Sports gambling is one of the most popular forms of betting in the world because of how exhilarating it is.
The joy of winning money and watching your favorite team or athlete beat the opposition at the same time is unrivaled. It’s no wonder revenue from sports betting in the USA is as much as $7 billion a month!
Predicting the outright winner of a sports event is always a popular choice among sports bettors.
However, many bettors bet on small things such as a yellow card in soccer or a free throw in basketball.These are known as proposition bets—or prop bets, for short—and they can be extremely lucrative.
If you want to maximize your earning potential when making prop bets, it’s vital to use safe betting websites that offer great odds on their online US sportsbooks. But how do you find the best sports betting sites in the USA for prop betting?
The answer’s simple—head to Betting Sites Ranking! We offer a sports betting website comparison tool to help you find the best US sports betting sites to place prop bets.
We also provide a list of some of the best casino sites to test your luck as well as information on the best betting apps on the market.
No matter which sports betting website you ultimately place prop bets on, you won’t succeed if you don’t understand what prop bets are and how they work.
That’s why we’ve put together this useful guide to help you gain a better understanding of prop bets.
If you’re eager to learn how to become a successful prop bettor, read on!
How Do Prop Bets Work?
Have you ever wanted to bet on the outcome of an event during a sports event? If so, prop bets are for you!
They refer to bets on specific aspects of a game, like the number of points scored by a player or the number of shots they miss during the game.
It’s common for sports betting websites to list odds for several outcomes linked to one event in their sportsbooks.
Each outcome is stated as a proposition that bettors can choose to either agree or disagree with. In other words, bettors make ‘proposition bets’—or prop bets, for short!
For instance, suppose you think England will score a ton of goals in their FIFA World Cup opening tie against Iran on the 21st of November 2022.
If you look through some of the best online sportsbooks for the US, you’ll find several propositions on the scoring potential of each player in the English squad.
Each proposition will be presented as a statement like “Harry Kane will score 2+ goals,” and you’ll find propositions for every player in the squad. Once you’ve viewed all the propositions, simply select the ones you agree with and place your prop bets!
Types of Prop Bets
Player Prop Bets
It’s difficult to predict the outright winner of a sports event. But what if you only want to wager on the performance of a player? That’s what player prop bets are for!
Player prop bets are one of the most popular types of sports prop bets. They refer to bets related to any aspect of the performance of a sportsperson during an event.
Most sports betting websites categorize player prop bets in two ways—according to players or according to proposed outcomes.
If player prop bets are listed per player, the sports betting website will provide a list of propositions and their associated odds for each player in the game. On the other hand, if the betting website lists player prop bets according to proposed outcomes, you’ll find multiple players’ odds listed under each outcome.
Example
For example, suppose you want to bet on Daniel Jones’ performance for the Giants in their NFL preseason game against the Patriots on the 12th of August 2022.
If the betting website lists player prop bets per player, you’ll find every proposition related to Daniel Jones under one section.
This includes propositions on everything from the number of successful passes Jones makes during the game to the number of times he fumbles the ball.
In contrast, if the betting website lists player prop bets per outcome, you’ll find several odds for numerous NFL picks to achieve one particular proposition like “score 3+ touchdowns in the first three-quarters of the game”.
Unfortunately, you’ll get NFL odds for every player to achieve this proposition including those that aren’t playing.
Therefore, it’s vital to have ample knowledge of which players are participating in an event if you want to attain success with player prop bets!
How Do You Attain Success Making Player Prop Bets?
Find Patterns in Player Statistics
One of the main ways to make successful player prop bets is to dive into the world of player statistics. Statistics invariably contain patterns bettors can exploit to attain success.
Additionally, the more statistical data you go through on a player, the more you’ll know about their strengths and weaknesses.
Experienced bettors use patterns in player statistics to calculate whether a proposition involving that player is worth betting on.
For example, suppose you want to make a player prop bet on an MLB game. You’ve analyzed Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner, so you know his batting average has dropped from 0.342 in 2016 to 0.317 this year.
If you find a betting website offering high MLB odds for Turner to turn in a poor batting performance in an upcoming game, chances are you’ll make the player prop bet immediately.
Why? Because you’ve learned from studying his batting statistics that he isn’t likely to strike the ball—even though the betting website thinks the opposite.
In other words, you’ve found a statistical pattern you can use to succeed in making a prop bet against the MLB odds offered by the betting website!
Use the Eye Test
Have you ever seen the movie ‘Moneyball?’ It’s about the former general manager of the Oakland A’s baseball club building a winning team by hiring an Ivy League graduate to look through player statistics.
The movie shows that a majority of the A’s statistics-based decisions are correct, but some aren’t. Why? The answer’s simple—statistics don’t tell you everything about a player.
Player prop bettors must remember this too. If you want to be a successful player prop bettor, it’s vital to observe and keep track of the players you want to bet on. This is known as ‘the eye test’ and will help you sharpen your understanding of a player’s abilities.
For example, Portuguese soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo’s attacking statistics for Manchester United were abysmal last season.
However, if you watched United’s last few games, you would’ve noticed that Ronaldo was rarely receiving proper service.
This shows that player statistics can paint a starkly different picture from the eye test. It’s worth analyzing statistics and watching players play if you want to place successful player prop bets.
Game Prop Bets
Are you thinking of betting on the number of rabonas in a soccer match? What about the number of scrums in a game of rugby?
These are game propositions that don’t depend on the performance of any one specific team or player. Therefore, bets made on these propositions are called ‘game prop bets’!
Game prop bets allow bettors to wager whether something that isn’t related to one specific player or team will occur by the end of the sporting event.
Example
If you bet on the total number of takedowns in a UFC fight, you’d be making a game prop bet. Why? Because the MMA odds offered on this outcome aren’t solely based on the performance of one fighter. Moreover, you won’t know the outcome of this proposition till the end of the fight!
How Do You Attain Success Making Game Prop Bets?
Don’t Fall for the Gambler’s Fallacy
Have you ever heard of the term ‘gambler’s fallacy’? It’s when a bettor is convinced that past events have a bearing on future events.
Unfortunately, this pattern of thinking often causes bettors to place game prop bets that don’t make sense!
For instance,suppose you see a video montage of England’s soccer team failing to convert penalty kicks at various major soccer tournaments in the past.
If this is your sole reason to bet that England won’t score any penalties against Iran in their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener, you’ve fallen for the gambler’s fallacy!
That said, sometimes you’ll find statistical and/or observable proof for a game prop bet that seems like a product of the gambler’s fallacy.
If that’s the case, it’s worth looking at the facts as objectively as possible before deciding whether to place the bet.
Understand the Link Between Player Performances and Game Outcomes
Game prop bets are popular among novice bettors because they don’t require in-depth knowledge of the players and/or teams participating in a sports event. But if you think game prop bets aren’t related to player performances, think again!
It’s impossible for the outcome of a sporting event not to be influenced by the players and/or teams participating in it. Therefore, we recommend taking the time to understand the link between player performances and game outcomes.
Ask yourself—are there any patterns between certain game outcomes and how certain players perform? Are specific players responsible for specific outcomes in every game? The answers to these questions will help you place successful game prop bets.
Novelty Prop Bets
If you’re a casual bettor, you’ll love novelty prop bets! These are bets on proposition sports betting websites make to entertain bettors. There are two kinds of novelty prop bets—those that relate to the sporting event and those that are unrelated.
Novelty prop bets are based on a unique proposition that’s affected by the players and/or teams participating in the sports event. In comparison, unrelated novelty prop bets can be on anything that has the potential to happen during a sporting event.
For example,if you bet that Steph Curry will switch to a different colored mouthguard by the end of his summer league game against Boston, you’ll have made a novelty prop bet.
Why? Because you’ll be getting NBA odds for something that’s both novel and dependent on the performance of a participating player.
On the other hand, if you bet that someone will throw a beachball onto the court at some stage during the game, you’ll be making an unrelated novelty prop bet. Why?
Because the odds of a spectator throwing a beachball onto the court don’t depend on the teams or players participating in the event!
How Do You Attain Success Making Novelty Prop Bets?
Stick to Novelties Related to the Event
Imagine trying to predict the outcome of a proposition that has nothing to do with the sports event at hand. It’s practically impossible!
This is why we don’t recommend making prop bets that don’t relate to the sports event at hand. If you do, you’ll be relying purely on luck, and your chances of attaining success will be minimal!
In contrast, bettors that make novelty prop bets related to the event can use their knowledge of the players/teams participating to swing the odds in their favor.
However, the benefits of making novelty prop bets related to the event don’t outweigh the benefits of making unrelated novelty prop bets by much.
In simpler words, we recommend staying away from novelty prop bets if your sole goal is to earn money. And that brings us to our second point…
Don’t Expect Financial Success
This article’s all about attaining success using prop bets on online betting sites. But have you stopped to consider that success takes many forms?
Most sports bettors equate success to monetary gain. If that sounds like you, we don’t recommend making novelty prop bets because you’re likely to earn more by making game or player prop bets.
However, if your definition of success is to have fun while you bet, you’ll love novelty prop bets!
Why Are You More Likely to Attain Success with Prop Bets Compared to Other Types of Bets?
You Stay Involved in the Game
Are you the kind of sports bettor that loves being engaged throughout the sporting event? If so, prop bets are ideal for you!
Prop bets give bettors the chance to stay involved throughout the event. This helps the bettors cultivate their passion for the sport and encourages repeat viewership in the future.
It also adds to the bettor’s knowledge of the sport, increasing their chances of attaining future betting success.
For example, if you’ve got prop bets on all four quarters of an NFL game, chances are you’ll watch the whole game to find out if your bets return a profit.
This will improve your footballing knowledge, and you might even get more passionate if you witness some great plays!
You Profit from Your Sporting Knowledge
If you’re a sports bettor, then no matter what type of bet you place, you’re more likely to attain success if you’re knowledgeable than if you’re not.
However, the relationship between sporting knowledge and betting success is closer for prop bets than any other type of bet.
This is because prop bets offer odds on niche events that can only be capitalized on by those that know to do so. Let’s use Boston Celtic star Jaylen Brown as an example.
At the start of the NBA Finals, Brown shot 33.3% in game 2 (9 attempts) and 25% in game 1 (8 attempts). Despite the poor numbers, knowledgeable bettors would’ve noticed that Brown’s three-point shooting was improving.
Moreover, they would’ve factored in that Game 3 was due to take place at Celtic’s home ground—which means Brown would do well.
Ultimately, bettors who used this information to bet on Brown to do well in Game 3 would’ve made a killing because the Celtic ended up shooting 50% from the three-point line and bagging 56.3% of all shots attempted!
