What Are MLB Strikeout Props And How Do You Bet Them?

Instead of predicting the outcome of an entire game, how about just one individual performance?

That’s part of the reason why player prop betting has taken the gambling industry by storm.

Once upon a time, player props were rarely offered by any legal sportsbook. But everything has drastically changed. In fact, now there are a few platforms and companies in the industry that are dedicated entirely to prop betting.

What Are Strikeout Props?

Did you ever play the card game most commonly known as “high-low?”

Predicting higher or lower. That’s the name of the game with strikeout props.

Just like any other old school, traditional bet against the spread or total, MLB oddsmakers will assign a starting pitcher with a set number of anticipated strikeouts for his scheduled start on a given day.

In this example, Gerrit Cole is projected to start against the Baltimore Orioles. What exactly are you looking at?

Our ScoresAndOdds module is displaying the strikeout lines (a.k.a. props) which four major sportsbooks are offering. Three of these books have assigned a strikeout prop line of 6.5, while FanDuel (blue widget) has Cole valued at 7.5.

Why Should You Have Multiple Sportsbook Accounts?

I don’t like shopping. Amazon delivery drivers are frequent visitors to my house, but it’s a borderline necessity to shop for lines and odds when it comes to profitable gambling.

“Shopping” for different lines will help you profit longterm. In the example above, one major sportsbook is offering a much different strikeout (or “K prop”) line than the rest of its peers.

A difference of one strikeout (in this case, comparing a line of 6.5 to 7.5 strikeouts) can be a monumenetal difference in a win or loss.

However, you’re going to pay for that line difference. It’s also important to shop the odds between multiple sportsbooks!

Again, referring back our Cole example widget, DraftKings and Caesars are both offering a line of 6.5 strikeouts, but at different odds.

If you want to bet the over 6.5 at Caesars, at -165 odds, you’d have to (in theory) risk $165 to win $100 (or $16.50 to win $10). However, you can “shop” at DraftKings, which offers -155 odds on the same exact line of 6.5. Instead, a bettor only has to risk $155 to win $100.

It’s a similar story if you want to bet on Gerrit Cole not eclipsing 6.5 strikeouts in this example. Caesars offers +130 odds for this wager to back the under, while DraftKings offers just +115. If you bet Cole’s under 6.5 at Caesars, you’d (in theory) risk $100 to win $130, while if you bet the same line at DraftKings (+115), you’d risk the same $100, with the potential to make only $115.

When Should You Place Your Strikeout Prop Bet?

Strikeout props are just like any other legal wager. Oddsmakers publish them at different times, and the odds will move based upon circumstances effecting the game itself, or money moving the line one way or another.

You surely can jump on a line when it comes out, if you like it, but it’s also important to see a verified lineup card of your pitcher’s opponent. For example, whether or not Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are playing, will not only alter your decision-making process, but also the strikeout line itself.

What Tools Can Help?

Using our great MLB resources at ScoresAndOdds, as well as our partner site, RotoGrinders, is a fantastic way to get an edge on the odds.

For starters, download both apps to have everything at your fingertips. Of course, dekstop view works just fine, but who isn’t always on-the-go these days?

The ScoresAndOdds “PropCast” is an easy way to navigate through every prop on a given day, which also offers built-in projections for Premium Picks subscribers.

Another avenue to explore includes the ScoresAndOdds Premium Picks package, which grants access to all of our expert’s picks and yields the method behind the madness!

RotoGrinders, the daily fantasy sports (DFS) mecca of the industry, offers plenty of accessible expert content, analysis and insight for every MLB slate.

Much of the research put into analyzing MLB pitchers for a given day’s DFS slate is also applicable to decipher an efficient, or inefficient strikeout prop set by oddsmakers. One of RG’s most popular tools to analyze pitcher-batter matchups is PlateIQ. Check it out!