Super Bowl 50 Betting Guide: Prop Bets!

This Sunday is one of the best calendar days of the year because while most call it by its mainstream name, Super Bowl 50, I choose to refer to it by its cool nickname- Christmas for degenerates!

Yes, the Big Game offers sports gamblers of all ages and sizes a cornucopia of ways to win money off the backs of professional football players. Today we take a look at some of the most entertaining proposition (prop) bets available for the matchup between Denver and Carolina.

Let’s win some cash!

As opposed to a straight bet, which is a wager on the game itself (for example, to bet on Carolina giving 6 points or Denver getting 6), prop bets are made on an occurrence happening within the game but not affecting the final outcome of it.

After perusing the seemingly limitless props through my friends at sportsbook.ag, I have chosen a handful of bets to place.*

* Note to Feds- when I say “bets to place”, what I mean is I will of course board a plane, fly all the way to Nevada and get Uber’d to a sportsbook of my choice within a hotel located inside the Las Vegas city limits, where I will legally wager on the football game, turn around, and fly home. Oh, and of course claim my winnings on next year’s taxes.

Using $1000 as our fictitious betting amount, let’s see if we can get daddy a new tablet by winning all of our bets.

We’ll start off with a couple pretty straight-forward items before getting to the good stuff:

Total Punts by BOTH teams

Over/Under 10

The play: OVER

The Wager: $50

This game is going to be dominated for much of the night by two very good, fast defenses. It feels like a game where both teams and both coaches will play field position. Neither team will run effectively, leading to a lot of punts.

Team to record most First Downs

CAR -1.5

DEN +1.5

The Play: CAROLINA

The Wager: $50

I feel as though Denver will struggle to move the ball all night. It’s been real, Peyton, but that noodle arm just isn’t going to cut it against Josh Norman, Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. Carolina will have its hands full with the Broncos defense too, but they play a methodical, clock-chewing game that yields a lot of first downs on its way down the field. I think the Panthers will win the game and will certainly have at least 2 more first downs.

Ok, you’ve had the appetizers. Now let’s get to the real fun. Following are actual bets you can make, believe it or not. It takes time to find value within these distracting, bells-and-whistles type of wagers, but if you look hard enough, you can find an edge. Check these out:

More from Emerald City Swagger

Will the Panthers player who scores their first touchdown give the ball to a boy or a girl?

Boy -200

Girl +150

The Play: BOY

The Wager: $100

This bet has been stacked in a way to get you to take the female side. Whereas a bettor has to lay $200 to win $100 on a boy, he can bet $100 to win $150 on a girl. Ahh, but remember- most kids elbowing their way down to the wall will be boys. While girls will be watching the fireworks that go off immediately after the touchdown, boys of all races, creeds and colors will be whining with arms extended over the barrier, hoping to have the ball dropped in his entitled arms. Play the odds, bet on a selfish little dude.

How many times will the Golden Gate Bridge be shown (only from kickoff to final whistle, excluding halftime)?

Over 0.5 -300

Under 0.5 +200

The Play: OVER

The Wager: $150

If you think predictable, mainstream, 85-mph-down-the-middle-fastball CBS is going to go to commercial and/or come back from commercial the whole game without showing that friggin’ bridge at least one time, you’re crazy. If I had screw you money, I’d lay it all on this. It’s borderline stealing even when having to lay 3-to-1 odds.

Now to the main event. The following bets are called “Cross Sport Props”. Yes, you can wager on plays happening in the Super Bowl versus something occurring in a completely different game, in a different sport altogether. These are the most fun of the prop bets and we have three that have been carefully selected for your enjoyment.

Which will be higher?

Rory McIlroy 4^th round score in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic +0.5

Emmanuel Sanders (DEN) receiving yards -0.5

The Play: SANDERS

The Wager: $200

Ok, here’s the deal. Sanders’ over/under on receiving yards is 69.5 for this game. With Josh Norman locking down Demaryius Thomas, Kuechly shadowing tight ends and the run game finding little success, the Bronco to bet on overachieving is Sanders. You could just take over 69.5 yards straight up, but what fun is that? Research tells you McIlroy won this event last year, has been in Dubai practicing for a week already, and last year won in a runaway with daily scores of 66, 64, 66 and 70. Since he is likely to shoot in the mid 60’s, this becomes a nifty way of reducing what Sanders has to gain in yardage by a few. Any little edge helps, but I look for Sanders to get 80+ yards receiving, which will blow Rory’s total away.

Next: Super Bowl 50: My Prediction

Which will be higher?

# of completed, full rounds of UFC Fight Night 82 bout between Johny Hendricks and Stephen Thompson -0.5

Broncos/Panthers total made field goals +0.5

The Play: FIELD GOALS

The Wager: $200

Now we’re talking. The UFC fight is at most 5 rounds. If you’re familiar with the sport, you know a high percentage of bouts do not go the distance. This fight pits a guy with huge punching power and great wrestling skills (Hendricks) against a karate/kickboxing expert (Thompson). Thompson may be able to keep Hendricks at bay using distance, disallowing the wrestler to grapple rounds away. If that’s the case, it becomes a brawl that could end in one guy getting KO’d. Possibly very quickly. Considering the best that side can do is get to 4.5 because they are giving up 0.5 points here, the field goals have the advantage. 5 of them win it automatically, and it’s possible zero FG’s win the bet if the fight ends before round 1 finishes. In a game with good defenses, field goals become more likely. All signs point to the kickers having the advantage in this one, as even the weather for SB50 is supposed to be ideal for football.

Which will be higher?

U of Houston (mens basketball) points vs Tulsa -13.5

Britton Colquitt’s longest punt (gross yards) +13.5

The Play: HOUSTON

The Wager: $250

Think about it. They’re using player averages over the course of the season to determine Colquitt’s number. Those numbers are inflated by the thin air of Denver. He’s more precise than he is a boomer. On Sunday, near sea level elevation, he’ll feel like he’s punting through an atmosphere made of clam chowder soup compared to his home city. I’d be surprised to see him hit one more than, say, 52 yards. Add 13.5 to that and Houston would have to score at least 66 points against Tulsa to win the wager. Well, Houston averages 78 points per game so far this season and dropped 81 on Tulsa a couple weeks ago. I think 70 is Houston’s floor here and I do not see Colquitt nailing a punt 57 yards or more. Phi Slamma Jamma is back, baby!

There you have it. What could me more American than gambling your discretionary income on a golfer in Dubai or a punter in Santa Clara? All you have to do is a little research and you can find value in the greatness that is the Super Bowl 50 proposition bet. Good luck with them and enjoy the game!

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