Sports Betting Guide and Terms - Double Header

Definition

A “double header” is mainly used in Major League Baseball and is a situation in which two games are played on the same day due to a previously cancelled game.

Why are games cancelled?

Since baseball is played during the spring and summer, the likelihood of rain is great. Most baseball ballparks are exposed to the elements, meaning that they are open to Mother Nature. These ballparks are susceptible to inclement weather, and thus, rain is a reason why a game is cancelled. MLB officials try to avoid double headers at all cost, for this scheduling this type of game is very difficult. If rain is forecasted for a particular game, and such inclement weather is forecasted to last all day long, a game will be cancelled even before the first pitch will be thrown. If rain starts midway through a game, officials will call a timeout and determine at a later time if play is possible. Games missed dues to bad weather, thus warrants double headers. There are really no other instances where a double header is appropriate, for baseball games are usually played the day of the event, unless another natural disaster or another unforeseen unfortunate disaster occurs during the event (ie. earthquake, bomb threat, etc.)

General betting strategies involving double headers

There are some key betting angles to use when one deals with double headers. The most obvious one is which team to back in such a situation. Conventional wisdom suggest that teams who lose the first game should bounce back and win the second game, but as statistics show, teams who lose the first game usually also lose their second game. Another great angle to use in double headers is the bullpen angle. If either bullpen is used early in game one of the double header and the opposition scores many runs on it, the likelihood of the same bullpen giving up more runs in game two increases. In other words, if a bullpen is used up in game one, consider the ‘over’ for game two. If both bullpens were heavily used in game one, the ‘over’ for game two might be a very strong play.

Summary

In conclusion, a double header is simply a scheduling term to describe two games being played on the same day due to an earlier cancellation of a game. Several betting angles exist, but the strongest ones include backing the winner of game one in game two, and playing the ‘over’ in game 2 if either, or both, bullpens were used in game one.