Alright, so I wanted to share what I did regarding Shohei Ohtani over on DraftKings. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking, just me poking around and trying things out.
Getting Started
First thing, I already had a DraftKings account, so I just logged in like usual. If you don’t have one, you’d obviously need to sign up first, do the whole verification thing. But I was already past that.
Once I was in, the main thing was finding where the Ohtani action was. He’s huge, so usually, he’s front and center, especially on game days.
Looking for Bets
I went straight to the MLB section. You can usually find it easily in the main sports menu.
- I looked at the specific game he was playing in. Checked the standard moneyline, run line, totals first.
- Then, the interesting part: the player props. This is where you find bets specifically on Ohtani.
- Things like: Will Ohtani hit a home run? How many strikeouts will he get (if pitching)? Total bases? Stuff like that.
Honestly, the odds are often tricky. Because everyone knows Ohtani is good, the lines for him to do well (like hitting a home run or getting lots of strikeouts) sometimes don’t pay out much unless you bet big. Or the number they set (like strikeouts over/under) feels really high.
Trying a Few Things
I decided not to go too crazy. I looked at the pitching props when he was scheduled to start. The strikeout number seemed achievable one time, so I put a small wager on the ‘over’.
Another time, I focused on his hitting. Instead of just ‘home run yes/no’ which felt like a lottery ticket, I looked at ‘total bases’. Seemed a bit more predictable, maybe? Put a small bet on him getting over 1.5 bases.
I also peeked at the daily fantasy section. Building a lineup with Ohtani is tough because his salary cost is usually massive. He takes up a huge chunk of your budget, meaning you have to find really cheap players for other spots. I tried it once or twice, it’s a real balancing act.
Watching and Waiting
Then comes the waiting game. You place your bet or set your fantasy lineup, and then you just watch the game or follow the scores. It definitely makes watching the game more intense, I’ll give it that. Every pitch, every at-bat feels important.
Sometimes it worked out, sometimes it didn’t. That Ohtani strikeout bet I mentioned? He got pulled early, didn’t hit the over. Lost that one. The total bases bet? He smacked a double, won that one. Fantasy lineups were hit or miss – sometimes he carried the team, sometimes he had a quiet night and the lineup tanked because I spent so much on him.
Final Thoughts
So yeah, that was my little experiment with Ohtani on DraftKings. It’s mostly about checking the props, seeing if any odds look reasonable, and deciding if you want to take the plunge. He’s exciting, no doubt, but betting on him or using him in fantasy requires careful thought because the lines and prices reflect his hype. It wasn’t about making bank, more about adding a little extra interest to the games he plays in.
