How do prop bets work exactly?

Question

ok so ive been doing regular moneyline and spread bets for a few months now but i keep seeing all these prop bets and honestly im confused af. like theres so many options for random stuff like how many yards a player gets or first touchdown scorer etc. are these actually worth doing or is it just a way for the books to take more of your money? sorry if this is a dumb question lol

Accepted Answer

nah not a dumb question at all, props confused me at first too. so basically instead of betting on who wins the game youre betting on individual stuff happening within the game. player props are like will lebron score over/under 27.5 points, or will mahomes throw 2+ TDs. game props are stuff like will there be a score in the first 5 minutes or total turnovers in the game. i actually find them pretty fun because you can have action even if the game is a blowout lol. i use My Bookie mostly for props cause their lines are decent and they have a ton of options. just be careful cause the juice can be higher on some props compared to spreads. imo start with player props on stats you actually follow

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Yeah what this guy said. I started doing props like 6 months ago and honestly theyre way more fun than just picking winners. Makes watching random thursday night games actually interesting when you got action on the receiving yards leader or something. Just dont go crazy parlaying like 8 props together lmao

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Props generally fall into a few categories worth knowing about. You've got player performance props (points, yards, assists etc), game situation props (first team to score, will there be OT), and then novelty props which are more common for big events like the super bowl. The edges on props can actually be better sometimes because books don't spend as much time setting those lines compared to main markets.

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idk man i feel like props are where they really get you though. like the vig is always way worse and half the time the lines move against you before you can even place it. feels like gambling on gambling if that makes sense

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nah bro thats not really accurate for all of them. yeah some have worse juice but if you actually do your research on matchups the books dont always nail the lines. i hit a ton of receiving props last season just by looking at CB matchups. its more work but theres def value there if you know where to look

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Fwiw props are weighted differently in terms of limits too. Most books will let you bet way less on props than spreads before they cut you off or move the line. Something to consider if youre trying to bet larger amounts.

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wait so if im reading this right, can you do live props too? like betting on stuff during the game as its happening??

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yeah you can do live props on most books now. they update as the game goes on. like if a RB already has 60 yards in the first half you might see a new line for 110.5 total or whatever. pretty fun but moves fast so you gotta know what youre doing

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One thing people don't mention enough is that correlated parlays are usually restricted. So if you want to bet a QB's passing yards over AND his passing TDs over, some books won't let you parlay those together since they're obviously related outcomes. Just something to be aware of.

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props have been brutal for me honestly. the lines are just way sharper than they used to be. used to crush receiving props a couple years ago and now it feels like the books have caught up. maybe im just on a bad run but its frustrating

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That sucks but I've had the opposite experience tbh. I focus on super niche stuff like kicker props and punting averages. Less sharp eyes on those so you can still find mispriced lines. Maybe try looking at the less popular markets?

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The key with props is really shopping lines across multiple books. I've seen player point totals differ by 2-3 points between sites which is huge. Also worth noting that some props settle differently depending on the book so always check their rules section first.

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can confirm props are the move once you get the hang of it. been doing mostly player props for NFL and NBA this year and its way more engaging than just picking sides. plus you feel like a genius when you hit a same game parlay lol

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