Super Bowl Props

Every year, the Super Bowl is the most heavily bet sporting event in the country. Most of those bets aren’t just bets on the spread, moneyline, or total. A large percentage of bets come via “prop bets.” A prop bet is a specific wager on a player, person, or event that isn’t necessarily related to the outcome of the game. These bets can range from a specific player to score a touchdown to the color of Gatorade that will be dumped on the winning coach.

While bettors can make prop bets on any specific game during the regular season and the playoffs, sportsbooks offer a lot more different prop bets come Super Bowl time. During any other regular season or playoff game, you might see somewhere in the range of a couple of dozen of the more common prop bets (i.e., O/U total passing yards for a quarterback or player to score the first touchdown). For the Super Bowl, there will be hundreds if not thousands of different prop bets that can range from traditional prop bets to something as small into detail like the color of the fingernails of the person singing the national anthem.

Super Bowl prop bets change range in odds from something like -110 on each side (like the coin flip) to something that could offer you amazing payouts of +1000 or better (like on which player will score the first touchdown of the game).

Prop bets can give bettors more options on big events, like the Super Bowl, instead of just betting on typical outcomes like spreads and totals. Perhaps a bettor may find the spread a little too high and risky or to close with no clear edge. Therefore they may find more value and less risk in some prop bets that make them more appealing than traditional betting options.

Super Bowl prop bets can also appeal to the casual bettor and not just the seasoned vets. With all of the different variety of options, almost anyone can find a particular betting option that appeals to them, even if it is just a friendly wager. Someone who is watching the game with their spouse or another person who is not a big NFL fan can still find some sort of prop bet to appeal to them. Maybe they are a fan of the singer of the national anthem or are interested in some of the cross-sport prop options involving one of their favorite sports instead of just the NFL. Super Bowl prop bets can help interest more than just NFL betting fans.

How Super Bowl Props Are Created

In recent years, prop betting has become a more popular attraction to bettors. Since around the early 2000s, prop betting has started to become more popular across the world. Sportsbooks have started to expand on prop betting options as technology in sports has expanded as well. Now, there is data and statistics that are measured on a play-by-play basis that wasn’t available 30 or more years ago. This gives sportsbooks access to more information, therefore letting them offer up more betting options. On the other side, this also gives the bettors more access to different kinds of information that can help them make more informed bets.

When it comes to prop bets, each year, more and more different types of prop bets are available. Not only will Super Bowl prop bets involve the Super Bowl itself, but other things like halftime and pre-game events can be available to be bet on. Also, prop bets involving other events outside of the Super Bowl (such as an NBA game going on at the same time) can be involved. An example of this could be “Will (NBA Player) have more points than (NFL WR) has receiving yards.”

Super Bowl Prop bets, like any other betting option for any other game, are created by sportsbooks based on how they foresee the odds of a specific event happening. The odds are then calculated against all the bets placed by the other bettors for that particular prop bet. That is where we see the odds change throughout the time the bet is offered. The sportsbook makes their money from a commission that everyone who bets has to pay (the juice or vig). The odds then are based on what the book has to pay out to the winners against all the money taken in through wagers placed.

Looking for Value in Super Bowl Props

Betting on a lot of the different Super Bowl prop bets can be a fun thing to do. However, if you want to do it profitably, it is best to limit the number of bets made and to try and find the ones that offer you the best value.

The coin flip prop bet, for example, is a great example of a prop bet that is not a value bet. Some can try to argue with you that there is a “science” to predict the outcome of a coin flip and that there are trends you can follow. However, it is a coin flip; it is the most 50/50 bet that you can make. Therefore, there is no value in paying -110 on either side of something that is 50/50. The only time you could find value in a coin flip bet is if you get it at even or plus money. Don’t count on that happening though, as sportsbooks will keep the juice on both sides somewhere in the range of -101 to -110.

The best bets for value are the “Yes/No” prop bets, Over/Under bets on player stats, player touchdowns, and bets of that nature. These are the type of bets that you can handicap like an actual point spread or total on a game. These bets are left up to less chance compared to a coin flip bet, and therefore an actual edge can be found.

An example would be for a player to score the first touchdown. If both teams are run-heavy offenses with one team being an excellent defensive team and the other not so much, you could place a bet on the team with the better defenses running back to score the first touchdown. These are the types of bets that you can do some research and made an informed pick instead of just hoping to pick the right side of a coin flip. Also, these types of prop bets usually carry plus money odds and can set you up for a nice payout.

Prop bets can be very profitable for bettors who are willing to put in the time to identify an edge to take advantage of. That could mean a particular cornerback who struggles against a specific receiver or a team that struggles against the run. This type of research can be very valuable on certain prop bets.

Betting on skill-based outcomes and not luck-based ones is the key to being profitable. Avoid bets such as the result of a coin toss or the length of the National Anthem, and instead, focus on those that you can research.

Super Bowl Prop Bets FAQ