What is a Prop Bet? A Beginner's Guide to Sports Prop Betting
Prop betting is a popular sports betting option across the US, and is a growing alternative to traditional betting lines and markets. Prop betting is available across team and player markets, for a wide range of games and sports, including basketball and football.
Prop betting keeps your bets alive until the final buzzer, with the majority of prop bets not tied to the game result.
Fanatics Sportsbook offers prop markets across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, soccer, and more sports. .
What Is a Prop Bet in Sports Betting?
A prop bet focuses on individual events and occurrences of a sporting event, rather than the result of the event. For example, rather than betting on a team to win a game with the moneyline market (traditional bet), you might wager on an individual player to score a specific number of points in the game (prop bet), or for one particular team to reach a specific point total in the game (prop bet).
Prop betting has grown in popularity over recent years, as more and more prop betting options and markets have become available from sportsbooks, across a range of popular US sports.
How Do Prop Bets Work?
Prop bets work in the same way as bets on traditional sports markets. You can browse prop markets for a particular game or matchup and find the prop bets you want to wager on, add them to your bet slip, and place your bets in the same way you'd place traditional bets.
Like traditional bets and markets, prop bets can be combined into parlays and same-game parlays across sports. The way prop bets usually work is an Over/Under line that is set by the sportsbook. A player prop bet might give you an option on Over or Under a set line of player points, while a team prop might give you an option of Over or Under a set line of team points. All you need to do is decide whether you think the player or team will beat the set line, or fail to beat the set line.
Types of Prop Bets
Prop bets are available across various markets, including player props, team props, and game props, with prop betting options on a range of sports and leagues, including NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL.
Player Props
Player prop bets are the most popular type of prop bets, and focus on individual player stats and performances. Betting on player props means you don't have to worry about the outcome of the game, as long as your player meets the line you wager on, your bet wins.
A player prop bet in basketball could be in an NBA game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. For this game, a sportsbook might have a market for Giannis Antetokounmpo Over/Under 29.5 Points. In this instance, you are simply betting on Antetokounmpo to score over 29.5 points (Over) or not to score over 29.5 points (Under). This is a player prop bet.
Team Props
Team props focus on team performance, rather than individual players. What differentiates team props from traditional markets is that team props typically don't concern the final result of a game, but instead focus on team milestones during the game, such as team total points.
A team prop bet in football could be in an NFL game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants. For example, a sportsbook might have a market for New York Giants to Score in Each Quarter Yes/No. In this instance, you are betting on whether the New York Giants will score in each quarter (Yes) or will not score in each quarter (No). This is a team prop bet.
Game Props
Similarly to team props, game props also focus on milestones during a game, while avoiding the actual game outcome in markets such as moneyline.
A game prop bet in soccer could be in an MLS Cup final game between Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. For example, a sportsbook might have a market for Both Teams to Score Yes/No. In this instance, you are betting on whether both teams will score a goal in the game (Yes) or will not both score in the game (No). This is a game prop bet.
Popular Prop Bets
Bet | Sport/League | Details |
|---|---|---|
Anytime Touchdown Scorer | NFL | Bet on which player will score a touchdown at any point of the game |
Total Player Points | NBA | Bet on total points for a specific player across a game |
First Goalscorer | Soccer | Bet on which player will score the first goal |
Anytime Goal Scorer | NHL | Bet on which player will score a goal at any point of the game |
Total Strikeouts | MLB | Bet on whether a pitcher will record more or fewer strikeouts than a set number |
Total Receiving Yards | NFL | Bet on total receiving yards for a specific player across a game |
Total Player Rebounds | NBA | Bet on total rebounds for a specific player across a game |
To Have 2+ Shots on Target | Soccer | Bet on a player to have two or more shots on target in a game |
Total Goaltender Saves | NHL | Bet on the number of saves a goaltender will make during a game |
To Hit a Home Run | MLB | Bet on a player to hit a home run during a game |
Popular Sports for Prop Betting
- NFL
- NBA
- MLB
- NHL
- Soccer
- Golf
- Tennis
- UFC
How Prop Betting Odds Work
Prop betting odds work in the same way as odds for traditional betting markets. All prop bet odds are set to either negative (-) or positive (+). Negative odds indicate a favorite, while positive odds indicate an underdog. In prop betting, negative odds indicate that something is likely to happen, while positive odds indicate that something is less likely to happen.
For example, Steph Curry Over 20.5 points at -200 is more likely to happen than Kevin Durant Over 32.5 points at +150, shown by the negative odds.
Pros and Cons of Prop Betting
Pros
- Opportunities for big value & payouts from mispriced selections, given the large number of props sportsbooks have to price
- Enhanced engagement compared to traditional bets
- Bets are not necessarily tied to game outcomes, keeping your bet alive for the whole game
Cons
- High juice from sportsbooks, which can lead to lower value when prop betting
- Difficult to predict, with factors including injuries, substitutions, and unexpected changes affecting wagers
Where to Bet on Prop Bets
Fanatics Sportsbook offers prop betting markets across player props, team props, and game props for NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and soccer games, plus more.
You can bet on prop bets via the Fanatics Sportsbook app, downloadable for free from the Apple App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android). Once you have downloaded the app and created an account, simply navigate to the game or event you want to bet on, and browse the prop markets in the app.
You can combine props into parlays and same-game parlays with Fanatics Sportsbook, and by downloading the Fanatics Sportsbook app, you can track your prop bets live, with live cash out options available too. As well as a range of prop betting options, Fanatics Sportsbook also offers traditional betting markets for popular sports, as well as profit boosts, odds boosts, bet & get offers, and more.
Additional Betting Insight & Explainers
The Fanatics Sportsbook blog offers further insight to sports betting markets, terms, and methods, including:
- What Is a Futures Bet? Futures Betting Explained
- What Is a Middle Bet in Sports Betting
- What Is Live Sports Betting?
- What Is a Point Spread?
- What Is Line Movement in Sports Betting?
Prop Bet FAQs
Are prop bets legal?
Prop bets are legal across US states that have legalized sports betting. Player props, team props, and game props are widely available and legal across the US, both online and retail. Many states ban or restrict college player props, and the list is growing. General prop betting legality differs from state-to-state.
What sports offer prop bets?
You can bet on prop bets across popular US sports, including NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, and soccer. Prop bets are also available for golf, tennis, UFC, and more.
Can you bet on props during live games?
Yes, many sportsbooks allow you to place live prop bets after games have started, including Fanatics Sportsbook. The Fanatics Sportsbook app updates in real-time as events unfold, making it easy to place live prop bets across player props, team props, and game props.
What is the difference between a prop bet and a spread bet?
A prop bet focuses on a specific occurrence within a game or event, while a spread bet is tied to the final result, with a team either covering or not covering the spread. There are generally many more prop betting markets than spread markets across sports, with prop bet examples including: player total touchdowns, team total points, game total points, and more.
Are prop bets better than moneyline bets?
Prop bets and moneyline bets are different, with neither betting type 'better' than the other. Some bettors prefer prop bets, and others prefer traditional markets, including moneyline. It depends on what kind of sports bettor you are as an individual. Pros and cons of both prop betting and traditional betting are detailed in this article.
Reviewed by Fanatics