What is Prop Bet in Sports Betting?

Prop Bet Explained in Detail

Prop bets come in two main categories: player props and game props. Player props focus on individual statistics like passing yards, rushing yards, rebounds, goals, or strikeouts. Game props focus on team or game events like which team scores first, whether the game goes to overtime, or the exact final score.

The rise of prop betting has been driven by several factors. First, they make every moment of a game exciting because your bet can be decided at any point. Second, they allow bettors to use specialized knowledge about specific players or situations. Third, they are the building blocks of same-game parlays, which sportsbooks heavily promote.

Player props are where sharp bettors often find the most value. Sportsbooks have decades of data and sophisticated models for game outcomes, but player prop markets are newer and less refined. A bettor who closely follows a specific team might notice that a running back is due for a bigger workload or that a pitcher struggles against left-handed lineups before the sportsbook adjusts.

The key to profitable prop betting is finding inefficiencies. Sportsbooks set hundreds of props per game, and they cannot dedicate equal attention to every line. Less popular props on lesser-known players tend to have softer lines. Bettors who do their homework and build their own models for player projections can consistently find edges in the prop market.