Prop Bets Explained

While most bets are based on the final outcome of a game, prop bets allow you to wager on any single event during a single game. Prop bets, sometimes called side bets or in-game bets, can be placed on any single thing you can think of that takes place during a game.

With a prop bet, you can wager on who will throw the most touchdowns or whether a possession will end in a turnover. You can also wager on events that are completely irrelevant to the final outcome. This is especially popular during the Super Bowl and major sporting events, where bets can be placed on things like who will be the surprise guest at the halftime show or which beer commercial will air first. These bets are typically placed prior to the game.

Many online sportsbooks now feature in-game betting, which allow you to bet on individual events in real time. You can bet on the result of a single NFL or NBA possession, a single MLB at-bat, or on full game stat lines.

Below we’ll take a deeper look at prop bets and in-game bets as well as some examples of more irreverent prop bets you can place during huge sports events like the Super Bowl.

Prop Bets

A prop bet is any bet that you place on a single event that usually does not have to do with the final outcome of the game. While most sports bets are concerned with the final point total, prop bets are based on the odds, or probability, of a certain event happening or not happening.

For example, you can make a prop bet on how many strikeouts a pitcher will have in a single game.

You can make a prop bet on whether a defensive NFL player will score in a game.

You can bet on whether Stephen Curry will hit more than 6 three-pointers.

You can bet on whether Pekka Rinne will have more than 25 saves.

Typically, prop bets will be placed before the game and each bet comes with its own moneyline. So if we are betting on whether Curry will hit more than 6 threes, the over might be +250 while the under might be -400.

In-Game Bets

Most online sportsbooks now feature in-game betting, which is very fun and super intense. While traditionally prop bets have allowed you to bet on specific events in a game, in-game betting allows you to bet on specific events in a single half, quarter, or possession.

You can bet on whether Jacob DeGrom will strike out Manny Machado in an at bat in real-time.

You can bet on whether the Patriots will hold the Jets to a field goal on an individual drive as it happens.

You can bet on whether the next Knicks drive will end in a turnover.

The pace of the action is intense since it’s based on real-time events with constantly changing odds determined by an algorithm.

Super Bowl Prop Bets

Prop bets are especially popular in the Super Bowl, where NFL fans have two weeks to prepare for a single game so the mind starts to wander.

Super Bowl prop bets can be anything, like who will win the Super Bowl MVP or whether Tom Brady will throw for over or under 2 touchdowns. Many others tend to be much more irreverent. Some examples from Super Bowl 53 included:

Will any player take a knee during the national anthem? Yes +400 / No -700

How many commercials will run during the Super Bowl? Over 96 -120 / Under 96 -120

Which commercial will appear first? Budweiser +150 / Bud Light +210

Who will the Super Bowl MVP mention first in his speech? Teammates +175 / God +190 / Family +500

How long will it take Gladys Knight to sing the national anthem? Over 1:49 -240 / Under 1:49 +165