On any given Sunday, there will be more than 1 billion dollars wagered on the NFL. A majority of these bets will be on spreads, totals, moneylines
On any given Sunday, more than 1 billion dollars is wagered on the NFL. A majority of these bets will be on spreads, totals, moneylines, and player props. You can certainly make standard bets on the Super Bowl, too, but sportsbooks will attempt to lure you into ridiculous markets. All season long you have been betting on the winners of games or touchdown scorers, and there is no reason to suddenly act like an expert in the Gatorade color. The list of Super Bowl props you can bet on is truly quite impressive, but that doesn’t mean it is suddenly time to start betting your cold hard cash on out-of-this-world props.
You haven’t gotten this far by betting on national anthems, Taylor Swift, or whether or not Andy Reid will be doused in barbeque sauce at the end of the game. And it’s certainly not time to start now. These props are not offered to you out of the goodness of the sportsbook's heart, but rather it is another attempt to get you to wager more money on the big game. It can be easy to get lost in the flashing lights of the Super Bowl, but it is important to remember it is still just one football game. Non-football props are often heavily juiced, have constantly changing odds, and are a way to get the bets flowing as the game goes on. By avoiding a few crucial props, you can maximize your chances of turning a profit on Sunday evening.
Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.
Coin TossThere is nothing wrong with putting a dollar or two on the coin toss in honor of the Super Bowl. However, if you are putting a significant portion of a single unit on this prop, it may be time to call the hotline. The coin toss is quite literally a 0 skill, 0 control prop to bet on. I am sure if you are betting on this coin toss, you can find a like-minded individual and bet on flipping coins in the comfort of your own home, with no juice. It would be one thing if the sportsbooks offered +100 lines on the coin toss or even a slightly greedy -101 price tag. But that is not the case as the coin toss odds often start at -105 and can go as high as -110 or even -115 depending on the book you use. With enough research, it is possible to come out on top using -110 lines on spreads and player props. However, it doesn't matter if you spent the last 365 days studying the trajectory of coin tosses, this is truly a foolish wager. There is no argument that this is a 50/50 event, and any amount of juice makes this a losing wager for even the most experienced gambler.
Non-Football PropsWhile these technically can be researched, you are still better off sticking to the events happening on the field rather than off it. The color of the Gatorade or the length of the National Anthem is not a purely 50/50 event like this coin toss, but it is still impossible for the public to predict. You will see videos leaked of National Anthem singer Jon Batiste practicing in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, but that doesn’t mean it is time to run over to your sportsbook with an Over or Under bet. While these props can seem simple, there will be even more extravagant props to attack. You can make bets on how many people will be in Taylor Swift’s box or what color suit Tom Brady will wear to the game. The list goes on and on, as the sportsbooks lure you off of the football field with distracting props. Even if you find a prop that looks too good to be true, more often than not, it is.
Unusual Football PropsIt can be easy to identify foolish prop bets to make regarding Gatorade color or which song Kendrick Lamar will sing, but the sportsbooks will also try and trick you into taking extravagant football props, too. The first thing to identify is the juice you are being asked to lay. Most props will be priced at -110 on both sides or as high as -115 on certain player props. However, during the Super Bowl, sportsbooks will increase their juice on wackier props. In the regular season, you would never consider betting on a kicker to hit the upright, whether or not the game will end in a Scorigami, or on an Octopus to be scored by any player. While these are still technically football props, the juice you will be asked to lay can quickly make this even worse than the coin toss. For example, a Scorigami is when the final score is unique, having never been the final score of an NFL game in history. This year, there were 7 Scorigamis in 274 NFL games. In the Super Bowl, you will find +2
