Player props explained

A player prop is a bet on something one player does, rather than on the result of the game: a quarterback throwing for over 249.5 yards, a forward scoring more than 24.5 points, a player scoring a touchdown at all. Most props are over/unders on a stat line, priced exactly like game totals; some are yes-or-no bets. They usually carry a wider margin than a game's spread or total, and most US books refund them if the player doesn't take part.

What kinds of player props are there?

Four shapes cover almost all of them. Stat over/unders set a line on points, rebounds, passing yards, strikeouts, shots on goal and so on. Yes-or-no props ask whether something happens: anytime touchdown scorer, to hit a home run, to record a double-double. Milestones or ladders offer the same stat at several thresholds, such as 20+, 25+ and 30+ points, each at its own price. Combined stats add categories together, such as points plus rebounds plus assists. Books also offer game props that aren't about one player, such as which team scores first.

Why do props have wider margins?

Books price thousands of props every day, far more markets than they can give each one careful attention, and each prop attracts much less betting than a game's main line. Less money means less information reaching the price and a bigger chance the book is wrong, so it charges more to cover that risk. For the same reason, most books accept smaller maximum bets on props than on spreads and totals. You can measure a prop's margin exactly as in implied probability: add both sides.

One-sided props hide their margin

Many yes-or-no props, anytime touchdown scorer being the common one, are offered only on the yes side. With no other side to add up, you can't read the margin from a single price. The practical answer is to compare books. If one has a player to score at +150 and another at +180, the second pays $180 per $100 instead of $150, and implies 35.71% instead of 40.00% for the same event.

Why props can also be where the edge is

The same thinness that makes props expensive makes them uneven. Books update prop prices less quickly and copy each other less closely than on main lines, so a single prop can sit at noticeably different prices across books after news breaks. That is an opportunity if you shop, and a trap if you don't. The fair price on a prop is also less certain, because fewer sharp books quote it; treat an apparent edge on a thin prop with more suspicion than the same edge on a spread. Positive EV covers how to judge one.

What happens if the player doesn't play?

At most US books, a player prop is void, meaning your stake is refunded, if the player takes no part in the game. What counts as taking part varies by sport, market and book: it might be one snap, one plate appearance or any time on the court. If the player does take part, even briefly, and then leaves injured, the prop generally stands and is settled on whatever stats they recorded. Inside a parlay, a voided prop is usually removed and the ticket repriced without it. These rules are set by each book, so read your book's house rules for the sport. Baseball pitcher props have their own rules tied to the listed starter; see listed pitchers.

Comparing props across books

The Odds Board's Bets view is the flat, one-row-per-bet board, and it is the view that carries player props. Each row shows every book's price for the same player, stat and line, the best price boxed, and a Fair price with a small count of how many books it was built from. On props that count matters: a fair price from one or two sources can be several points out, and the Min books filter hides rows too thin to trust. The Odds Board walkthrough explains the Fair tooltip in detail.