The World Baseball Classic is held every four years, and the USA is the defending champion. The WBC is held from March 7 to March 21, and the 20 teams will compete in four groups of five.
Each group plays its pool at the same location, and Miami will host the semifinal and championship game on March 21. The USA is in Pool C, and they’ll play their group matchups at Chase Field.
Odds for World Baseball Classic
Before we look at the Group C odds, we must understand what betting odds are and how they work in Arizona.
What are Sports Betting Odds?
Betting odds measure the price an Arizona bettor must pay for a particular betting market against how much the bettor wagers per $100.
Arizona bettors will see American or moneyline odds–favorites are usually accompanied by a (-) while the underdog is denoted by a (+) sign next to the price.
A $100 wager on Puerto Rico would net the Arizona bettor $120–the same $100 wagered on the USA would result in a $76.92 payout if the USA did indeed win.
Implied Probability
Implied probability is the likelihood of a betting outcome against the current betting odds. A savvy Arizona gambler could use a probability calculator to determine a particular wager’s bet size and value.
World Baseball Classic Championship Odds
An Arizona sports bettor wagering $100 on USA to win the World Classic Baseball championship would net $275.
Where can I bet on the World Baseball Classic in Arizona?
Arizona sports bettors have 17 online sportsbooks and multiple retail locations to visit, including Caesars Sportsbook, located on the grounds of Chase Field, the Group C quarterfinals site.
What type of bets can I make on the World Baseball Classic?
Arizona sports bettors can expect the following World Baseball Classic betting markets at one of the 17 online betting apps or at any retail sportsbook throughout the state.
Future bets
Future bets are wagers made on the outcome of a multi-stage event, tournament, or individual award. For example–BetMGM is offering Team USA +225 to win the World Baseball Classic, and that would be a good bet to make.
Moneyline
Moneyline (ML), or straight-up (SU) wagers are bets on an outright contest winner. Example-the betting board for Puerto Rico vs. USA would look something like this;
A wager of $130 on USA winning the game would return $100–a $100 wager on Puerto Rico would payout $120 for a $100 wager.
Run Line
The run line (RL) is a number a team needs to either win or lose by.
If Puerto Rico loses by less than two runs, a $170 stake would win $100. Conversely, a $100 bet on the USA winning by a margin of two runs or more would pay $150
Totals
Baseball totals are the total amount of runs scored for a World Baseball Classic game. The Arizona sports bettor will be offered a number of the teams that have to go Over or Under. If the total for Puerto Rico-USA is 7.5 runs, eight runs must be scored for winning Over bettors and seven runs or less for Under bettors to cash the ticket.
F5
First-five (F5) markets are wagers involving the first five innings of a World Baseball Classic contest. Bettors are offered the same ML, RL, and Total at usually the same odds, with the wager being graded once five-inning have been completed.
Betting Advice for World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic is supposed to be a fun event. Still, it can either be a good experience or a disappointing one. Here are three tips to help make the World Baseball Classic good for Arizona bettors.
Bankroll Management
Bankroll management is the key to successful sports betting, and every pro bettor adheres to one system and has the discipline to stay with it. A sound system for Arizona sports bettors would be based on 100 units, and it would work like this;
Flash has $1000 he isn’t afraid to lose. He would divide $1000 by 1%, and each unit would be broken down to $10 per unit. Flash would then bet one unit or $10 on every contest he has an edge and stick with that unit price until the bankroll changes by 25%.
Understand the Rules
The World Baseball Classic is a preseason competition and thus has different rules that can affect how an Arizona sports bettor should handicap the games. For example, the WBC pitching rules aren’t the same as the MLB rules, and a wise bettor should handicap pitchers based on these rules.
- Maximum 65 pitches per game during Pool Play.
- Maximum 80 pitches per game during the Quarterfinal Round.
- Maximum 95 pitches per game during the Championship Round.
- Minimum four days of rest after a 50-pitch outing.
- Minimum one day of rest after a 30-pitch outing.
- No pitching for three consecutive days at any point.
Ever-Changing Rosters
Most of the baseball world is preparing for grueling seasons ahead, and while everyone listed on a WBC roster is expected to participate, not all will. Injuries, especially to pitchers, are common during the spring, and it would behoove the Arizona sports bettor to monitor current or lingering injuries.
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