Listed pitchers is a condition that ties a baseball bet to the starting pitchers the market named when you bet: if either does not start, the bet is void and your stake is refunded. An action bet is the opposite, standing whoever takes the mound.
In Australia the pitcher rule on your bet comes from your bookmaker's terms. For bookmakers holding an NSW licence and the authority to take sports bets there, the state's rule book sets the default. If a nominated starting pitcher does not start, every bet on the game is void, unless the bookmaker and customer agree otherwise (clause 5.2.11). MLB betting from Australia covers the markets themselves.
Both listed, your pitcher listed or action
US coverage often presents the pitcher rule as a choice made when you bet. Whether or not your bookmaker offers one, the market's terms tell you which of three shapes you hold.
| Rule type | The bet is void if | It stands if | The risk you keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Both pitchers listed | Either named starter does not start | Both named starters start | None from a starter change |
| Your pitcher listed | Your team's named starter does not start | Your starter starts, whoever the opponent sends out | A change on the other side, which can help or hurt you |
| Action | Never, on a pitcher change | Always, whoever starts | Any change on either side |
Two details sit under the shape. Terms can apply a pitcher rule to the game bets and treat props differently, so read the rule for each market. And under action, check whether the bet keeps the price you took or is adjusted for the new pitcher. A refunded bet is settled as if it had never been placed, as the void bet entry explains.
The NSW rule for a nominated starting pitcher
Clause 5.2.11 is the baseball section of the NSW Bookmaker Declared Betting Events Betting Rules, read in October 2026. Where a nominated starting pitcher does not start a game, all bets on that game are deemed void and refunded, unless the bookmaker and customer agreed otherwise when the bet was placed. Three things follow from the wording:
- It covers all bets on the game, so a run line, a total and a head to head are refunded together, not only the result.
- It names no side, so a change for either team triggers it, like the both-listed shape.
- It is a default, not a ban on action betting. The rule book's general default is all-in, with bets standing whoever takes part (clause 5.1.1), so the baseball clause is an exception to it, and "unless agreed otherwise" leaves room for action terms.
The rules bind bookmakers licensed and authorised in NSW (clause 1.1); bookmakers licensed elsewhere set their own terms. What happens if a player doesn't play sets this clause beside the participation rules for other sports.
What counts as a start
The MLB rulebook decides who the starter is. Before the game, each manager gives the plate umpire a batting order that names his pitcher (Rule 4.03 of the 2026 Official Baseball Rules). That pitcher must pitch to the first batter until the batter is out or reaches base, unless injury or illness stops him (Rule 5.10(f)). Like every pitcher, he must also face at least three batters in a row or finish the half-inning, with the same exception (Rule 5.10(g)(1)).
So a listed pitcher who throws to the first batter has started, even if he leaves a few pitches later. Check how your terms define a start, for example by the first pitch of the game, because that decides the awkward cases. A pitcher scratched while warming up has not started; one who throws a pitch and walks off hurt has.
Until the lineup cards are exchanged, the names you bet on are probable pitchers. Clubs announce them in advance, and MLB's probable pitchers page lists them as subject to change. The cards are exchanged at home plate when the umpires take the field, five minutes before the scheduled start (Rule 4.03). For a 7:00 pm start in New York in October, that is 9:55 am the next day in Sydney, or 8:55 am before Sydney's clocks go forward (4 October in 2026). US sports betting from Australia converts other start times.
Why a pitcher change moves the price so far
MLB's team pitching figures for the 2025 regular season show how much of a game belongs to the starters. Across 4,860 starts they threw 25,212 of the 43,075 innings pitched, 58.5%, or about 5.2 innings a start. Swap the starter and you change the pitcher for more than half of an average game, and for most of its first five innings.
Example: Illustrative prices, not a real game. Team A is $1.75 and Team B $2.15 with Team A's leading starter listed. He is scratched on the morning of the game, and the market re-opens at Team A $2.05 and Team B $1.80. Team A's implied chance falls from 1 / 1.75 = 57.1% to 1 / 2.05 = 48.8%, more than eight percentage points from one name on a lineup card.
The total and the run line move with it, and the NSW clause voids them all together.
Which markets depend on the starter
Some markets lean on the starter far more than others:
| Market | How much rides on the starter | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Head to head and run line | More than half of an average game | Which pitcher shape the market uses |
| Total runs | Both starters shape the early scoring | Whether a change on either side voids it |
| First five innings | The innings he is most likely to pitch | The market's own pitcher rule |
| No run in the first inning (NRFI) | Both starters, against the top of each batting order | The market's own pitcher rule |
| Pitcher props, such as strikeouts | The bet is about him | Whether it is void if he does not start |
| Batter props | The pitcher the batter faces | The batter's participation rule, and any pitcher rule |
A first five innings bet mostly measures the two starters against the opposing batters, and an NRFI bet does so over a single inning, so a late change reshapes those markets most. In a same game multi, a voided leg is handled by the multi's own terms, which same game multi rules work through.
One $50 bet under each rule
In the illustrative game above, you put $50 on Team A at $1.75 the evening before, with both starters listed. Each rule handles a change differently:
| What changes | Both listed | Your pitcher listed | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team A's starter is scratched | Void: $50 back | Void: $50 back | Stands at $1.75 |
| Team B's starter is scratched | Void: $50 back | Stands at $1.75 | Stands at $1.75 |
| Team A's starter leaves hurt after one batter | Stands: he started | Stands: he started | Stands |
The action bet in the first row is now $1.75 on a team the new market prices at 1 / 2.05 = 48.8%, margin included. If you rate Team A at 48%, the bet is worth 0.48 x 1.75 - 1 = -16c per $1, an expected loss of $8.00 on the $50. It still returns 50 x 1.75 = $87.50 if Team A wins.
The second row cuts the other way. If Team B's replacement is weaker and you now rate Team A at 62%, the same bet is worth 0.62 x 1.75 - 1 = +8.5c per $1. A both-listed rule refunds it; a your-pitcher-listed rule keeps it. The third row surprises people: the starter you backed faced one batter, but he started, so no pitcher rule refunds the bet.
Risk: Betting involves risk. The 48% and 62% are illustrative judgements, a bet rated at 62% still loses 38% of the time, and a refund only gives your stake back. See responsible gambling for limits and support.
Openers, postponements and doubleheaders
Three situations test the wording of a pitcher rule:
- Openers. Some clubs start a game with a reliever who pitches an inning or two before a bulk pitcher takes over. If the opener was listed and throws the first pitch, a listed bet stands even though someone else pitches most of the game. If the bulk pitcher was listed and the club then names an opener, the listed pitcher has not started, and a listed bet is void.
- Postponements. Under the NSW rule book, a postponed game that is not officially scheduled to go ahead within three calendar days of its originally scheduled completion date is treated as abandoned, and bets are refunded (clause 5.1.6). A game made up sooner keeps its bets, but the pitcher clause still applies: if a different pitcher starts the rescheduled game, they are void. Postponed and abandoned games covers other rule types.
- Doubleheaders. Two games between the same teams on one day have their own starters, and on Australian time both can fall in the same morning. Check which game your bet is on before you read a pitcher change as yours.
Pitcher rule mistakes and what they cost
With the illustrative $50 bet above:
| Mistake | What it costs | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Betting action before the starter is confirmed | -16c per $1, an expected $8.00 on $50, when your starter is scratched | Wait for the confirmed starter, or bet on listed terms |
| Expecting a listed rule to cover all team news | It refunds only for the starting pitcher; a regular hitter left out still leaves the bet live | Check the batting order as well |
| Assuming the NSW default applies at every bookmaker | Clause 5.2.11 binds bookmakers authorised in NSW, and only unless agreed otherwise | Read your bookmaker's baseball rules |
| Expecting a refund when the starter leaves early | He started, so the bet settles on the result | Read how the terms define a start |
Where B337 fits
On B337's Terminal, each bookmaker's head to head, line and total prices for a game sit side by side, one column per bookmaker. The sports board carries AFL, NRL, NBA, soccer, tennis and more when bookmakers have markets up, and the Terminal as a whole lists 40+ bookmakers across racing and sports, though not every bookmaker prices every game. Read each bookmaker's pitcher rule in its own terms.
Because prices are read on a repeating cycle, a price on screen can trail the bookmaker's own after a late change; confirm it in your account before you bet. A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A refund protects your stake from a starter change, not your bet from losing, and a late change can move every price on the game before you see it. See responsible gambling for limits and support.