How Do Prop Bets Work?

Prop Bets

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When it comes to sports betting, there are countless ways to bet on any one event or sport. This includes proposition preps or prop bets.

Prop bets can be daunting, as many involve specific conditions. With that, our guide will walk you through what exactly a prop bet is, the different types of prop bets, how they differ between sports, and when and where to make prop bets.

What is a Prop Bet?

A prop bet is a type of betting market that focuses on something other than the final result. This includes a variety of things, which is why there are different types of prop bets to consider. The most popular among these is by far the player prop. 

When looking to make a prop bet, there are a few different types to consider. The three main types of prop bets are player props, team props, and game props.

Player Props

As the name suggests, player props focus on individual players. However, with dozens of sports available to bet on at any one sportsbook, each sport generally has its own selection of player prop markets.

Below, we have outlined some major sports and examples of how player props would work in each.

Football

For football, such as the NFL or College, player props are heavily focused on player stats. This generally includes passing yards, rushing yards, or receiving yards.

There are also more specific player props in football, such as passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, receiving touchdowns, first touchdown, or anytime touchdown. Further, you can also find player props for defensive players, which include sacks, solo tackles, and many others.

Regardless of which player prop you are betting on, you will need the player in question to go over or under the line set. 

For example, say Player A has a rushing yards prop of 49.5. If you bet on the over, Player A will need at least 50 rushing yards for your player prop bet to be graded as a win. Conversely, if you bet on the under, Player A will need 49 rushing yards or fewer for your bet to win.

Baseball

Baseball prop bets work similarly to football prop bets, as they focus on individual player stats. This could include home runs, strikeouts, total bases, singles, doubles, triples, hits, outs recorded, plus many others.

An example would be if you bet on the 6.5 strikeout prop for Pitcher A. If you bet on the over and Pitcher A records 7+ strikeouts, your bet would win. However, if Pitcher A records 6 strikeouts or fewer, your bet would lose.   

Basketball

Basketball is another sport where the player props focus on individual players. Common basketball player props include points, rebounds, points+rebounds, points+rebounds+assists, assists, three-pointers made, blocks, and steals.

For example, say Player A has a points prop of 23.5. If you bet on the over and Player A scores 24 points or more, your bet would be graded as a win. However, if Player A scores 23 points or fewer, your bet would lose.

Golf

Since golf is an individual sport, prop bets tend to work a little differently. With golf prop bets, you can typically bet on Top 5/10/20/30/40 Finishes, to Make the Cut, Round 1 Leader, Top American, Top European, Top Rest of World, etc. 

An example of this would be if you bet on Golfer A to Finish in the Top 20 at Tournament A. If Golfer A finishes T15, you would win your bet; however, if Golfer A finishes T22, you would lose your bet.

Team Props

The second type of prop bet is Team Props. These are more focused on the team as a whole instead of any one player. Like with player props, different sports offer different prop markets.

An example of a team prop, in the NBA, would be the “Team Total Points” market. If Team A has a team total of 110.5, betting on the over means that Team A must score 111 points or more for your prop bet to win. However, if Team A scores 110 points or fewer, your bet would lose.

Game Props

The third major type of prop bet is Game Props. These are focused on a specific outcome within a game or event. 

For example, in the NBA, a game prop would be betting on the “Race to X Points” market. For this prop, you are essentially betting on which team will score X points first. 

This prop can be made for the first, second, third, or fourth quarter, and the number of required points depends on the game prop you are betting on.

When to Use a Prop Bet?

While there is never an exclusive reason to make a prop bet, there are situations where these types of bets can be more advantageous than your typical betting markets.

For example, say the team you want to bet on is an overwhelming favorite, such as -700 on the money line or -29.5 on the spread. In these cases, there is too much volatility to make either of these bets worthwhile. 

Therefore, opting for a player prop instead could be just as profitable, since you can target players on the team that is the huge favorite.

Where to Make a Prop Bet?

Prop bets can be made at all of the legal sportsbooks. This includes DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, Fanatics, plus many others.

All of these sportsbooks are known for offering dozens of prop bet markets, and they each have different lines or odds, meaning it is worth shopping around to find the best value for the prop bet you want to make.

Best Sportsbooks for Prop Bets

FanDuel

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DraftKings

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Caesars Sportsbook

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