What Are NFL Prop Bets?

We'll take you to gambling school.

The world of sports betting is highly advanced nowadays with betting markets surpassing basic
money line bets a long time ago.

Nowadays bespoke bets tend to take the punter’s preference with NFL prop bets some of the most
popular wagers that exist out there.

Here we’ll be taking a look at what NFL prop bets are, how to place them, and why they’re so
popular.

What is an NFL prop bet?

Before we delve into what a prop bet is, it’s worth pointing out that NFL prop bets take on numerous
layers, which we will come on to later. As an introduction though a prop bet is a bet placed against a
game where the bet in question doesn’t have a direct correlation with the match result.

The other key thing to note with NFL prop bets is that they can be short-lived bets I.e. in-game and
pre-game or longer-term bets I.e. bets that span the length of the season.

Player prop bets are gaining popularity

The term prop bet doesn’t specifically relate to player performance but, in truth, that is how most
people interpret the phrase and it’s understandable given the vast betting options that exist around
them. The actual term that should be used is ‘player props’; they are without question the most
popular of all the NFL prop bets.

Where player props are concerned you’re simply making a bet on whether or not a player will
achieve something within a game. Whilst the options related to these bets are fairly extensive, the
structure of the bets are very similar with all of them either following an ‘over’ or ‘under’ approach
or a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ approach.

A player prop example

One of the most common player props in NFL betting is based on how many passing yards a
quarterback will throw in a game. In Week 1, the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots faced off; a bookmaker might offer you something like below in their player props section:

‘Mac Jones to throw 230.5 yards’

As the bettor, you then have two options to bet on namely being ‘over’ or ‘under’. If Jones throws
231 (or more) yards the over bet wins. If he throws 230 (or fewer) the under bet would win.

That is player props in a nutshell. The next key message from us is that talk of quarterback passing
yards is just an example. For quarterbacks alone, there are countless prop bets to explore including touchdowns, the distance of a single throw, rushing yards, and more. 

Then beyond that, you’ll find prop bets for all different things be it rushing, receiving, kicking or
tackling.

What other NFL prop bets are there?

So, we mentioned that player props attract the most attention from bettors but they’re not the only
prop bet available to you. There are also game props and scoring props available to bet on. ‘What
are they?’ we hear you ask. 

Well, they follow a very similar format to the player props in respect of a bettor simply making a call
against a question. Sticking with the aforementioned game week one fixture, in respect of scoring
props, that question might look something like:

‘What team will score the first touchdown?’ Or ‘Will both teams score X or more points’. Then you have what is called game props. Again, the structure of the bets is unchanged but here the bets you’ll be taking on are things such as:

‘Will there be a safety in the game?’ and ‘Will overtime be needed?’

Why are prop bets so popular?

There are a couple of key reasons why prop bets are becoming ever more popular. 

  1. The odds are strong. When you explore most prop betting markets you’ll find odds that are
    pretty close to even money. In games where there are heavy favorites on the money line,
    opting to explore the prop bets holds a much greater risk-to-reward ratio for the bettor.
  2. They are simple to understand. That’s right, as prop bets focus around one question the bet
    your are taking on is very straightforward; this isn’t necessarily the case with something like
    spread betting. 
  3. They’re fast-moving. Your in-game prop bets are extremely fluid compared to the more
    traditional 1X2, spreads, and total point bets. For those bets, you have to wait for the game
    to end before your bet settles. With a lot (not all) of prop bets, you will settle your bet
    during the game.
  4. They’re fun. It sounds obvious but betting should be fun and prop bets – particularly player
    props – add a whole new dynamic to watching football. For example, even in a one-sided
    contest a lot of prop bets will remain open and therefore keep your interest peaked.
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