What is Prop Bet? Detailed Explanations & Examples

Proposition bets, or props for short, are one of the most popular bet types today. In a word, this is a form of betting on events that may (or may not) happen during a match. This type of bet is found in many sports such as football, US football, basketball, hockey, baseball, etc.

So what is Prop bet? How does prop bet work? All will be revealed in the article below!

What Is Prop Bet?

What does prop bet mean? And how is it different from other regular bets? Prop bet stands for Proposition bets (props from now on) is a type of bet that offers bettors many different scenarios to place bets. To put it simply, this bet type focuses on a specific event in a match that is vastly different from the standard match-winner wagers.

What is the difference between Prop bet and other regular bets? Moneyline bets, betting on the spread over/under are these bets all related to the outcome of the match (or half, quarter, period, etc.) but Prop bets are not.

For prop bets, you will have to make more detailed predictions. Such as:

• Did Lionel Messi score in the first half?
• Will Harry Kane or Son Heung Min achieve the most goals?
• Will Anders Herrera or N'Golo Kante commit the most fouls?

This exciting form of betting has only been popular in recent times and is available at many bookies today, which has increasingly attracted many betting players.

Prop Betting Origins

Prop bets were popular in the United States, first with the Super Bowl. Specifically, this bet type originated at Westgate in Las Vegas (previously known as Las Vegas Hilton) and was first offered by the first Nevada sportsbook operator - Las Vegas SuperBook.

So what's so interesting about Prop bet? Let's check it out!

What Types of Prop Bets

Now, we will dive into each of the most common types of Prop bets in football that you can bet on, which we have summarized below:

Player Based Soccer Props Betting

This type of betting is where the player predicts whether a player in a particular match will meet certain specific criteria, such as:

• Which player will have the most assists?
• Which player will score the first goal in the first half?
• Which player will be substituted in the second half?
• Which player will score the first goal?

For these types of Prop bets, you choose which player you think will meet the relevant criteria. If you choose correctly, you win the bet, and the profit is calculated according to the specific odds offered by the bookie. If you choose wrong, you lose your bet.

For example: 

Bets on which player will score first in Barcelona vs Real Madrid are as follows:

• Lionel Messi -120
• Luis Suarez +115
• Karim Benzema +165
• Antoine Griezmann +220
• Gareth Bale +250
• Eden Hazard +250
• Luka Jovic +355
• Vinicius Junior +400
• Isco +550
• Arturo Vidal +600

Obviously, Messi is the favorite and has the greatest ability to score the first goal so this is the only player with a minus sign next to it. As such, you will need to bet $120 to make a $100 profit if you choose him as the first scorer. If it's not Messi, you lose your bet and lose $120.

If you bet on Eden Hazard +250, you will be paid $250 when you bet $100 on him. Your total winnings will be $350 if he is the first to score.

The other players do the same. The higher the odds, the less potential that player has to score first.

There are several player-based soccer props bets that allow the player to choose YES or NO. Such as:

• Will Son Heung Min score or not?
• Will Milner be sent off?
• Will Neymar score a hat-trick?
• Will Lionel Messi score from a free-kick?
• Will Harry Kane score a header?

Eg: You choose to bet Son Heung Min will score or not with the following odds?

• Yes: -150
• No: +250

The following cases will occur:

If you choose YES and Son Heung Min actually scored, you will get $250 on your $150 bet. If Son Heung Min doesn't score, you lose your bet.

If you choose NO and indeed Son Heung Min didn’t score then you will get $250 for every $100 bet. If Son scores, you lose the bet.

In addition, there is a type of player-based prop involving matchups. For example: 

• Will Kevin De Bruyne or Mohamed Salah score the most goals?
• Will Gabriel Jesus or Azpilicueta provide the most assists?
• Will Anders Herrera or N'Golo Kante commit the most fouls?

You will choose one of two players that you think will “win” the matchup with this bet type.

So, if you think Kevin will have more assists than Mohamed Salah, you're in favor of Kevin. If he has more assists, you win.

Conversely, if Mohamed Salah has more assists, then you lose the bet. If both players have no assists in the match, your bets will be refunded. The other examples are similar.

Goal-Based Soccer Props

The most common goal-based soccer props are as follows:

• The first team to score
• Time of the first goal
• Odd or even goals
• Goals in both halves
• Half with most goals

Below, we will explain each one along with specific examples so you can clearly understand how they work.

1. First team to score

This type of Prop allows players to either bet on the team they think will score the first goal or determine the outcome as a draw. As such, you will have a very high chance of winning because you only need to choose one of the two teams. If you choose right, you win; if you choose wrong, you lose. Just as simple as that!

For example:

Looking at this betting table, it is easy to see that Liverpool is the favorite and Tottenham is the underdog. The result of no goal has a very high odds that a draw is almost impossible.

If you choose to bet $100 on Liverpool:

• Liverpool scores the first goal then you win the bet with a total bonus of $100 x 1.8 = $180. Thus, you will get back $80 and $100 of your initial bet.
• If Tottenham Hotspur scores first or the result is no goal then you lose the bet.

If you choose to bet $100 on Tottenham Hotspur:

• If Tottenham scores the first goal, you will get $100x 2.00 = $200 back. Thus, you will gain $100 and $100 of your initial bet.
• If Liverpool scores first or the result is no goal at the end of the match, then you lose your bet.

2. Time of first goal

In this type of bet, the player predicts how long the first goal will be scored. You won't care about which team scores the first goal; you just need to care about the minute they score.

Of course, you won't need to predict precisely when the first goal will be scored. You have to guess what period it will be in, such as:

• 1 - 15 mins
• 16 - 30 mins
• 31 - 45 mins
• 45 - 60 mins
• 61 - 75 mins
• 76 - 90 mins

3. Odd or even goals

For this type of Prop bet, you have to guess whether the total number of goals is even or odd. Zero goals are usually counted as even. However, some bookies consider it a tie and refund the bet to the player.

4. Goals in both halves

This is the type of bet where you just need to choose YES or NO.

• Yes: If you think the goal was scored in both halves
• No: If you think the goal is only scored in one half or no goals at all.

If you choose correctly, you get your winnings; if you choose wrong, you lose your bet.

5. Half with most goals

This format will allow players to bet on which half will have more goals scored. Choose a draw if you think both halves have equal goals or no goals at all. For example:

Other “In-Game” Props

In addition to the two categories that we mentioned above, there are many other types of props bets for you to choose from that do not fall into the above two categories. Such as:

• Over/under total corners
• Over/under team corners
• Over/under total cards
• Winning margin
• Penalty to be awarded
• Method of victory

Alternative Props

The above props are all related to events occurring during a football match, but with alternative props, the player bets on events that occur based on other events. Such as:

• Will Jan Vertonghen be called up to the national team?
• Which Premier League manager will be sacked next?
• Who will {club} appoint as their next permanent manager?
• Which club will Ronaldo play for next season?
• Will a Portugal team win this season's Champions League?
• Will a French team win the next World Cup?

In addition to the examples above, there are countless other examples that we cannot list all. If you want to explore even more options, you can visit any of the top football betting sites we recommend. Most of these sites offer hundreds of different props.

How Do Prop Bet Markets Work?

The prop bet has a low limit. Most of the bookmakers on the market offer max bets on props at a fraction of the max for things like Moneyline bets and over/under.

In addition, bookmakers usually only post prop bets on the day the match will take place. The only exception is the Super Bowl, where some bookies will place prop markets more than a week before the game.

On the other hand, many bookmakers now often offer the most extensive selection of props for primetime/island games, typically to attract more bettors' interest in these games. Thanks to that, the players also have more options for themselves.

However, you also need to be aware that prop markets can move quickly. For example, a limited number of bets on the underdog can usually vary from 85.5 to 80.5. Or the dealer can change the juice or vig from -110 to -160 for under instead of shifting from 85.5 to 80.5.

Why Was My Prop Bet Canceled?

Sometimes, you discover that the prop bet you bet not long ago has been canceled, and the bookie has refunded your bet. Why is that?

First, the most understandable reason is that the player you bet on is absent from the match. Therefore, your bets will not be counted as a matter of course. In addition, your bets will also be void in the event of a match being suspended or a change of venue.

Besides, in some cases, your bets are canceled due to the bookmaker's fault. So, consult your sportsbook’s rules if you’re unsure how they’ll handle or grade a given situation regarding a prop bet.

Conclusion

Above is all the information about prop bets that you need to know before risking some bets. Overall, this is a relatively easy bet to play and has a high chance of winning. However, you also need to update your sports knowledge to make the right choice regularly. Finally, don't forget to revisit our website often for more football betting tips and tricks!