How Daily Fantasy Baseball Betting Works
By Adam of Rotopicks.com
It seems too good to be true. A new fantasy draft every day! Thousands of leagues from which to choose… Entry fees and cash prizes paid out immediately. And best of all, this is all legal for players in the United States!
Thanks to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), fantasy sports betting is exempted because the government has classified it as a game of skill, thus making it entirely legal except for residents of Arizona, Montana, Louisiana, Iowa and Vermont (As of 2014). There are literally millions of dollars flowing in and out of sites like Draftstreet, and some of it can be yours once you learn the skills to become a consistent winner!
So what is fantasy baseball betting, or sometimes referred to as daily fantasy baseball? It is the arena of websites like Draftstreet that offer fantasy games that start and end in one day. The stats for that day count towards your score, and you compete against other entrants into your respective league. The leagues are made by the site, with specific rules, number of allowed entrants and prize structures.
Whereas old-fashioned fantasy baseball leagues run over the course of the year, daily leagues start and end in one day. No longer do you have to give up midseason when everyone on your roster is on the disabled list. In daily leagues (aka: DFS), every day starts anew… a fresh beginning where today may be the day you take first in that tournament that pays thousands of dollars.
Deposits are made via Paypal or credit card and withdrawals are done the same, in a very quick turnaround. Sites like Draftstreet also offer bonuses that get vetted as you play, i.e. a $20 bonus for a certain deposit releases a portion of funds each time you enter a new league. As a sidenote, we have negotiated a special offer with Draftstreet where you receive a 100% bonus on your first deposit if you sign up through the link above!
Fantasy MLB betting on Draftstreet consists of games ranging from free (some freerolls with small prizes, and others with no prizes to be used as practice) up to $2,000+ per entry. Draftstreet has four types of baseball daily contests: Salary Cap, Snake Draft, Pick ’em, and Survivor Tournaments. (Click the join a league button at the very top of this page to find explanations of how each work) There are also daily and weekly versions of their games.
In addition to the games themselves, Draftstreet offers a number of enticing perks. Each time you play a game, you earn Street Creds, which you can then exchange for prizes or tournament entries. They even have tiers for the amount of Street Creds you earn, based on amount of play. The more you play, the higher your tier, and the higher your tier, the larger the bonuses you receive for your play. There are also freerolls, where you play for free but win prizes nonetheless.
Scoring is different from site to site but on Draftstreet, stats are scored as follows:
Hitting
Single: 1 point
Double: 2
Triple: 3
Homerun: 4
Run: 1.5
RBI: 1.5
Walk 0.75
Hit By Pitch: 0.75
Stolen Base: 2
Strikeout: (-0.75)
Caught Stealing: (-1)
Pitching
Hit, Walk, and Hit By Pitch: (-0.25 each)
Earned Run: (-1)
Innings Pitched: (1 per)
Strikeouts: 1
Win: 2
Loss: (-1)
Save: (3)
Blown Save: (-1)
Complete Game: 2
Salary Cap Leagues
Salary cap leagues consist of a set maximum salary you can use to construct a lineup. Every day, each player in the league is pre-assigned a salary, and you must strategically choose your players so as not to exceed the salary cap. In daily games, there are 12 roster spots and a salary cap of $100,000. The only other caveat is you can use a maximum of four players from the same team.
The roster spots are:
Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Shortstop
Third Base
3 Outfielders
1 Utility spot which can be used for any hitter’s position
2 Starting Pitchers
1 Pitcher – you can choose a starter or a reliever
In weekly games, you also have a Relief Pitcher spot, an extra utility, an extra Starting Pitcher, and an extra Pitcher (starter or reliever).
Snake Drafts
Snake drafts are serpentine drafts (the order reverses every round), where salaries do not exist. The number one pick chooses whomever they want, etc. The rosters are the same as in salary cap leagues, with two reserve spots added, to be used for players you may end up substituting in at a later time before games start.
Pick ’em Leagues
Pick ’em games have entrants choose one player from each of 8 tiers. Each tier will have two to ten similar types of players. After choosing from each tier, you have a team of 8, compete against other teams of 8, and final scores dictate prize distributions.
Survivor Tournaments
Survivor Tournaments last for 3 days. On day one, the top half of the field advances. The same goes for day two. Then on day 3, prizes are awarded according to the prize structure. Points do not carryover from one day to the next.
Conclusion
Long gone are the days of passive fantasy baseball. Daily fantasy sports betting is fun every day, and rewards those who know their stuff. I’d keep on writing, but it’s time to research my roster for tonight!
Good luck and as always, thanks for reading!