Online sports betting has really taken off in recent years. Ever since the Supreme Court handed over the legal decision to individual states, millions more Americans have been able to give gambling a go. The betting opportunities are endless and customers can bet on just about everything.
All the best sportsbooks offer betting markets on a wide range of sports and a limitless amount of big events. It is a good idea to concentrate on what you know and bet on sports and events you enjoy. But you may have heard about prop bets too. Here’s our quick guide to making the most out prop bets.
What is a Prop Bet?
A prop bet is a “proposition” bet – essentially gambling on something happening or not. In a way, it is the oldest kind of bet you can make. Instead of betting on a sports team winning a game, or your favourites winning the championship, prop bets are on a will they or won’t they decision.
A good way of thinking about prop bets is that you are placing a wager on something other than the result of a game. There are many different kinds of prop bets – and you will see later that some have very little sporting element at all! But you will find the prop bet markets in the same place as the game markets on any good sportsbook.
Why are Prop Bets So Popular?
The main attractions of prop bets are that they are so easy to understand. You don’t even really need to know much about sports to understand what you are betting on with a prop bet. You either think something will happen, or you think that it won’t happen.
Obviously it helps if you have some idea of the proposition in the first place. But understanding and placing these kinds of wagers is extremely straightforward. Another reason why you will hear about prop bets a lot is that the biggest events in the world always give sportsbooks a good excuse to offer them.
Two Kinds of Prop Bets
It could be said that prop bets are split into two distinct categories – fun and skilled. In reality, a lot of these wagers fall somewhere along a sliding scale between the two. But for most sports events you will be more likely to be offered a series of skilled proposition bets.
Skilled prop bets will ask you to use your sports knowledge to decide whether something will happen or not. It could be whether LeBron James will score 30 points in a game. A fun prop bet is more common for the big events – but an example would be whether LeBron James will wear a headband or not.
But what color will it be?
Super Bowl Prop Bets
If there is one sports event that prop bets seemed to have been invented for, it is the Super Bowl. Just like the big game itself has just about transcended the sport of football and become a social event, Super Bowl prop bets will attract people who know little about sports – or even betting.
Although the fun Super Bowl prop bets will usually attract most of the attention, there are also plenty of skilled options too. You can bet on whether a QB will throw three TD passes, or a running back will score. But you will definitely hear about being able to bet on the color of the Gatorade poured over the winning coach – or whether the national anthem will take over two minutes to sing.
Prop Bet Tips
The main thing to remember about prop bets is the same advice we would give for any kind of sports betting – do your homework. When you are better informed you have a better chance of winning. You should also remember that nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to sports betting.
You can do yourself a favour by finding the best odds though. Sportsbooks will offer similar prices for moneyline markets – but prop bets can be quite different. You should also predict the game outcome first, to give yourself an idea of how the prop bets might follow. Prop bets can be a lot of fun, especially for the Super Bowl, so it is best not to take them too seriously – and always gamble responsibly.
