150/1, Florida, Baltimore and Pittsburgh are your longshots.
Pennant odds follow with the Red Sox (9/4), Yankees (3/1) Tigers (7/2), Indians (6/1) and Angels (7/1) judged most likely to wave the American League flag.
The Mets are 2/1 to get the job done in the National League with the Cubs (6/1), Diamondbacks (13/2) and Dodgers (7/1) eyeing an upset.
As for the division races, it's the Red Sox (4/5) over the Yankees (5/4) in the AL East; the Tigers (5/6) over the Indians (7/5) in the AL Central; and the Angels (2/5) ahead of the packs in the AL West.
The Mets (4/11) are odds on to win the NL East; the Cubs (10/11) are a likewise favorite in the NL Central; and it's a four-team race in the most competitive division in baseball, the NL West, with Arizona and LA both at 2/1, Colorado at 3/1 and San Diego at 7/2.
In addition to World Series, pennant and division odds, inventive sportsbooks have devised several other ingenious ways to help separate bettors from their money.
Nearly every sportsbook has over/under numbers for each team's wins during the regular season. Boston leads the pack with 94 1/2 regular season victories, with the bettor forced to lay -115 (bet $115 to win $100) on either the "over" or the "under."
Also highly regarded are the Mets, Yankees and Tigers, all at 93 1/2 wins.
At the other end of the wins list is Baltimore with an over/under of just 66. The Orioles may not be the worst team in Major League Baseball but having to play both Red Sox and the Yankees 19 times apiece will wear on your record.
Many sportsbooks also offer the bettor odds on which of two teams will win more games during the regular season. Of particular interest are teams within the same geographic area, such as the Mets and Yankees (pick 'em); Cubs (-8 wins) versus the White Sox; and Angels (-3 1/2 wins) versus the Dodgers.
There are odds on regular season series wins between rivals such as the Red Sox at -150 and Yankees at +120 (bet $100 to win $120) and Tigers (-135) and Indians (+105), among many others.
There are matchup odds between a variety of individual players for hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, pitching victories and saves.
Many sportsbooks also boast futures on which player will lead the Major Leagues in home runs and which pitcher will have the most wins.
Detailed-oriented baseball bettors will take note that while a player-friendly dime line is used for day-to-day game wagering, a 30-cent line is utilized for most future book head-to-head betting. Of course, the 30-cent line has more vigorish and is more advantageous for the house.
That said, gamblers intent on savoring some pre-season Major League Baseball betting probably won't let a little extra juice get in the way of their wagering.
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This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to http://www.thegreek.com.
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