Last year, you could bet on whether Katy Perry was going to kiss a girl during the Super Bowl halftime show. (Photo credit: Ashley Linh Trann ♥ / Foter / CC BY)
Super Bowl props betting has become almost as big as betting on the point spread.
Rather than worrying about who will win the game, people are more concerned about how long the national anthem will be or what colour Gatorade the winning team will pour on their coach.
But it’s all in good fun. Super Bowl betting attracts the most recreational of players, and oddsmakers are always looking for ways to take their action. Sports Interaction, a Canadian sportsbook that accepts only Canadian bettors, has become one of the industry leaders when it comes to Super Bowl props.
If you actually do a little research and put some logic into your bets, you might even be able to find some value doing Super Bowl props betting.
Here is a look at the three main types of Super Bowl props betting for Sunday’s big game between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.
(All odds posted from Sports Interaction)1. Degenerate Specials
Who in their right mind can think they have an edge on betting whether the coin toss lands heads or tails?
If you understand Grade 1 math, you know there is a 50/50 chance of the coin landing heads or tails, or of Carolina or Denver winning the toss. Still, you’ll see oddsmakers are attaching -105 odds on the coin toss, meaning they’re requiring you to bet $105 to win $100 and pocketing the extra $5 for themselves.
Yet, it’s so hard to resist, isn’t it? Why wait for kickoff to get some action? We’ll admit, it is a bit of a rush waiting for the referee to announce what side the coin landed on.
2. Player Props
Unlike the Degenerate Specials, you can actually find some value with the player props.
With player props, you can do Super Bowl props betting on who will score the first touchdown (or whether a player will score a touchdown at any time), who will win Super Bowl MVP, whether a player will reach a certain amount of passing, receiving or rushing yards, and more.
A key to winning player props is predicting which way the game will flow. For example, if you think Denver will win the game, it makes more sense for you to bet on one of their running backs to score a touchdown. If you think the Broncos will focus on shutting down Jonathan Stewart, it makes sense to bet over on Cam Newton’s passing yards.
3. Game Props
If you’re not interested in doing Super Bowl props betting on specific players, you can also bet game props as well.
Game props cover everything from first downs to field goals to touchdowns to when scoring will take place.
For years, one of the most popular Super Bowl game props bets has been to take ‘No’ on a safety being scored. Of course, that went out the window on the first play of the 2014 Super Bowl, when the opening snap sailed over Peyton Manning’s head and through the end zone.
Another game prop that seems even safer is to take the ‘No’ on whether the game will go to overtime. No game in Super Bowl betting history has ever gone to overtime, though several games have been decided on the final play.
Our Advice
More than anything else, Super Bowl props betting is fun.
We highly recommend you place a few Super Bowl props bets on the game, but don’t get carried away.
You don’t want to lose your shirt on something as stupid as whether Katy Perry kisses a girl during the halftime show or whether Bill Belichick’s hoodie has cut sleeves (yes, those were both Super Bowl props bets available last year at Sports Interaction).
Good luck!