The Ultimate Guide to Super Bowl Prop Bets
February 2, 2020. Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens. The site where your Super Bowl 54 wagers will unfold.
For NFL fans this is the perfect time to watch the two best teams battle each other in football’s biggest game. For bettors, the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of wagering. Everyone from seasoned sharps in Las Vegas to the members of your grandmother’s knitting club will get in on the action.
While most knowledgeable gamblers will focus on the spread and total, there are countless games within the game that even novice betting fans can cash in on. This page gives you everything you need to know about placing a prop bet on the Super Bowl, from understanding odds to handicapping your wagers.
What are Super Bowl Prop Bets?
A prop bet is a wager that doesn’t necessarily correlate with the outcome of the game. Instead of betting on wins and losses, total score or point spread, you would bet on things like how many yards a player will rush for or how many touchdowns a quarterback will throw. What makes prop betting during the Super Bowl so much fun is that you can bet on things you wouldn’t normally consider, like the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach or the coin toss results.
Coin Toss
Before every football game, a coin is flipped to determine which team will receive the ball first. The coin toss prop is one of the most popular Super Bowl bets you can make. For this bet you have to guess whether the coin will land on HEADS or TAILS. There is a 50-50 chance for either result.
Odds for this prop bet would look something like this:
Will the Coin Toss Result be HEADS or TAILS?
HEADS -105
TAILS -105
If you believe that the result will be HEADS and you bet $75, you would get a payout of $146.43 – your original $75 comes back to you along with your winnings of $71.43. You’d get the same payout for a winning TAILS bet.
You’ll also see other related props like:
What Team will Win the Coin Flip?
Kansas City Chiefs -105
Los Angeles Rams -105
The odds are the same for bets like these since there’s an equal chance of a HEADS or TAILS result.
Gatorade Shower
Traditions run deep during football’s biggest night. One of the most exciting ones is the Gatorade bath. Players from the winning team dump an entire vat of icy-cold electrolyte water onto their coach to celebrate their victory. The Gatorade color prop is one of the more exciting bets you can make.
Odds at the sports betting site would appear like so:
What Color Gatorade will be Poured on the Winning Coach?
Lime/Green/Yellow +250
Orange +350
Red +750
Clear/Water +160
Blue +400
Purple +1200
Unless Gatorade introduces another flavor before the Super Bowl, the colors will always be the same as the ones listed above.
National Anthem Props
The Star-Spangled Banner is performed before every sporting event in the United States and the Super Bowl is no exception. Anthem props range from the length of time it takes to belt out the song to whether the singer will forget a word.
Examples of this kind of prop odds would be:
How Long will it take Gladys Knight to Sing the National Anthem?
OVER 1:49 -220
UNDER 1:49 +155
Will Gladys Knight Forget or Omit a Word from the National Anthem?
Yes +300
No -500
Will any Scoring Drive take Less Time than it Takes to Sing the Anthem?
Yes -145
No +105
Halftime Show
The halftime show gives the audience a chance to take a breather from the intensity of the game and watch some of the greatest performers of our time put on an entertainment clinic. Halftime props deal with the show itself, and allow you to bet on things like the color of the singer’s shirt or if they’ll be wearing a hat.
Using examples from previous halftime shows, odds at your favorite betting site will look something like this:
How many Songs will be Played during the Halftime Show?
OVER 7.5 -145
UNDER 7.5 +105
Will Lady Gaga Perform Born This Way?
Yes -350
No +225
Will Christina Aguilera make an Appearance During the Halftime Show?
Yes +225
No -350
What will be the First Song Performed by Maroon 5?
Makes me Wonder +550
One More Night +600
Moves Like Jagger +700
Exotic Props
These props are called exotic because they relate more to instances and situations off the field than on. For instance, these props can deal with the price of Bitcoin or if the stadium roof will be open during the game.
Let’s look at some of last year’s props:
Will a Fan Run onto the Field During the Game?
Yes +500
No -650
How many Commercials will air During the Super Bowl?
OVER 96 -120
UNDER 96 -120
Will the Roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium be Open for Kickoff?
Yes EVEN
No -140
In the last example you can see that the Yes line is EVEN. Sportsbooks take a cut of every bet otherwise they wouldn’t make any money. This is called the juice or the vig. However, there are times when the lines are so close that they offer EVEN odds and don’t take a cut. With EVEN odds, you would stand to win or lose the exact amount that you bet. So, if you were to wager $30 on Yes and the stadium roof is open during kickoff, you would win $30.
MVP Props
The Most Valuable Player award is given out after the game to the individual whose on-field skill dominated during all four quarters. Normally, this top prize is presented to the quarterback of the winning team (29 times). However, wide receivers have been awarded Most Valuable Player seven times, with running backs following close behind with six honors, and linebackers four times. Safeties and defensive ends are tied with two accolades each. Cornerbacks, fullbacks and kick returners have all received one decoration each.
We’ll use last year’s Super Bowl to demonstrate how prop betting odds can look:
Who will be Super Bowl MVP?
Tom Brady +140
Jared Goff +250
Todd Gurley +900
Sony Michel +1200
Rob Gronkowski +1600
C.J. Anderson +1800
Aaron Donald +1800
James White +2000
Julian Edelman +2000
Edelman was named MVP, and with odds like that, you can only imagine how excited winning bettors were. If you had laid down $50 on him, you’d have come away with a payout of $1,050 – your original $50 is returned along with your winnings of $1,000.
Quarterback Props
The quarterback is the guy who steers the ship. If he has an off day, the entire team will feel it. During the Super Bowl, if the QB falters, you can bet that his team will too. However, when the QB is on fire, the entire team will light up the game as well. Let’s pretend the New Orleans Saints are playing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 54. Quarterback props at the betting site will look something like this:
Total Passing Yards for Tom Brady
OVER 298.5 -160
UNDER 298.5 +130
Total Passing Yards for Drew Brees
OVER 315.5
UNDER 315.5
Here, each quarterback has his own prop bet. You may also find another version of this bet:
Which QB will have the Most Passing Yards?
Tom Brady +105
Drew Brees -150
In addition, prop bets for quarterbacks can also include passing outcomes like:
Result of First Passing Attempt – Tom Brady
Completion -250
Incomplete +200
Interception +2599
Running Back Props
Teams make it to the Super Bowl for a reason, they’re the best in the league. With a keen rushing attack, you can advance the ball quickly by running without passing. When it comes to offense, running backs are ripe for the betting. Running back props will feature key players.
Odds would appear something like this:
Who will Record the most Rushing Yards in the Game?
Sony Michel (NE) +150
Todd Gurley (LA) +160
C.J. Anderson (LA) +325
James White (NE) +1000
Rex Burkhead (NE) +1100
John Kelly (LA) +10000
Taking this example from Super Bowl 53, you would decide which of the running backs you think is going to have a stellar game and rush for the most yards.
Receiving Props
The receiving corps plays an important role in offensive scoring. As Tom Brady’s wife Gisele Bündchen once said after a Super Bowl loss, her husband cannot throw and catch the ball. Without a top-tier receiver, teams will be hard pressed to gain a single yard, down, or even score a touchdown. Receiver props generally involve a certain player and would look something like this:
Longest Reception – Julian Edelman (Patriots)
OVER 23.5 -120
UNDER 23.5 -110
You would treat this bet like a totals wager in which you are predicting if Edelman’s longest reception will be (OVER) 24 yards or more, or 23 yards or less (UNDER).
Defense and Special Teams Props
A missed field goal can make or break a game. Special teams and defense props allow you to bet on kickoff returns, touchdowns scored by the defense – it could happen! – and safeties.
Odds would look something like this:
Will there be a Safety in the Second Half?
Yes -2H +850
No -2H -1700
The H in this case stands for “half.” These numbers can seem confusing to first-time bettors but you would treat this bet like you would any other. At +850, Yes is the underdog (so to speak) because of the plus sign. At -1700, No is the favorite (again, so to speak) because of the minus sign.
You’ll also see odds like this:
Will there be a Kickoff Return for a TD?
Yes +700
No -1400
Cross-Sport Props
Prop betting isn’t only reserved for football, you can make bets across several sports during the Super Bowl. Cross-sport props at sportsbooks generally involve hockey and basketball since their seasons overlap with the big game. You’ll see things like:
What will be Higher?
Total shots on goal by Connor McDavid on Super Bowl Sunday -135
Total successful field goals in Super Bowl 54 -105
What will be Higher?
Serge Ibaka rebounds on Super Bowl Sunday -155
Total punts in the Super Bowl +115
You don’t have to watch McDavid or Ibaka play since you’ll be busy watching the Super Bowl. What you can do is check out our NHL and NBA scores pages to keep up with these type of bets.
Handicapping Prop Bets
Unlike other bets where you can see how a team performed against the spread (ATS) or if the total points in previous games went OVER or UNDER the oddsmaker’s set number, some prop bets can’t be handicapped. There’s no way to know whether the lead singer of the halftime show band will wear a hat or not. On the other hand, you can look at Gatorade colors from previous Super Bowls and see how many times orange was the hue of choice.
Making prop picks – or any sports bet for that matter – should be fun, and it’s up to you how much research or handicapping you want to do before placing your bets. It’s easier to read up on player or team offensive and defensive stats to figure out who to choose for your MVP pick or how many yards someone will gain or throw for. You can also keep it locked to Odds Shark since we offer expert analysis of all Super Bowl prop bets.
In terms of the amount of money to bet, our Odds Calculator can help you determine how much you’d win based on what you wagered and the odds offered.
When are Betting Results Released?
No matter the bet, whether it’s receiving yards, player props or anthem time, the results are released as they occur. So, if you had bet on the outcome of Tom Brady’s first passing attempt, the betting site you choose will update the action as soon as the outcome of the quarterback’s throw happens.
Live Betting the Super Bowl
With prop betting, it’s important to keep in mind that the closer we get to game time, the more likely this type of wager will disappear. Sportsbooks will generally keep these lines open until kickoff, but once that football is in play, they will close the action. You can, nevertheless, make live bets during the Super Bowl. These won’t be as exclusive as the bets available prior to the game, but you can wager on whether each drive will end in an interception, touchdown or field goal.
Where to Make your Super Bowl Prop Bets
At Odds Shark we only endorse the best online betting sites for betting on the NFL. We have vetted the sportsbooks we recommend to ensure they are safe, secure and feature great odds and lines on everything from football moneylines to Super Bowl props.
