Prop Bets Explained: Your Complete Guide to Proposition Betting

A proposition bet (prop bet) is any wager placed on an event other than the traditional full game moneyline, point spread, and team totals. Prop bets are not directly connected to games final score, making the possibility for different wagers on a single event seem endless.

The expansion of the prop betting market has caused the betting industry to explode in popularity, making average regular season games extra exciting for sports bettors.

Prop bets are any wager that is not directly connected to the game's final score, allowing you to wager on individual teams or individual players. Traditional bets limit you to only full game moneyline, point spread, or totals, but the different possibilities for prop betting seems endless.

Traditional wagers would include examples such as the Toronto Blue Jays to beat the New York Yankees at –110 on the moneyline or -1.5 on the point spread, with the over/under set at 7.5 runs.

Prop bets would include examples such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. over/under 1.5 total bases, the Jays to be winning through the first five innings at -120, or neither team to score a run in the first inning. 

Prop bets have opened up the sports betting market tremendously, providing more betting opportunities than ever before. There are all kinds of different prop bet examples we could provide, but here are the most common variations you will find on online betting sites.

Player Props

Player props provide you with the opportunity to wager on individual players rather than individual teams. If you are looking to bet on player props, you will find markets for over/under totals on most important player statistics in their sport, moneylines for a player to score in a specific half of the game, and yes/no wagers on some individual statistics like if a player will record a sac or not.

Here are some of the most common player prop examples:

• Over/under for a pitcher's total strikeouts in the game
• Moneyline odds for a player to be the first, last, or anytime touchdown scorer
• Yes/no on a pitcher to record a win
• Over/under on a player's total point for the game 

Team Props

Team props are wagers that only take the performance of one individual team into account. There will be over/under totals for team statistics, yes/no wagers for a team to score in specific quarters, and numerous additional markets depending on your sportsbook.

Here are some of the most common team prop examples:

• Individual team total points over/under
• Over/under on a team's total hits
• Yes/no on a team to win every quarter
• Will a team's final total be odd/even

Game Props

Game props are wagers that take the performances of both teams into account, but don’t look at the final score. This includes moneylines, point spreads and totals for individual quarters of portions of a game, moneyline odds on which team will lead in specific statistics, and many other niche yes/no wagers.

Here are some of the most common game prop examples:

• Will there be a run scored in the first inning yes/no
• Moneyline, point spread, and totals odds for the first five innings of a baseball game
• Over/under total passing yards between both teams
• Moneyline odds on which team will score first

Exotic Props

Exotic props don’t look at box scores or any major statistics of an event. The Superbowl is the number one event for this type of prop betting, offering numerous fun markets for events that have nothing to do with the game. You can also find prop bets for non-sporting events such as the Oscars, Grammy’s, Emmy’s, or Politics.

Here are some of the most popular exotic wagers:

• Over/under on how long the national anthem will be
• Will the coin toss result be heads or tails?
• What colour will the Gatorade dumped on the head coach be?
• Who will be the next president?
• Who will win album of the year?

Prop bets are a great thing for the sports betting world overall, but everything has its pros and cons. Here is a table breaking down the best and worst aspects of prop betting.

Having prop bets available is a good thing, but more possibilities can also make it difficult to narrow down the most profitable wagers. Here are some expert strategies and tips for how to approach prop betting.

• Don’t get overwhelmed by the number of options: While having more options available to you is a good thing, it can also make narrowing things down overwhelming. Don’t feel like you need to place wagers on every different market. Play to your strengths and wager on the markets that you understand best.
• Don’t place counteractive wagers: If you are going to place a bet, don’t place another one that goes against the narrative of your first wager. For example, if you are going to bet the over on a game total, don’t also wager on the under for a quarterback's total touchdowns.
• Shop around for the best odds: Traditional wagers will vary slightly between different sportsbooks, but prop bets will vary more significantly. This makes it extremely important to have multiple sports betting accounts and check for the most favourable odds before you place any wager.
• Do matchup-based research: Being aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each team will help you profit more consistently in prop betting. For example, if you are going to bet the over on a left-handed pitcher's strikeouts, look at how he has performed against the team in the past, how his recent outings have gone, how the opposing team has been hitting recently, and how often the opposing team strikes out against left handed pitching. If a pitcher predominantly uses one pitch, see how the opposing teams has hit against this specific pitch. The more research you do the better.