Entering the world of NFL prop betting is kinda like walking into a nightclub for the first time as a freshly-minted 21-year-old. It’s a little overwhelming at first, but a can be a helluva lot of fun once you get more comfortable with your surroundings.
Prop bets or ‘propositions’ allow you to bet on specific elements within a game such as milestones for each team or individual players. Examples could include the number touchdowns a team will score in the game, or the total number of rushing yards for a running back.
The interesting thing about prop bets is they open up the more nuanced aspects of an NFL game for betting. This can certainly add to the excitement of watching an NFL game as you start paying attention to the games within the games, such as whether a team is opting to run or throw the ball and which running backs and receivers are being utilised by their quarterback for this.
As such, to be successful betting on most NFL prop markets, it can certainly be beneficial to have some more in depth American football knowledge. If you know what to look out for, such as the style of play of different teams and individual player matchups, there’s a big opportunity to cash in on your research.
Prop bets usually take the form of Over/Under totals, Yes/No propositions, or certain events, such as the first touchdown scorer. To understand exactly what you’re looking at when visiting the NFL props section of an online sportsbook, reading our Bet Basics guide to understanding NFL odds is a good place to start.
Once you’ve got that down, the next step is to understand the extensive list of prop options that are available to bet on. Let’s break it down in more detail.
NFL PLAYER PROP BETS
NFL player props focus on the individual output of a player in a certain game. The most frequently gambled on props for offensive players include total passing yards, receiving yards and rushing yards. Some sportsbooks will even let you bet on the number of passing and rushing attempts. Betting on player touchdowns, such as the number scored, or whether they score first, last or at any point in the game is also an option.
For defensive players, there’s often an option to gamble on a player to grab an interception or a record a sack.
With no shortage of NFL player statistics available online for the general public, a well-informed bettor can certainly identify favourable odds in the player prop markets. Understanding how certain teams make use of their best offensive weapons and how they match up against their defensive opponents is key to this.
NFL TEAM PROP BETS
NFL team prop bets open up just about every aspect of an NFL contest to be gambled on. Some of the most popular team props include, which team will win each quarter, which team will win each half, total number of team touchdowns and total team points (but the list goes on).
In the same vein as player prop bets, a bit of research can go a long way to helping you successfully wager on NFL team props. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different teams, such as whether they are know to start fast or finish strong will help shape how you place these bets.
SUPER BOWL PROP BETS
The number of different prop bets available for any given NFL game may seem endless, but this goes to a whole different level when the Super Bowl comes around. Sportsbooks really step up their game for the annual showpiece with just about every on-field and off-field aspect of the event available to bet on.
Some of the most bizarre prop markets from previous Super Bowls include the length of the national anthem, the color of the Gatorade that’ll be tipped on the winning coach, the result of the coin toss, who the Super Bowl MVP will give a shoutout to in their post game interview and whether a player will propose to their girlfriend on the field post match.
The unusual range of prop bets are generally used by sportsbooks as a headline-grabbing marketing exercise that aims to attract new gamblers to their online and mobile betting sites.
DID YOU KNOW?
The longest national anthem performance took place at Super Bowl XLVII, when Alicia Keys took 2 minutes and 36 seconds to belt out Star Spangled Banner.
Featured image by Fredrick Lee on Unsplash
