Prop Betting Explained: Every Type of Prop Bet in Sports
Prop betting goes far beyond player stats. Understanding every prop type opens up more ways to find value.
By
Eric Pauly
Feb 4, 2026
10 min read
What Is Prop Betting
Prop betting (short for proposition betting) covers any wager that is not directly tied to the final outcome or score of a game. Instead of betting on which team wins or the total combined score, prop bets focus on specific events within a game: individual player performance, team-level statistics, game milestones, and in some cases, outcomes completely unrelated to the sport itself. Prop bets have become the fastest-growing category in legal sports betting, and most sportsbooks now offer hundreds of prop markets per game.
After betting props across the NFL, NBA, and MLB for over a year, I can say that understanding the full range of prop types, not just player props, opens up significantly more opportunities. This guide covers every major type of prop bet, how sportsbooks price them, and where the edges tend to live. For an overview of the tools that support prop research, check out the best sports betting tools list.
article Summary
Prop betting includes player props (individual stats), game props (team-level events), and novelty/special props (non-game events). Player props are the most popular and offer the most consistent edges because sportsbooks cannot price thousands of markets as tightly as main game lines. Line shopping and matchup research are the two most important skills for profitable prop betting.
Types of Prop Bets
Player Props
Player props are bets on individual player statistics. In the NFL, you can bet on passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards, touchdowns, completions, receptions, and interceptions. The NBA offers points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers, steals, blocks, and combined stat categories like points + rebounds + assists. MLB props focus on strikeouts, hits, total bases, home runs, and earned runs. Each prop sets a line, and you bet over or under that number. Player props are the most popular prop category because they let you focus on one player's performance rather than predicting an entire game outcome.
Game Props
Game props are team-level or game-level bets that do not depend on the final score. Common game props include first team to score, total sacks in a game, total turnovers, whether there will be a safety, the longest touchdown distance, and whether the game goes to overtime. Game props tend to be less efficiently priced than player props because they attract less betting volume and less attention from sharp bettors. That means edges can exist for bettors who research these markets specifically.
Period and Half Props
Many sportsbooks offer props for specific periods of the game: first half lines, first quarter totals, and individual period results. First half totals and first quarter props are popular in both football and basketball. These markets have their own dynamics. For example, NFL first half totals can be influenced by which team receives the opening kickoff and the scripted plays that offensive coordinators design for the opening drive.
Futures Props
Futures props are long-term bets on season or tournament outcomes: MVP awards, Rookie of the Year, division winners, win totals, and championship futures. These are technically prop bets because they are not tied to a single game's outcome. Futures offer some of the largest payouts in sports betting but also lock up your money for extended periods. The best time to bet futures is before or early in the season, when information asymmetry is highest and the market has not fully adjusted to preseason developments.
How Sportsbooks Price Props
Algorithm-Driven Pricing
Sportsbooks price most prop markets using algorithms and models rather than manual adjustments from oddsmakers. Because there are simply too many props to price individually (a single NFL Sunday can generate 3,000+ prop markets), sportsbooks rely on automated systems that set lines based on historical data, season averages, and some matchup factors. These algorithms are good but not perfect, and the gaps between algorithmic pricing and reality are where informed bettors find value.
Wider Margins on Props
Props generally carry higher vig than game lines. While a standard spread might be priced at -110 on both sides (about 4.5% margin), props often carry -115 or -120 on one or both sides, pushing the margin to 5 to 8% or higher. Same-game parlays, which combine multiple props, compound this margin further. Understanding the vig on props is important because it means you need a bigger edge per bet to overcome the higher cost. Odds comparison tools help you find props with lower juice across different sportsbooks.
Line Movement on Props
Props move less frequently and less aggressively than game lines because they attract less sharp action. However, when props do move, it often signals significant new information (like an injury update) or a clear pricing error that sharp bettors identified. Tracking prop line movement can reveal which direction the informed money is going, though the data is noisier than for main game lines.
Where to Find Edges in Prop Betting
Player Props Are the Most Opportunity-Rich
Player props consistently offer more mispriced lines than any other prop category. The combination of high volume and algorithm-driven pricing creates daily opportunities across every major sport. The key is having a process for evaluating each prop rather than betting based on gut feelings. Matchup analysis, recent usage trends, and line comparison across sportsbooks are the three pillars of profitable player prop betting. Dedicated tools like Props.Cash ($19.99/month, code BETSMART for 30% off) specialize in surfacing these edges by comparing sportsbook lines against fair value estimates.
Alternate Lines and Less Popular Markets
Alternate lines (different point spreads or totals than the main number) and less popular prop markets tend to be less efficiently priced. An alternate player prop like "Patrick Mahomes Over 299.5 passing yards" might offer better expected value than the main "Over 274.5" line because the sportsbook spends less time fine-tuning alternate numbers. PropFinder ($14.99/month, code BETSMART for 30% off) is useful for scanning these less trafficked markets where pricing inefficiencies are more common.
Cross-Sport Prop Opportunities
Prop edges exist across every sport, but the nature of the edges varies. NFL props benefit from small sample sizes (17-game seasons) that make it harder for sportsbooks to set accurate lines. NBA props benefit from high game frequency and matchup-driven variance. MLB props, particularly pitcher strikeout totals, are influenced by umpire tendencies and ballpark factors that algorithms may not fully capture. Outlier ($19.99/month) covers prop research across all major sports with player prop research tools built into its platform, making it a strong choice for bettors who want to bet props across multiple sports.
Prop Betting Strategy Fundamentals
Always Line Shop Props
Prop lines vary more across sportsbooks than any other market type. I have regularly seen the same player prop differ by two or more points across different books. That kind of discrepancy on a game line would be corrected almost instantly by sharp money, but prop markets do not attract the same corrective pressure. Line shopping on props is not optional if you want to be profitable. It is the single highest-impact habit you can develop as a prop bettor.
Focus on One Sport at a Time
Prop betting rewards expertise. Knowing that a specific NBA team defends the three-point line poorly against wings, or that a certain NFL offensive coordinator uses heavy play-action in the red zone, gives you an informational advantage that algorithms cannot fully replicate. Spreading your attention across too many sports dilutes this advantage. Start with the sport you know best, build a track record, and expand from there. Our beginner sports betting course covers how to build this kind of focused approach.
Track Your Prop Bets Separately
Because props have different margin structures and edge profiles than game lines, tracking them separately gives you clearer data on where your actual edge lives. You might discover that your NBA rebound props are +5% ROI while your NFL passing yard props are break-even. That kind of insight only comes from granular tracking, and it directly informs where to focus your time and bankroll.
Final Thoughts
Prop betting is one of the most accessible and opportunity-rich areas of sports betting. From player props and game props to futures and alternates, the variety of available markets means there is always something worth researching. The key to profitable prop betting is treating it with the same discipline you would apply to any other bet type: research the matchups, compare lines across sportsbooks, track your results, and focus on the markets where your process consistently identifies value. The tools available today make prop research faster and more efficient than ever, but the edge ultimately comes from the work you put in.
Prop Betting FAQ
Additional Resources
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