Breaking Down The Best “Prop” Bets of Superbowl XLVIII And How To Bet Them

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

We’re a little more then a week away from the most important day of the  sports year, Superbowl Sunday. As usual, many sports books opened their proposition bet lines for the Superbowl yesterday, and whether your looking to make some quick cash or just have some fun throwing some green around, there is a little something for everyone.

We refer to some of the crazy bets that go on for the Superbowl, as “prop bets” because sports fans, and people looking to make some money, will actually  bite on some of the ridiculous propositions that sports booking agencies have available. Friends, family, enemies etc, have made these bets while watching sporting events for years. My dad and I used to go back and forth with $20 on the Leafs and Flyers every time they met, betting on everything and anything that would happen during the game.

Superbowl prop bets really took off during Superbowl XX when Chicago Bears’ defensive tackle William “The Refrigerator” Perry became a household name when then head coach Mike Ditka would use him as a fullback to plow into the endzone on goal-line situations. Vegas looked to cash in on the pregame hype by adding a betting line to the game on whether or not Perry would score. The bets poured in and the propositional bet was born. While Vegas took a beating with the Fridge’s one yard plunge, it has resulted in millions of dollars of revenue since then, with most sports books offering up to and over 500 prop bets on this year’s Superbowl.

The “books” target the occasional gambler with these bets and you can wager on anything that happens in or around the game. The coin flip is the annual favorite with millions of dollars being laid on heads or tails. Another trending bet for Superbowl XLVIII, is how many times Peyton Manning says “Omaha’ during the game with the over/under being 27 and a half. You can bet on the weather, the national anthem, and just about every statistic that football offers.

Per Bovada.com, here are some of the other Superbowl XLVIII prop bets, where there is money to be made.

• Who will be the Superbowl MVP?
• What will be the longest completion by each quarterback?
• Will Russell Wilson throw a touchdown or interception first?
• Will it snow during the game?
• Will Renee Fleming (who is singing the national anthem) forget at least one word?
• Will Knowshon Moreno cry during the national anthem?
• How many times will Eli Manning be shown during Fox’s television broadcast?
• How many times will “the 12th man” be said during the game?
• Will Richard Sherman be interviewed after the game by Erin Andrews again?

And then there is my personal favorite prop bet, which asks “Will the word Marijuana be said during the broadcast?”. Obviously this is referring to the fact that both Colorado (home state of the Broncos) and Washington (home state of the Seahawks), are among the first American states to legalize Marijuana for recreational use. If you decide to bet on that, I’d say it will be a resounding no that Joe Buck and Troy Aikman would get in a conversation about weed during the telecast of the biggest sporting event of the year.

Here are three tips when taking on proposition bets for Superbowl XLVIII.

1. Inside Information

If you happen to know national anthem singer Renee Fleming, ask her if she is wearing gloves for the song, because you can actually bet on that. Watch the line movement on personal bets like this, inside information is so in-play here. Imagine if you were Renee’s cousin and you hear that she is wearing gloves that night, wouldn’t you be running to the computer and laying large money on that? It’s bound to happen and if enough inside money is laid one way or the other, it will tilt the odds and move the line up.

2. Follow Trends

Twenty-six Quarterbacks have won the Superbowl MVP trophy and only one MVP has been from the losing team, making the QB from the winning team the prime candidate for the award. Payton Manning is an 11/10 favorite to win the award and Russell Wilson comes in at 7/2. There is a trend here and any kind of decent game by one of these players and the award is their’s. Take a look at patterns like this and it will give you an advantage in making a wager.

3. Taking The Long Odds

Taking the long shot has always been a fan favorite when wagering on prop bets for the Superbowl. Everyone wants to tell a good story and what better tale to tell  then taking the proverbial one legged pony to win the race. Your dog (or horse) will seldom come in and your wallet will take a beating hoping five or six of these long shots will cover. While these bets are fun and not a big deal if you are in the minority and have an unlimited supply of money, but if you want to make some cash, lay that money on the heavy favorite to cover.

For example, most people will take the long shot on a safety happening in the game, for every $100 you bet, you make $1000, which is very intriguing for the occasional gambler. For me, I’ll lay the $1000 to make $100 on the safety not happening. Taking the heavy favorite seems like a big gamble but it usually pays off, you just need the guts to go for it.

Be smart with your money on this year’s Superbowl and don’t bet what you can’t afford. I’ll be back next week to share what I think will happen in Superbowl XLVIII.

 For more Superbowl XLVIII “prop bets” visit Bovada here. 

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