BET ON SUPER BOWL PROPS

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SUPER BOWL PROP BETTING

Have you started filling out your Super Bowl props checklist yet? This has become a traditional part of the Big Game experience over the past 20 years or so, and the list of football props on the NFL betting market just keeps getting bigger. Look at some of the props that are already available at Bodog Sportsbook:

Who will win the coin toss?

Which coach will appear first during the Anthem?

Will any player take a knee during the Anthem?

Will either kicker hit the upright or crossbar?

How many songs will be performed during the half-time show?

These are just a few of the hundreds of different props you can find on the NFL specials page at Bodog, but you can always go and check the best Super Bowl odds on our site. How did these bets become so popular? It all began innocuously enough, with a single question: Would William "The Refrigerator" Perry score a touchdown for the Chicago Bears at Super Bowl XX?

SUPER BOWL PROP HISTORY

Long, long ago, in a time well before Twitter and Instagram, the Bears were a social phenomenon, and Perry - a mammoth defensive lineman for the time at 6-foot-3 and 350 pounds - was the most famous Bear of them all. Head coach Mike Ditka would occasionally use Perry as a fullback in goal-line situations; the former Clemson Tiger had already scored three touchdowns during the regular season. Everyone wanted to know if Ditka and Perry would do it again at the Big Game.

That’s how the first Super Bowl prop (short for "proposition bet") was born. Caesars Palace bookmaker Art Manteris posted odds of 20/1 that Perry would score a TD against the New England Patriots; it seemed unlikely at the time that Ditka would snub RB Walter Payton by taking a Super Bowl touchdown out of his hands and giving it to Perry. Naturally, that didn’t stop bettors from piling on and betting YES. As the money poured in, the odds fell from 20/1 all the way to 2/1, but in the end, Perry did score, and Caesars got soaked for a reported $120,000.

It was a worthwhile investment. Super Bowl props quickly became a phenomenon, drawing heavy interest and action from NFL bettors of all shapes and sizes. Today, these props account for more than half of the handle that comes in for the Big Game. And you can literally bet on hundreds of different football props, everything from the coin toss at the beginning to the energy drink dumped on the head coach at the end. Here’s a closer look at three of the most famous Super Bowl prop bets you can bet on at Bodog Sportsbook.

SUPER BOWL COIN TOSS WINNERS & PROPS

Many Super Bowl props have little or nothing to do with the action on the field. Even if you don’t know what a Spider Y 2 Banana is, you can still bet on the easiest of all NFL props: Will the opening coin toss (used to determine which team kicks off, and in which direction) be Heads or Tails? It’s a pure 50/50 proposition - no skill required. Each side of Heads/Tails is priced at -105, meaning you’ll be paid $100 for every $105 wagered if you win.

Because the Coin Toss has become one of the most popular NFL Super Bowl props on the market, there are now multiple ways you can make this bet. In addition to Heads/Tails, you can also bet on which of the two teams will win the toss, and whether the team that calls "Heads" or "Tails" will be correct. You can also bet on whether the team that wins the coin toss will win the Super Bowl; for this bet, YES is typically priced at -125, since winning the toss gives an instant advantage (even if teams tend to defer these days).

Of course, the Coin Toss prop should be played for entertainment purposes only, but as far as superstitions go, there have been some interesting patterns in the results. The New England Patriots managed to win each of their first five Super Bowls after losing the opening flip; the San Francisco 49ers went 4-0 at the Big Game after winning the toss. NFC teams even rattled off 14 straight flips between Super Bowls 32 and 45. It’s all in the power of the coin.

SUPER BOWL NATIONAL ANTHEM PROP ODDS

Before the coin toss, every Super Bowl starts with a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner - thankfully, only the first of the four stanzas written by Francis Scott Key is sung. Officially recognized as the US National Anthem in 1931, The Star-Spangled Banner used to be performed by marching bands back in the day (as was the halftime show), but it’s usually pop-star divas who take the spotlight in the modern era. Again, the prop itself is simple: Will the performer in question take over or under a certain length of time to sing the Anthem? The total will be posted at somewhere around 2:00, with each side typically priced at -120.

The National Anthem prop was particularly spicy at Super Bowl 45. Christina Aguilera was the performer, and not only did she flub her lines at one point, she also tacked on an extra "oh" at the end, which would have just gone over the posted total of 1:54. However, this prop specifies that the Anthem ends with "brave," so the under snuck in at 1:53.7. Lady Gaga confused matters further at Super Bowl 50 by singing "brave" twice; only the first one counted, so her performance officially went under 2:20.

Aguilera’s flub (she sang "What so proudly we watched" instead of "What so proudly we hailed") inspired a new National Anthem prop: Will the performer forget or leave out a word from the Anthem? You can also bet on things like what outfit the performer will wear, or what colour their hair will be. But when it comes to the length of the Anthem, sharp bettors will think about the performer’s lung capacity; at Super Bowl 41, Billy Joel (then age 56) only took 1:30 to finish, easily going under the 1:44 total. Two years later at Super Bowl 43, noted belter Jennifer Hudson needed 2:10 to complete the Anthem, sailing over the total by seven seconds.

SUPER BOWL GATORADE SHOWER PROP ODDS

Of all the football betting props on the market, this one might be the most fun - because it involves the winning head coach getting doused with a bucket of Gatorade (or some other beverage, whether it’s an energy drink or just plain water). This tradition began with Bill Parcells and the New York Giants back in the mid-80s, although it wasn’t initially reserved for the Super Bowl; the Giants soaked Parcells after each of their 17 wins during the 1986-87 campaign, which ended with a victory over the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl 41.

Gatorade, which was first created in 1965 at the University of Florida, used to only come in two flavours: orange, and lemon-lime. Then they added fruit punch in 1983, and other flavours flooded the market during the 90s. Other brands of sports drinks, like Powerade and All Sport, followed suit. Some teams prefer water, although they’ll typically put whatever beverage they use in a cooler that features whatever brand name they have a sponsorship deal with.

This gives us a wide range of colours to choose from. The original colours (lime/green/yellow, followed by orange) are most common and usually at the top of the odds list; they’re followed by the less traditional colours like red, blue and purple, with clear/water somewhere in the middle. Alas, there are times when none of these colours come true - all too frequently when it’s Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Belichick avoided the shower at Super Bowls 36, 38 and 51, although he took a blue bath at Super Bowl 49.

These are just three of the more famous Super Bowl props you can bet on every year at Bodog. Most of the bets you’ll find on the NFL props market actually have to do with the game itself, like how many passing yards and touchdowns each quarterback will rack up, or which team will score first. A savvy bettor who knows a thing or two about football can make a decent profit by choosing the right football props; YES/NO decisions like whether a safety will be scored, or whether the game will go into overtime, are usually good places to bet ‘No’ - but they’re not guaranteed to cash, as bettors discovered at Super Bowl 51, the first Big Game that needed overtime to decide a winner.

You’ll also find a number of cross-sport props for the Super Bowl. For example, a common prop will ask whether one of the two teams will score more points than a famous NBA star (like LeBron James) who happens to be playing on Super Bowl Sunday. These can also be great bets for people who are familiar with the wide world of sports. But it’s the "entertainment" props like the three mentioned above - and the always-popular Halftime Show props - that have taken over the Super Bowl betting market. Pick the ones you like the most out of the hundreds available at Bodog Sportsbook, print out a checklist to keep track of the results as they happen, and you’ll make the Big Game even more exciting than it already is.

FAQ

What Happens To My Super Bowl Prop Bet If The Player Doesn’t Play?

Don’t worry. For your bet to be active your chosen player has to play. If he doesn’t your bet is voided and you move onto the next bet.

Are Super Bowl Props Bets Worth It?

Prop betting was made for the Super Bowl. There is so much going on outside of the game, you can even bet on the half-time show.

Do Super Bowl Props Extend Into Overtime?

Yes. If your Super Bowl prop remains relevant when the game goes to overtime, then you’re still in the running for a big win.

Super Bowl Prop Betting With Crypto

As we said earlier, the Super Bowl is made for props betting. There are so many variations for you to enjoy. Similarly, with crypto betting, Bodog is partnered with a variety of coins so you can enjoy quicker withdrawals and bigger bonuses.