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One of the most popular forms of sports betting is prop betting, which involves wagering on a specific outcome, usually not tied to the overall game result. When you bet on a point spread, total or money line, you are wagering on a game outcome, while a prop bet is a more targeted wager looking at one area, usually a particular statistical category. The lines for prop bets are derived from oddsmakers in a similar way to game lines. We'll take a look at what prop betting is, how it works and some of the best strategies when betting on props at the best sportsbook apps. Bet props at DraftKings Sportsbook :
There are three main categories to bet on at online sportsbooks: player props, game props, and team props.
There are many types of prop bets you can make at top sportsbooks , but the most common one is a player prop bet. This involves betting on a particular player's production for a specific statistic. The New England Patriots played the New York Jets in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. Let's say you wanted to bet on Drake Maye passing yards. DraftKings allows you to pick a yardage total you'd like to bet on and gives dynamic odds for different totals. For example, you could bet on Maye to throw for 240+ yards at -147 (wager $147 to win $100), but if you increase that number to 250+ yards, the odds go to -116 (wager $116 to win $100). If you went down to 230+ yards, the odds move to -187 (wager $187 to win $100). Player props are especially popular in NBA betting and sportsbook promos .
Game props are also offered, and they usually involve statistical milestones achievable by one or both teams combined. Using the same Patriots vs. Jets example, DraftKings offers a game prop for either team to score 30+ points with "Yes" priced at -110 and "No" priced at -120. If you bet "Yes", you'll win as long as either the Patriots or Jets score 30 points, regardless of the game's outcome. If you bet "No", you'll win if both teams score fewer than 30 points. There are also game props for total touchdowns scored, how many field goals will be made, and the length of the longest play from scrimmage.
Team props are similar to game props, but they only involve one team rather than both. With the same Patriots vs. Jets example, you can bet on how many points and touchdowns one team will score, along with more unique outcomes such as whether a team will post a shutout or if a team will lead at halftime or the end of the first quarter.
There are also season-long props available, which usually involve player statistics. These could be a player's passing yards, points scored, goals scored, or even fouls committed throughout the course of an entire season.
Bet different prop bet types at FanDuel Sportsbook here :
In most cases, the four major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) have similar prop betting markets available for every game and for futures. Here's a look at some examples of prop bets in different leagues and how to read lines on prop bets.
Use a Patriots vs. Chiefs game as an example. A game prop might be for either team to score 30+ points. Both sides would likely be fairly even at -110 and -120. This means the oddsmakers are pricing this close to 50-50 on whether a team scores 30+, but there's a slight lean towards neither team hitting that mark. If you go to either team to score 40+ points, "Yes' jumps to +550 and "No" goes to -1000.
A "+" sign indicates that side of the prop is seen as less likely to hit in the eyes of the oddsmakers, while the "-" is seen as more likely. -110 odds are standard when both sides are equal, and slight deviations from this number shouldn't be weighed heavily if both sides of the prop remain at "-" odds.
Let's look at a season-long prop example for the NBA. The reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder had a win total for the 2025-26 season set at 62.5 (Over +100, Under -120) at DraftKings. If the Thunder win 63+ games, all bets on the Over will cash. If the Thunder win 62 or fewer games, the Under will cash. Since there's a +100 on the Over side at the moment, the odds imply Oklahoma City is less likely to win 63 or more games, but it's close.
We'll look at an awards prop in the NHL. Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid was the favorite to win the Hart Trophy, which is given to the league MVP, in 2025-26 at DraftKings. However, he was priced at +200 while the next player, Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, was priced at +600. This is an instance where even the favorite is at plus odds. Because only one player can win MVP, it's harder to pinpoint who will have a dominant season and get the most votes. As games are played, the lines in this market will shift and eventually somebody will become the clear odds-on favorite.
Sportsbooks offer plenty of MLB player props, which are predominantly divided between batters and pitchers. Let's use a pitching prop as an example here and say Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal's strikeouts line for a particular game is set at 8.5 (Over +110, Under -145). This means the odds imply Skubal is more likely to tally eight or fewer strikeouts in this outing. These lines can change based on how the market is betting on a prop. If there's more action from respected bettors on the Under leading up to the game, oddsmakers will usually shift the odds to incentivize betting on the Over to balance their risk.
Skubal's performance in this game could impact future strikeout prop lines. If he were to strike out 12 batters in this game, it's possible that oddsmakers will raise his strikeouts prop line for the next game to 9.5 or even 10.5. If he were to only tally four strikeouts, the line could be lowered to 7.5 for the next contest.
Prop bets are also available for sports like soccer, golf and tennis. These can be goal scorers in soccer, how many shots a particular hole will take for a golfer to complete and how many sets a tennis player will win during a particular match.
Many states have sports betting regulations that prohibit...
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