What is Prop Bets? How Does It Work in Real-Time?

Ritu Lavania
October 31, 2024

Proposition bets, or prop bets, are globally recognized as the most popular betting markets for online punters. You can place prop bets throughout the year for major sports. Most sportsbooks have different sorts of prop bets for various punters, including those who are into fantasy sports and even entertainment or politics.

Many punters are still learning about prop bets, but the best part is that if you are one of them, then you have come to the right place. This article will discuss how props work, the different types of proposition bets available, and how they are used in different sports and events.

How does Prop Betting work?

Prop bets are all about specific events or outcomes within a match, not just the climax of the match. These wagering revolve around player stats, performances, and key in-play moments.

prop bets offer unique odds by allowing players to bet on events beyond the game’s outcome.
Common types include Game Props, Team Props, Player Props, and Novelty Props.
To maximize returns, bettors often use Parlay bets—combining multiple wagers into one play for potentially higher payouts.
This version keeps the essential information while improving clarity and readability. Let me know if you’d like further tweaks!

Types of Prop Bets

Team Props

The team prop bet focuses solely on the performance of every team and is also set around the same sports betting markets as a game prop bet. Bettors wager on different aspects of the team’s performance, including the total points scored, penalties, turnovers, and even the gaming outcomes.

Some common examples of team props involve betting on –

Totals or Over/Under of the three-pointers made
Will the team win a defensive touchdown?
Will the team win four quarters?
How many points are scored by the first-half team?

Game Props

Game Props revolve around certain occurrences or events in a particular match or a game. The prop bet odds for game props are set around various sports betting options, including money lines, totals, or handicaps, or can be bet on in a simple Yes/No format.

Some common examples of game props involve betting on –

First team to reach 15 point
Whether an individual player will make a goal in the first 5 minutes?
The team with maximum strikeouts
The total rushing yards secured

Player Props

Player prop bets are decided by looking at the player performances during an event. They either focus on individual players or pit two players or more against each other in head-to-head props. These bets focus on the performances and statistics of individual players during an event or gain.

For example, betting on whether LeBron James will score over or under 30 points, which is totally based on his performance during the match.

Some common examples of player props involve betting on –

First player to score touchdown
Over/under for a player’s total rebounds
Total strikeouts that a pitch can record in a single outing
Totals on the number of goals scored by a player in a single game

Novelty or Exotic Prop Bets

These bets go beyond the odds offered by sportsbook as well as the contest’s box score. Exotic props may not be available in most sportsbooks since there are regulatory restrictions, especially for non-sporting events like the Oscars, reality competitions, political elections, and other happenings in the world of politics and entertainment.

Some common examples of novelty or exotic props involve betting on –

Who will win the US Presidential Elections?
Which politician will have the maximum number of followers on Twitter?
Gatorade color was dumped on the winning coach
What will be the length of the national anthem at the Super Bowl
The weight of the next baby in the Royal family?

Tips and Strategies for Props Betting

While betting strategies do not guarantee wins, they can always be used to increase the chances of winning. Let’s take a look at the top strategies for prop betting –

Do proper Research: Research can elevate the winning odds, especially when it comes to prop betting. Stay updated on recent player or team performances and injuries before starting to use proposition bets.

Examine Matchups: An important part of proposition bets is to examine matchups for player props, team props, and game props. With a high-rank team of three-point defense, it is advisable to stay away from the players of the team to make a particular amount of 3s.

Shop odds by Comparing: Shopping for the best odds can be done by researching different sportsbooks. Look for the most favorable odds in prop bets and then sign up to claim the bonuses.

Money Management or Responsible Gambling: Responsible gambling is the most important strategy since players often fail to keep track of their gaming sessions, and this can lead to mismanagement of their bankroll. Hence, players must maintain a strict budget and bet only if they can afford to lose.

Prop Bets for Different Sports and Events

NFL Props

The National Football League (NFL) is one of the most popular leagues that punters love to wager on. The variety of proposition bets for NFL games seems to grow every season.

Let’s take a look at the popular prop bets for NFL –

Over/Under Totals Passing Yards – Players bet on whether total passing yards made by the two teams combined will be over/under the yardage fixed by the bookmaker.
Longest Field Goal – When players wager on the distance of a game’s longest successful field goal, whether it is over/under specific yardage fixed by the sportsbook.
Team with Most Rushing Yards – Players bet on the team with the most rushing yards in the NFL game.
Total Sacks – This involves wagering on the total sacks that both teams make.
Total Interceptions – This involves wagering on the total interceptions made by the teams combined in a game.
Player Scoring First Touchdown – Punters wager on the player who will score the first touchdown.
First Scoring Play – Players predict the method used by the players for the first scoring play. For example, a touchdown, safety, or field goal.

Soccer Props

Soccer is an international sport with many popular competitions and leagues like the Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A.

A soccer proposition sports bet can be of different types, including the following –

First Goal Scorer – This is when players bet on which player will score the first goal in the game.
Total Goals Scored – Players wager on the total goals that both teams score combined during the match and predict whether it will be over/under the total goal set by the bookmaker.
Total Corners – This involves wagering on the total corner kicks that are awarded and predicting whether it will be over/under the total corner set by the bookmaker.
Total Shots – When players wager on the total number of shots on goal for a team being over/under the set amount.
Player Assists – This is when punters bet on assists recorded by a certain player and predict whether it will be over/under the set assist totals.
Yellow Cards – Players wager on the total number of yellow cards that will be issued to the two teams combined in a match.

Golf Props

A golf prop bet offers a unique sports betting market that runs for 52 weeks with a new tournament being held every week, providing access to a wide range of bets, mostly across PGA Tours and Majors events.

The most popular golf prop bet options include –

Head-to-Head Matchups – Matchups happen when players wager on the matchup result between the golfers and predict who will have the lowest score.
Tournament Winner – Players wager on the winning golfer of the overall tournament.
Top Finishing Position – This involves choosing the golfer with the highest finishing position among a group of golfers. The golfer may or may not win the game but should have the best results compared to others in the chosen group.
Winning Margin – To bet on the winning margin, players can calculate the margin in the number of strokes that separate the runner-up and the first-place golfer.
Hole-in-One – This involves betting on whether the chosen golfer will hit the hole-in-one.

Tennis Betting Props

Tennis is similar to golf as the sports take place throughout the year, thereby offering a wide variety of games for punters to wager on.

Prop betting for tennis is more prevalent, especially for the following bet types –

Total Games – This involves betting on the cumulative number of games where players need to select the over or under of the line in a game.
Set Betting – Wager on the exact number of sets that will be won by every player or simply predict the game’s result for straight-sets victory.
First Set Winner – Players bet on the player who is most likely to win the match’s first set.
Match Tiebreak – When you bet on whether a match will reach a tiebreak set, it is a match tiebreak. This betting market operates with a simple Yes/No.
Total Aces – This is the total aces that is served by one or both players combined, and punters predict whether it will be over/under aces totals set by the bookmaker.

Boxing Betting Props

Boxing can be an incredible sport to bet on, especially with a wide range of prop betting options.

Round Betting – This includes betting on specific rounds in which punters think a fight might end. It requires predicting the round when a specific fighter will win, whether it is by technical knockout, knockout, or decision.
Method of Victory – Betting on method of victory involves betting on how a fight is most likely to end. It involves wagering on victory methods like technical knockout (TKO), knockout (KO), split decision, unanimous decision, or draw.
Totals Rounds – This involves betting on over/under a certain round totals fixed by the bookmaker before the match ends.
Fight Outcome – Punters can predict a fight’s exact result, such as a fighter winning by technical knockout, knockout, or decision.
Total Knockdowns – Punters can also wager on the total knockdowns scored in a fight.

Political Props Betting

Political prop betting recently gained traction in the industry and is particularly popular during political events like the US presidential elections.

The political prop betting markets are –

Popular Vote Percentage – If you are betting on the percentage of popular votes that a party or candidate will get in an election, you are betting on popular vote percentage. It focuses on the overall support level for a political entity.
Election Winner – This involves betting on an election’s result, such as the local government or presidential election.
Electoral College Outcome – Players can predict and wager on the result of an electoral college during a presidential election.
Referendum Outcome – In this bet type, players wager on the result of a ballot initiative or referendum, predicting whether a particular law, policy, or amendment will be approved by voters.
Cabinet Appointments – Players bet on who will be appointed to a cabinet position in the government.

Conclusion

If you want to bet props, you can start by choosing a reliable sportsbook that offers player prop, team prop, game prop, or exotic prop bets. These are generally easy to understand, adding a twist to various sports events where players can wager on in-game events that are not tied to the outcome.

While the rules of most sportsbooks are similar, there might be small variations in how certain situations are handled, which could potentially impact player’s props. Hence, we recommend our readers to read through the terms and conditions before placing props and avoid getting caught by surprises, if any unexpected event turns up.

FAQs

When are prop bets for games released?

Prop bets are released regularly to fulfill the rising demands. Proposition odds start showing up on Wednesday and Thursday for NFL games on Sunday. Whereas for College football on Saturday, props are released on Thursday and Friday. For most sports events that take place in the night such as NBA player props, NHL or MLB, the odds are released in the morning.

When do prop bets get paid out?

Proposition bets are paid out like any other bets. Once the wager is won, the funds are sent out to the players’ accounts. The payout is calculated in proportion to the bet size once the bet slip is finalized.

How do Prop Bet odds work?

Prop bets are not tied to the gaming outcomes, and they essentially refer to the amount of money that players can win if their wagers win.

Is there value in prop betting?

Yes, proposition bets can find the positive expected value. Different sports have different levels of winning probabilities and so is the case with props.