With the rise of daily fantasy sports, more people are betting on sports, but a lot of the new handicappers are better at handicapping player/team performances than they are at predicting which team will win a game.
Props bets have been around for a long time now, but they’ve never become too popular. How can you tell? Check out the betting limits on player and team props at various betting sites. You’ll notice the limits are small when compared with limits on traditional betting markets, such as the money line, point spread and over/under.
In many cases, you’ll be lucky to get down $100-$500 without a big line change. The limits will vary based on several factors, such as the sport (NFL will obviously have higher limits than the NHL) and how much money has been bet on the prop bet already. The closer it is to the market closing, the higher the limits you’ll have access to.
One perk of betting on props is that the bookmaker doesn’t spend much time creating the line. There’s often a lot of value in the prop markets, but in order to make a good profit every year you’ll need volume. Due to the lack of limits, handicappers will need volume in order to have the best possible return on investment (ROI).
You may be wondering why you couldn’t quickly bet the same prop at multiple sportsbooks. In some cases this will be possible, especially for popular props (NFL, NBA, etc.). However, a lot of bookies don’t even bother creating markets for props bets. There isn’t much volume to fight over and bookies often loss money on player/team prop bets.
Another problem prop bettors encounter is the fact that bookies will be quick to limit your account. If you can show you’re betting into +EV prop markets it may only take days before your account is limited. This is within the bookies rights and there’s nothing you can do except try to open another account in a family member or friend’s name.
If you have high hopes of making millions your best bet is to play the US lottery. However, if you’re more interested in grinding out a side income with your sports knowledge, prop bets can offer a lot of +EV betting opportunities.
Sports prop bet examples
There are tons of different props to bet on daily depending upon the sports you know.
NFL props remain the most popular. Some examples include how many rushing yards a RB will have in a game, how many passing yards a QB will have in a game or how many receiving yards a WR will have in a game.
However, there are also more exotic props. Want to bet on the over/under for how many sacks there will be in a game or want to bet on whether or not a player will score a touchdown in a game? These props are all possible. I actually love the touchdown props, as you can get great prices in this market and they aren’t overly difficult to hit.
Do you prefer the NBA? Want to bet on the over/under for how many points, rebounds or assists a player will have in a single game? What about the NHL? You can bet on whether or not a player will score a goal, assist or point in a game.
While often overlooked, sports prop bets can be one of the most profitable markets despite the small betting limits.
