MLS a good betting option to summer MLB action

Let’s face it, come summer and the betting action becomes quite limited. For the longest time baseball has been the only shining beacon during the dark betting times of summer. But with the MLS becoming more and more popular in the US, we have a new contender, or at the very least, a nice compliment to the MLB games. For the list of the best MLB sportsbooks, check out our write up.

 Soccer, or football, as the snooty Europeans like to remind us every chance they get, is becoming quite the attraction in the United States. Sure, it will never reach the overall popularity of the more mainstream American sports, such as football and baseball, but it is gaining traction and the timing of the MLS season certainly helps to fill in the empty spot left by the football and basketball games. Keep in mind, that there are some stats that claim that soccer is the second most popular sport in the US now, after football, for people younger than 35. Whether that’s actually true or not, fact is that the more successful franchises are having no problems filling up the stadiums in the summer. And if you are getting a little bored of betting the baseball games and would like a reprieve from the MLB action, the sportsbooks are more than happy to help you wager on the MLS with plenty of options and betting markets.

 It doesn’t hurt that the basic wager on the soccer games is essentially win-draw-lose, i.e. either the home team wins, loses or the game end up in a draw. The draw is where the bettor should pay the most attention, since it’s a quite the foreign concept, if you are used to the NFL or NBA action. But the draw is also where you will often find the most value, so pay attention to the money line the sportsbooks post on the games. Of course, there is plenty of other ways to bet on a soccer game, including a variation of the point spread, often referred to as “Asian handicap”, but who will win the game (or if the game will be a draw) is the most essential soccer bet.

 One of the slightly negative side of MLS betting is that it follows the football format, rather than baseball or basketball, meaning the games are usually played only during the weekend, rather than more dispersed throughout the week. But that could be a good thing, offering the option to wet your feet with some bets over the weekend and test the waters, if you have never dabbled before. The online sportsbooks are generally very noob-friendly, when it comes to soccer betting, and have stayed away from the more European-style of odds presentation, so one should have no problem figuring out their betting slip. Just make sure you start off easy, going for the money line (don’t forget that a draw is a powerful option, especially when parlaying), before trying out some of the more exotic betting options.

 The MLS season runs from March till October, plenty of games to wager on during the summer’s slow sports action. You may be surprised how fun it could be betting on the MLS games and as an added bonus – you can gain some brag points among your friends for keeping up with yet another sport.