How to bet on MLS – The Ultimate Guide
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, but not in the US. However, in the last decade, Major League Soccer, the American professional soccer league, gained a significant following within the U.S. audience. That was fueled by importing major soccer stars such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and lately, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The chain-reaction was continued, and more casual bettors started betting on MLS games. In this guide, we will tell you everything you need to know about betting on MLS games.
Most Popular MLS Betting Markets
There are three basic soccer bet types, and they are similar to the basic bet types in other sports, such as basketball or baseball: Handicap, Totals and the Match outcome. Match outcome, or home win, away win or a draw is the most common soccer bet type. Basically, you should try to guess the outcome of the match played between two soccer teams. The only difference between this market and Money line markets in other sports is the draw. Basketball or baseball games are going into overtime if the draw occurs after regular time, while soccer matches, unless we are talking about knockout-phase matches, can be finished with a draw after 90 minutes.
Handicap betting is the same across all markets. The bookie applies the negative handicap to the outsider. If you bet on a favorite, he must cover the handicap so you can win the bet.
Totals betting in soccer is betting on the number of goals in the match. Usually, the margin is set at 2.5 goals, but you can bet on alternative margins for greater odds.
Advanced MLS Betting Markets
Soccer has the biggest number of alternative betting markets in the betting industry. You can bet on double chance (win or a draw, or no draw in the game), combine the winner and the number of goals (hosts win, with over 2.5 goals in the game), and you can even bet on the number of cards or corners in the game.
MLS Betting Strategy in a Nutshell
When betting on MLS in particular, you should try to develop your own odds, by comparing the past outcomes of the teams you want to bet on. For example, by looking at the difference between the success of the teams when they are playing at home and away, you should be able to find value in betting on the teams whose form varies significantly. Let’s say that Los Angeles Galaxy are winning the 80% of the games when they are playing at home, but only 40% when they are playing away. Since they are a strong team that constantly underperforms in away matches, the odds against them will usually be really high. You can try to take advantage of that by betting on their opponent, or alternatively, you can use a double chance to secure the win.
Outside the advanced betting tactics, the most important thing to remember when you bet on MLS matches is to forget your favorite teams and players, and your gut feeling about the games. Use the hard cold math to get the best betting picks.
