Frokat Sometimes, the simple bets on match outcome aren't enough. Whether it's boredom or a match being unviable due to a skill gap, punters often seek out alternatives to basic Moneyline bets. Enter prop bets (or proposition bets) - an umbrella term that contains many different, interesting wagers other than the simple coin toss.
With the variety of existing sports and esports disciplines, prop bets are virtually endless. Let's take a closer look at how prop bets work, why they're so fun, and how to bet on them to win.
What is a Prop Bet?
In simple terms, prop bets are wagers on in-game events that don't result in an immediate victory for either team. Instead, prop bets focus on small segments of the game's flow, such as an individual player's performance, and let punters bet on that. After all, Caleb Williams can have an amazing game despite the Trojans ultimately losing the match - why not bet on his performance alone?
Betting on props requires a bit more game and team knowledge than the usual Moneylines. Learn more of what's there to learn about prop betting options with our sports bet guide.
Types of Prop Bets
We weren't kidding when we said that prop bets are endless! Prop betting can include almost every aspect of traditional sports games or esports matches. Let's take a look at some of the most popular variations of prop bets.
Player Props
This type of prop bet is the most popular and simple. As the name suggests, it's any bet that hinges on player performance within an individual game (or season). It can include anything from scored goals in football (soccer), points scored in American football, eliminations in an esports game, and so on.
The most average player props bet will involve betting on Over/Under Totals. Let's take a look at an example:
Let's take an Inter Miami forward, Leonarda Campana, in a match against the New York Red Bulls. A sportsbook might set the over/under total at 1.5 goals. We believe that Campana will score over that number of goals during the game. Remember, wagers always have betting odds attached to them. In our hypothetical example, this over-bet odds is set to 4.95.
What it means with real money examples: if we bet $100 on Campana to score two goals or more, and our bet is correct (and of course, all of our prop bet examples are correct), we stand to take $495 back plus our initial stake.
There are more ways to bet on player props - this was just the most basic example.
Prop bets can be made as pre-match, as during the match with in-play betting feature that's available on most sportsbooks. Player props are the best match for live betting, and they're incredibly popular. Overall, prop bets are the most popular form of live betting. Learn more about live betting on sports with our guide.
Game Props
Betting on individual players requires a lot of research - going wider can be a little easier. Game props are popular for that reason, and they're also simple to understand. This type of popular prop bets focuses on team-based outcomes - which team will score the first point, etc.
Let's take a League of Legends LCS Spring 2024 match between Team Liquid and Fly Quest. Thunderpick.io posts odds on the First Team to Reach Kills at 2.00 for TL and 1.72 for FQ. We bet $100 on Fly Quest to score the first five kills, and they miraculously score a Pentakill in the third minute. We win our bet and take back $172 plus our initial wager. Huge success in one of the possible game props!
Team Props
Game and team props are pretty similar - the only difference is that we're betting on just one team this time.
Team props are perfect if you're an avid follower of your favorite team but not aware of other competitors. They're also a great way to spice up your viewing experience by betting on your favorite roster—even if you know they don't stand to win the match!
Let's take an NBA match between the Atlanta Hawks and the Memphis Grizzlies. A bookie puts up total odds on the Memphis Grizzlies to reach 106.5 points (Over at 1.89/Under at 1.84). We bet $100 on Under, and Memphis finished the game with 101 points. We take back $184 plus our initial stake.
Examples of Prop Bets Across Various Sports
Every sport and sporting event has something unique about its play, rules, and leagues. Prop bets capitalize on this like no other bet.
Most sportsbooks will feature a First Goal Scorer type of bet. Depending on the match's importance and the bookmaker's coverage, this bet can be either an individual player props bet or a team prop bet. This bet doesn't require putting money down on the final winner of the match. Bets of this type are commonly available during live betting.
An example of a popular prop bet in basketball is Three-Point Shot Totals. Betting on totals involves trying to guess whether both teams will score over or under the bookie's set arbitrary threshold. In this case, a bookmaker might set the threshold to 20 three-point shots.
Ice Betting is a low-scoring game, so betting on pucks isn't too exciting. There is a lot that is exciting about Hockey, though - and its penalty shots are definitely a big part of it. Bookmakers often set up wagers on Penalty Shot Outcome - whether a player scores or misses his penalty shot. This type of prop bet is an amazing opportunity for in-play bets.
Esports vary greatly, each with unique gameplay and mechanics. For example, in Counter-Strike 2, a match consists of 24 rounds that can last slightly under 3 minutes. As such, esports betting sites often put Round Totals on CS2 matches, such as whether team Fnatic will win less than 8 rounds in a match.
Fun Prop Bets vs Skill Prop Bets
So far, we've discussed prop bets where bettors' knowledge of teams and sports rules makes all the difference. These are called skill prop bets for this reason. But there's another subset of prop bets that are entirely chaotic, random, and a coin toss at best. We are, of course, talking about fun prop bets.
In Counter-Strike 2, a knife is more of a fashion statement than an actual weapon. That's why kills with it are so rare!
Fun prop bets come in all shapes and sizes; the only characteristic they share is that they're entirely random. They are pure guesswork with no skill involved.
Here's an example of how crazy fun prop bets can get: Super Bowl prop bets can even include such nonsensical wagers on how long the national anthem will be performed. In Counter-Strike esports betting, punters can put money on how many knife kills (a super rare, luck-based occurrence) will happen during a game. In fun props, prop bet odds will go crazy - but getting them right is a lottery.