3 Misconceptions About the MLB Playoff Games

2016PostseasonIt’s baseball season, and just as it happens every year, people are making bets on teams based on some misconceptions that have been around as long as baseball itself. But the truth is, the facts and the history of the game easily proves many of these misconceptions wrong.

Before you make a bet on an MLB playoff game, read these myth busters and then make your best bet.

Hurry! Get Your MLB Playoff Tickets While You Still Can!

There is No Home Court Advantage

Surely you’ve heard that teams in the playoffs that play on their own home turf do better, right?  In fact, it’s one of the most common misconceptions out there when it comes to choosing winning MLB playoff teams.

The Facts: For the past ten years, homes teams playing in “ultimate games,” (the final game in the wild card series, game 5 of a division series, or the 7th game in theLCS or World Series), have lost more than they’ve won. In fact, those teams have gone 11-6.

The Takeaway: The home court advantage is not a reason to bet on a team. Even though it makes sense that the team with the most support from local fans would win, it doesn’t seem to matter.

The Best Team Doesn’t Always Win

Come on, admit it—you tend to choose the team that has the best chance for winning based on who has the best record of the season, don’t you? Well, if you do, you should know that you’re in great company. That is a myth that has stuck around for a long time, but unfortunately, the stats just don’t back it up.

The Facts: The truth is that since 1995, when the wild card playoffs began, only 4 in 21 teams with the best season record have won the playoffs. Those teams are the Yankees in 2009, the Rod Sox and the Cardinals in 2007 when they tied, and the Yankees in 1998. In fact, the Cardinals won in 2006, 2011, and 2014, and each of those years they had the worst record of the season.

The Takeaway: You can’t place your bets by a team’s season record, either.

A Team’s Beginning Performance Doesn’t Always Matter

Finally, many people choose their winning teams by taking into consideration how well the team did the in the beginning of the season. You’ll often find people justifying their pick by rattling off the teams stats in early season, and then using that great start to predict a team will win. For instance, last year the Red Sox won eleven games in a row in September and many people pegged them as the winner. But the team lost 5 of the 6 final games.

The Facts: The past ten World Series champions played the same throughout the season, not only in the beginning or the end of the games.

The Takeaway: Don’t look for teams that are on a hot streak, or play better in the beginning or end of the season. Instead, look for those teams that play consistently well throughout the season.

Do You Have Your MLB Playoff Tickets?

If you don’t already have your tickets, it’s not too late—if you hurry. We’re sold out of all the wild card games, but you can still find tickets for the NLDS and ALDS games. And when you buy tickets on our site, you’ll never have to settle for sub-par seats. We are known for having tickets that frankly, other ticket sellers just don’t. If you want to learn more about Sports Ticket Bank, and all of the perks and benefits we offer, click here to watch out SportsTicketBank YouTube video. In addition, you can stay up to date on your favorite teams, players and other sporting events you want to know about, follow on our sports blog, as well as our social media channels. Go to our Facebook, Google+ and Twitter accounts to stay informed on the latest in sports news. And remember, if you want the best seats for the MLB playoff games, you can get them on our website, or by calling 844-425-0512.

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