MLB playoffs odds and bracket

The Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs begin in early October and feature a total of 12 teams. The three division winners and three wild-card teams (those with the next best regular season record) advance to the postseason from both the American League (AL) and National League (NL).

The lowest-seeded division winner and three wild-card teams face off in a best-of-three Wild Card Series, with the two winners then going on to face the top two seeded division winners in the Division Series. The winners of both Division Series progress to the best-of-seven Championship Series, from which the ALCS and NLCS champions then contest the best-of-seven World Series.

Several different odds and markets are available throughout the MLB playoffs. For example, if the Toronto Blue Jays entered the playoffs as a wild card, you could bet on them to win the Wild Card Series, or alternatively to win the American League Championship Series or World Series.

The American League Championship Series (ALCS) and the National League Championship Series (NLCS) are contested by the final four teams in the MLB playoffs. The winner of each series is crowned the champion of their respective league and advances to the World Series. Baseball bettors are always looking to get in on Championship Series action, as the final four always features some of baseball’s finest teams and players.

Determining who to back between a pair of great teams is a difficult proposition, which is why all the information you need to research your bets is available with BET.CA.

Be sure to check out the latest odds from top sportsbooks, as well as the latest stats and recent results and upcoming matches to ensure you’re fully prepared to make educated bets.

Betting on the outright series winner is the most popular MLB Championship Series bet, although other types of MLB playoffs bets are available. For instance, you can bet on how many games a team will win the series in, or which team will hit the most home runs by series end.

The MLB playoffs standings are ultimately determined by who has the best overall regular-season record. For example, six different teams will win their division, but the three teams from each league are ranked one through three based on their final record. The best and second-best division winners from each league automatically progress to the Division Series, while the third-best faces off against the wild-card team with the worst regular-season record in the Wild Card Series.

After the Wild Card Series, the eight remaining teams form the final playoff bracket, with four teams from each league on each side of the bracket. The winner of each Division Series goes to their respective league's Championship Series, forming a final four. The winner of each Championship Series wins their league and advances to the World Series.

The team with the best regular-season record in each series also gets home-field advantage. From 2003 to 2016, World Series home advantage was awarded to the team from the league that had won the MLB All-Star game, but that has since been changed.