Whether you are new to sports betting or a seasoned veteran, learning more about prop betting can be the difference between winning and losing. While oddsmakers invest countless hours into straight bets such as point spreads and totals , one could argue that prop markets receive less attention and thus hold greater value for bettors. With the expansion of sports betting throughout the U.S., each legal sportsbook has been forced to post prop bets to keep up with the competition. Players willing to dig deep enough into player, team, and game props can gain an advantage on the house. Let’s dive further into the weeds on everything you’ll need to know when it comes to placing prop wagers. A prop bet is a type of wager that banks on whether an event will or will not happen in a game. The event you’re betting on won’t directly influence the final outcome of the game. For instance, you might bet on a player to score a certain number of points or a specific team to score the first goal in a match. Prop bets often focus on individual player or team performances, though some concern events that happen in a game as a whole. Learning how props work in each sport is critical to understanding prop betting markets and taking advantage of them. Let’s take a closer look at how they work in various sports with some prop bet examples. The NBA has a host of prop betting options including game props, player props, and head-to-head matchups. For example, bettors can place a prop bet on how many points, assists, or rebounds a player will score in an NBA game. They can also put money on who will score the first basket. When it comes to head-to-head matchups, oddsmakers post a point spread between two players. You can bet which player in the matchup will score more points or cover the spread. With an 82-game regular season plus the playoffs, the NBA provides plenty of chances for players to capitalize on the league’s props. The most popular prop bets throughout the fall undoubtedly center around NFL prop bets. Just like the league itself, these wagers are a favorite amongst bettors. Bettors can bet over/under on the posted total for a player’s performance regarding their total rushing, receiving, or passing yards. Popular
Football props also include matchups between two players on opposing teams in a game. You can predict who will get the most rushing or receiving yards. The
Super Bowl is often the game with the most props, with hundreds available Super Bowl odds covering various facets. MLB prop bets focus on both hitters and pitchers with various prop bet options for each. For hitters, one popular prop bet is “Will Player X Hit a Home Run?” You can also take the over/under on a preset number of hits, runs, or RBIs a player will score in a given game. For pitchers, both starters in a game will have an over/under on the number of strikeouts they will throw. Prop bets, short for proposition bets, involve predicting outcomes in a given game that are independent of the final score. Here’s a breakdown of the various types of prop bets. Most sportsbooks offer player prop bets ranging from the number of points scored by a player in a game to whether a hole-in-one will be recorded to whether a quarterback will throw an interception. Note that player props are graded outside of the overall outcome of the game, meaning it doesn’t matter who wins the game. Those who play daily fantasy sports (DFS) will notice the similarities between player props and the strategy for DFS. Team prop bets are another major category when it comes to prop betting. This type of wager allows you to focus on a specific team in a given game versus certain players or the outcome of a game. An example of a team prop in a
basketball game would be how many assists a team tallies. When it comes to soccer prop bets, a team prop might be how many corner kicks a team receives. A team prop bet is a great way to focus on a particular team in a matchup without having to think about the performance of the other, potentially less well-known team. Betting props also have a market for proposition bets on games. In
Tennis prop bets, for example, you can bet on the total number of aces scored in a given match. You can also wager on how many points will be scored in the first quarter or first half of an NFL or NBA game. Mostly used for major events such as the Super Bowl, novelty prop bets involve outcomes unrelated to player or team performance. Examples of prop bets are: When it comes to placing prop bets, bettors have various sportsbook options thanks to the accelerating expansion of sports betting in most states. Below is a list of a few of the biggest players in the industry today. Let’s dive into a few of the best tips for prop bets to help round out your online sports wagering
Arsenal. Below, we look at the pros and cons of prop bets to show you how they stack up against more traditional bets like moneylines, spreads, and totals. When getting involved with online sports betting sites, you must practice responsible gambling . The outcome of a sporting event should never determine if you can pay your bills or how much time you spend with family and
Friends. Bankroll management is critical if you decide to bet props, as the sheer number of prop betting markets can be a bit overwhelming. Always be sure to never wager more than you can comfortably afford to lose. For those struggling with gambling addiction or who think they might have a problem, seek help from these free resources: Have more questions about prop bets? Check out these FAQs below: Short for proposition bets, prop bets involve wagering on outcomes that happen within a particular sporting event. When posting props, oddsmakers make propositions to bettors on specific outcomes, and bettors either agree or disagree with them. Unlike many traditional bets, props focus on individual player or team outcomes rather than the game’s final score. Yes, prop bets are legal everywhere sports wagering is legal in the
United States. All of the major betting sites offer props as part of their betting menus, in large part thanks to an increasing propensity to bet props versus traditional straight bets. If you’re in an area that doesn’t have legal sports betting, consider a DFS alternative like PrizePicks . The over/under format is similar to props betting and allows you to get in on the action. Note that some states with legal sports wagering forbid bettors from placing prop wagers on college athletes. Ensure you understand the laws in your area before playing. Yes. Because sportsbooks place lower max bet limits on prop betting, they have less of a financial interest in ensuring their numbers are sharp, making props more beatable for most bettors. If you invest the majority of your research time on props (vs. straight bets), you can gain an advantage and potentially capitalize financially. You win prop bets by correctly predicting the outcome of a particular player or team’s performance in a game. For example, if a sportsbook posts
LeBron James will score 30 points in his upcoming game, and you bet the “over,” you will win your prop if James scores 31 points or more. Another example would be a sportsbook posting odds of +300 that Patrick Mahomes will score a touchdown, which would pay out 3/1 if he rushed one in. No, a parlay is not a prop bet. However, you can put multiple prop bets in a Same Game Parlay (SGP), which can be a mix of straight bets and props that all occur in the same game. SGPs may involve bets on players on both teams as well as team and game prop bets. Betting sites have leaned heavily into SGPs in recent years, as they offer high payouts while having amongst the highest losing percentages of any type of bets in the industry. Props get paid out as soon as the game is over. While that usually happens minutes after the end of a game, props can take a bit longer than straight bets to get paid out due to the nature of oddsmakers having to ensure that the stats are accurately reflected. Though it varies greatly by sport, prop betting markets for games are typically released much later than the point spread and other straight bets. The delayed release might be because the odds take more time for sportsbooks to calculate. Expect to see prop markets open up for a game anywhere from hours to one day before the game. Typically, the bigger the game, the earlier you will see props released for it. Get the free Action Network app for expert picks, live odds, bet tracking and more. Prop bet odds work just as straight bet odds work and move based on the amount of action each side receives. If a prop’s odds open up at -110 on each side, the odds will change based on which side receives more action. For example, if the “Over” on Jalen Hurts rushing yards opens at -120, but starts receiving the bulk of the money from bettors, oddsmakers will move those odds in an attempt to receive money on the “Under.” As a result, bettors who are looking to bet the “Under” on that prop will receive better odds and a higher potential payout if they are a winner. Yes, some sportsbooks offer live game props though they are still not standard practice throughout the industry. Major online sportsbooks such as DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook will post props on live games, especially on bigger games such as the NBA Finals or MLB World Series . Like all wagering markets, the larger the game, the more availability for prop betting there will be, including those in-game. For the most in-depth menu of prop betting availability, check out sites such as PrizePicks which focus on props-like picks as part of their DFS offerings. Your prop might have been canceled for various reasons. Most commonly, it happens when a player is scratched from a game and does not participate in it for whatever reason. Another reason would be the postponement or cancelation of a game, in which case the sportsbook will cancel all bets from the game. Another potential reason your prop was canceled could be an error in the betting line, especially if it was an obvious one that you took advantage of. When in doubt, contact the sportsbook’s customer service to understand exactly why your prop was canceled.