What Is a Prop Bet – How To Use Them And Best Uses
If you look at any sporting event, you will find that the bulk of bets available will be prop bets. You may sometimes see these referred to as side bets. To win the big cash from a single bet, then you will normally want to be looking at the props. But, what is a prop bet? Let's take a look!
What Is a Prop Bet?
A proposition bet, or prop bet for short, is any bet that is not impacted by the final outcome of the game. This means almost every bet that wouldn't be categorized as a moneyline or a point spread.
The best way to think of it as such; if the bet involves the winner of the game being determined, then it is not a prop bet. If you can win the bet regardless of who won the game, then it is a prop bet.
The following are examples of prop bets:
- First goalscorer in a game.
- Top goalscorer
- Passing yards in a football game for a single player.
- The color Gatorade consumed during half-time
We are sure that you get the idea here. Basically, 99% of the bets that you see on a game will be prop bets.
How Do Prop Bet Odds Work?
The betting odds for prop bets are not going to be any different from the betting odds that you see on moneylines and point spreads. As you know, betting odds can be displayed in one of three ways.
In the US, most sites default to the American odds betting system, which is what we are going to focus on here. You will know if you are dealing with the American odds system if you see a + or – before a number.
- If you see a +, it means that this bet is an underdog. The number displayed is the potential winnings for every $100 that you stake.
- If you see a -, then this bet is the favorite (or one of the favorites). This number tells you how much cash you would need to gamble to win $100.
Examples:
- +100 would mean that a $100 stake would give you $100
- -86 would mean that a $100 stake would give you $86
In both cases, you will get your initial stake back.
In theory, the betting odds should be a reflection of the chances of a specific event occurring in a game. In most cases, it is.
However, sportsbooks calculate betting odds to ensure that they always see a profit. This means that they are constantly adjusting the odds to attract a roughly equal amount of cash staked on both sides of the coin.
Before placing a prop bet, then you can use the odds as a bit of guidance about which way you believe the bet is likely to go.
However, do not use this as your sole piece of information. We want you to win your bet, after all. This means that you are going to need to do a wealth of research. The areas that you need to be researching will be dependent on the type of bet that you are placing.
How To Bet On Prop Bets
As we said, placing your bet is going to start with doing research. The more research you put into a bet, the more informed you will be.
This means that you will be drastically lowering the risk of the bet. We never make a bet unless we have at least two pieces of supporting evidence that the bet is likely to come through. We look at the following:
- Forums/Social media
- Betting tips
- Sports news
- Past performances for the teams
- Past performances of the players
- Current form
- Head-to-heads between the competitors.
We also think long and hard about how much we want to stake.
The riskier the bet, the less cash that we stake on it (as we know that we may lose, but we may also see more cash in terms of winnings).
It is important to remember that you should expect to lose every single bet that you place when you are gambling on sports.
Even if the bet seems like a surefire thing, you can expect to lose it. This way, if the worst does happen (and it will eventually), your personal finances will not be impacted., You should only ever gamble cash that you can afford to lose.
Your prop bets can be placed at one of two points:
- Before the game
- During the game.
If you are betting during the game, this should be simple. Look for the bet that you want to make on the online sportsbook and place it. Should take no more than a couple of seconds.
During the game, you will need to look for the live betting section of the site.
You will place the bet in much the same way as you would before the game. There will be one major difference, though.
This is the fact that the betting odds can change at a moment's notice. The betting odds will always reflect what is happening on the field, so if you see a bet at great betting odds, then you best place them quickly!
Now You Know The Prop Bet Meaning When Is The Best Time To Use Them?
You can place prop bets whenever you want. This is assuming that you have a solid understanding of the sport that you are betting on.
If you want to make cash with sports betting, then you will eventually need to dabble in props. Moneylines and point spreads don't quite cut it when it comes to delivering a treasure trove of cash.
We like to scatter a couple of props into a parlay (on the rare occasion when we do place them), because just a couple of props on a parlay can deliver massive returns if they come through.
Prop Bet Pros ; Cons
Let's quickly go through the pros and cons of a prop bet. This way, you will know whether they are going to be the right choice for you.
Pros of Prop Bets
Almost all of the bets that you find available for a sport will be prop bets, so if you don't get involved with them at some point, you are going to be seriously limiting your available gambling options.
Prop bets can deliver good returns too. This is assuming that you are willing to take the risk.
Cons of Prop Bets
Successful prop betting will take a lot of research, and a good amount of luck. You will likely lose more props than you win. They are that risky.
You may also need to hunt around for the prop bets that you want to make because one online sportsbook won't offer them all.
Summary
A prop bet is a side bet. It is any bet that you can within regardless of how the game ends up.
Most of the bets that you see at an online sportsbook will be prop bets. They are the riskiest bets that you can place on an individual game, but it does mean that you can win big if the prop comes through.
Just bear in mind that if you want to be successful with a prop, you will need to put in a lot of research.