What Is the Grand Salami Bet (And Is It Worth It?)
Despite being a common nickname for a grand slam, a Grand Salami isn’t a wager on grand slams in baseball. It’s not the name of a sandwich either.
A Grand Salami bet is a fun wager that can keep bettors totally invested in a full schedule of games for a given league. Such bets don’t get much attention but are an exciting way to stay tuned in to a sport beyond following your favorite team.
So what exactly is a Grand Salami bet? It’s simply a totals bet but on the combined total of that day’s slate of MLB or NHL games.
What is the Grand Salami in baseball?
A typical MLB regular season fits 162 games into about six months. That means there aren’t many days off, and all 30 teams will often play on the same day.
Therefore, a Grand Salami can mean taking up to 15 games into consideration when placing an MLB bet. But before we get into 15-game slates, let’s look at a smaller sample. Take, for example, a quiet five-game day.
- Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees (8.5)
- Chicago White Sox at Oakland Athletics (7.5)
- Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins (7)
- Cleveland Guardians at Texas Rangers (7.5)
- Philadelphia Phillies at Seattle Mariners (8)
The totals for these five games would add up to 38.5, but the sportsbook probably won’t set the MLB Grand Salami total there.
Say it’s a cold and windy night in the Bronx, so they expect less scoring at Yankee Stadium than usual, even with two potent lineups. Bryce Harper is also getting a game off for the Phillies, so they don’t expect Philadelphia’s offense to produce as many runs without him.
An oddsmaker would likely lower the bar to 35.5 for the whole slate, and the odds would then look something like this.
- Over 35.5 (-120)
- Under 35.5 (+100)
Now that you have the odds, it’s up to you to determine whether the slate will be high-scoring or low-scoring relative to that total.
More information: How to bet on MLB
What is the Grand Salami in hockey?
The NHL’s season is usually 82 games, spread over approximately seven months. So although there are 32 teams, more than in the MLB, they rarely all play on the same day because NHL teams get nights off routinely.
A three-game slate for a night may look something like this.
- Vancouver Canucks at New Jersey Devils (6.5)
- Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals (6.5)
- Boston Bruins at Los Angeles Kings (5.5)
Adding up all of those will reach a total of 18.5 goals. However, two teams are playing the second half of a back-to-back and starting backup goalies.
The oddsmakers decide to raise the NHL Grand Salami odds just a bit, as such.
- Over 19.0 (-110)
- Under 19.0 (-110)
It’s just like MLB, except it’s counting goals instead of runs.
More information: How to bet on the NHL
Other sports that could offer a Grand Salami or similar bet
Sportsbooks offer Grand Salami bets on MLB and NHL action, though there are other leagues where it’s also possible.
Soccer leagues, particularly the Premier League, may have options on goals. It’s even available for football or basketball sometimes, even though they’re such high-scoring sports, relatively.
Which sportsbooks offer the Grand Salami bet?
There are a lot of sportsbooks that offer a Grand Salami. Here are the best places for online sports betting options:
With these retail sportsbooks, it’s easy to create an account and start betting. Signing up will probably reward you with a special online betting bonus too. Once you’re signed up, download the sports betting app, and you’ll be ready to go.
Grand Salami betting strategy
Betting the Grand Salami on a slate of MLB or NHL games is fun, but is it a good strategy? Determining the score of multiple games is a challenge. So here are some tips to help you along.
MLB
- Available players: Position players tend to have off days scheduled throughout the season, around once a week. A team trotting out its “B” lineup isn’t going to score as much as its must-win lineup.
- Pitchers: Starting pitcher matchups and bullpen availability are also important factors. A day with mostly aces slated to pitch will probably yield fewer runs than a day that features mainly spot starters. Likewise, a rested bullpen usually shuts down opponents more often than one with top arms unavailable.
- Weather: Games in warmer weather tend to feature more home runs and scoring than do colder games.
NHL
- Injuries: Hockey is a rough sport on the body, so guys commonly play banged up or miss games for rest.
- Schedule: Monitor how many nights a team has had between games; travel also contributes to fatigue and performance.
- Goaltender: A group of games featuring the league’s elite goalies will usually have less scoring than a night where teams are playing their backups.
What are the payouts like for Grand Salami bets?
When betting on a Grand Salami, you shouldn’t expect extreme odds one way or the other. They’re usually between -120 and +110 but can be set wherever the oddsmakers decide.
Why play the Grand Salami rather than a single over/under?
If there are only one or two games in which you’re confident, a single bet or multi-game parlay may be a better option for you. If you think you know how every game will unfold or just have a feeling about the scoring that day, this type of bet is worth it.
Who invented the Grand Salami?
The phrase originated in baseball as a nickname for a grand slam, but there’s a dispute about which announcer created it. Some say it was Bob Uecker announcing for the Milwaukee Brewers, while others claim it was Dave Niehaus of the Seattle Mariners.
As for its betting origins, it’s widely attributed to hockey bettors that wanted to determine how many total goals there would be on a given day.