A prop bet is a wager on a specific statistic to happen in the event that doesn’t depend on who wins or loses the game. There are many types of prop markets, and the most common are in football. For example, you could wager on the running back’s rushing yards, or which team (and how) will score score first. Props are some of the most extensive games available in the market and they continue to expand with more options provided on every game. Prop bets are usually how most people build same-game parlays.
A prop bet, short for proposition bet, is a wager on a specific outcome inside a game rather than on the final score. The team can lose, and your prop can still win. Sportsbooks post hundreds of props on a single NFL game and dozens on a regular season NBA or MLB game.
Props fall into three groups:
Most props are either over/under lines on a number or yes/no markets on an event. A few, like first touchdown scorer, list every eligible player at a different price.
A prop works like a small bet on a small game. The sportsbook projects a number, sets a line at or near it, and attaches a price to each side. You pick a side, and the result settles on the official box score.
The table explains why experienced bettors spend so much time on props. The lines are softer because the sportsbook cannot model every player in every game as carefully as it models the point spread. That cuts both ways: the book charges more juice to protect itself.
A player prop line starts with a projection. The sportsbook’s model estimates the player’s expected yards, points or receptions from recent usage, opponent, pace and game script. The line sits near the projection, usually at half point to avoid pushes. Both sides open around -115, and the book moves the line or the price as money comes in.
Payouts use standard American odds. At -115, you risk $115 to win $100. At +110, you risk $100 to win $110. The implied probability of -115 is about 53.5 percent, so the two sides of a prop together add up to about 107 percent. That extra 7 percent is the hold, and it is higher than the 4.5 percent hold on a standard -110 spread.
Most apps let you move a prop line up or down for a different price. Goff over 245.5 at -115 might become over 275.5 at +160 or over 215.5 at -200. Alternate lines turn one prop into a ladder of choices and feed most same game parlay builders.
The Super Bowl brings props on the coin toss, the length of the national anthem, the Gatorade color and the first song of the halftime show. Most state regulators allow only props tied to on field play, so the famous novelty markets are mostly a Nevada and offshore phenomenon. Legal apps in most states offer game and player props on the Super Bowl but not entertainment props.
Prop markets have drawn the most regulatory attention of any bet type, because a single player can influence a single stat more easily than a final score.
Every book in our best sports betting apps guide offers player and game props on all major leagues. bet365 and FanDuel typically post the deepest NFL prop menus, while Fanatics and theScore Bet focus on the most popular markets.
Sports betting should stay entertainment. Set a budget before you start, treat losses as the cost of that entertainment, and never chase them. Every legal sportsbook offers deposit limits, time limits, cool-off periods and self-exclusion in its account settings. If betting stops being fun, help is free and confidential:
Prop is short for proposition. A prop bet is a wager on a specific event or statistic inside a game, such as a player’s yards or the first team to score, rather than on the final result.
A player prop is a bet on one athlete’s performance, usually as an over/under on a stat line like passing yards, points or strikeouts, or as a yes/no on an event like scoring a touchdown.
A prop bet is a single wager on one event. A parlay combines two or more bets into one ticket. Props are often used as the legs of a same game parlay.
At most sportsbooks the prop is voided and the stake is returned. If the player is active but records no stats, the prop usually stands as a loss on the over. Check the house rules.
Props have softer lines than spreads but carry more juice, usually -115 or worse on both sides. They reward bettors who follow usage and injuries closely and punish casual guesses.
It depends on the state. Ohio and Maryland prohibit props on individual college athletes, New Jersey blocks bets on in-state college teams, and Kentucky has no college restriction. College team props and game props remain available wherever college betting is legal.
It is a yes/no prop on whether a player scores at least one touchdown at any point in the game, including overtime. Rushing, receiving and return touchdowns all count.
Full game props include overtime unless the market name specifies a quarter or half. First half and quarter props end when that period ends.