Almost as
big as the game itself, prop wagers have become synonymous with the Super Bowl
and everything that goes with the big game.
The
popularity has grown in direct proportion with the oddsmaker's creativity. What
was once an afterthought, or an obligatory task has now become an art form for
sports books, as they create hundreds and hundreds of proposition betting
options for their clients.
If you're
old enough, you'll likely remember when the prop bet took that big step into
the spotlight: It was Super Bowl XX in 1986, featuring the brash Chicago Bears
and the sacrificial lamb New England Patriots.
The Bears
had personality to burn with compelling storylines on both sides of the ball.
One of the biggest stories of the year was William "The Refrigerator"
Perry, the D-end who also scored a few TDs on offense.
He grabbed
the attention of even the most casual fan and much of the focus of this
attention building up to the game was whether or not he'd score a TD. Caesars Palace
in Las Vegas
jumped on this and put up a "Will William "The Refrigerator" Perry
score a touchdown" prop. It received a massive amount of attention (Perry did
in fact score a TD, and Walter Payton fans will always wince when they think
about that) and the prop wager said "Hello world"...and it has gone on from
there.
The Super
Bowl prop wager is now a part of pop culture, with everyone from school
teachers to grandmothers to nuns enjoying "watercooler" conversations about
prop offerings. They're impossible to avoid this time of the year with the
mainstream media loving the topic and delivering story after story focused on
them.
I remember
a few years back, one of the more popular prop bets that grabbed a ton of media
attention was related to Billy
Joel's version of the national anthem.
Online
sports book SPORTSBETTING.com
posted up the prop "How Long Will It Take Billy Joel To Sing The National
Anthem?"
The
over/under was set at 1:44.
Bettors all over started singing the anthem and timing themselves as well as
hitting Youtube searching for footage of previous Billy
Joel anthems (and at least one version was posted).
Billy Joel sang the anthem at the 2000 World Series. The hit count for that
video started to rack up as the Bill Joel prop was talked about on TV and radio
across North America, as well as spread across
the web and print media.
The Youtube
version clocked in at 1 minute and 37 seconds.
When Billy wrapped up his song on Super Bowl Sunday
"Under" 1:44 bettors
smiled, as they pocketed a winning bet before the game had even kicked off.
This year's
Super Bowl is no different. The surprising Arizona Cardinals make their way to Tampa to face a tough
Steeler team.
Checking
the prop wagering options at some of the online sports books we see SPORTSBETTING.com has a full lineup of
them, ranging from the obvious (who will score first, who will be the MVP) to
the more exotic (who will have more points on Sunday, the Steelers or
Cleveland's Lebron James)...there are literally hundreds of prop options. It's
entertaining just surfing through and reading what's available.
A very
common proposition amongst various books is the coin toss bet.
Heads and Tails both pay out at -105 at SPORTSBETTING.com
In line
with the coin toss bet is the "Team to win the coin toss" prop. The Steelers
are listed at -105 to win the coin toss and the Cardinals are listed at the same.
Another
coin toss-related prop is the "Team to receive the opening kick off" bet; Pittsburgh is at even money and Arizona is -130.
There are
also props related to the actual game as well, including which team will score
first. Will it be the Steelers who are -150 or will it be the Cardinals at
+120?
Kurt Warner
is one of the reasons that Arizona
earned its first berth to a Super Bowl; the Cards' QB threw for 4,583 yards and
30 TDs during the regular season and another 770 yards and 8 TDs this postseason.
Obviously
Warner is the topic of a number of props.
Books have
the Over/Under for Warner's total passing yards set at 255.5 yards.
Will
Warner's longest completion be Over (-115) or Under (-115) 39.5 yards?
If Arizona's QB does manage
to complete a pass that is longer than 40 yards, chances are it will be to WR
Larry Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald
has been the best receiver during postseason, leading the league in receiving
yards with 419 and with 23 receptions.
The
Over/Under for Fitzgerald's Total receiving yards in the Super Bowl is set at
95.5.
While Pittsburgh does have some
good players on the offensive side of the ball, its strength has been its
defense.
Strong
safety Troy Polamalu, a key cog in the Steelers' secondary, intercepted a pass
late in the fourth quarter of the AFC title game and returned it for a TD.
If Polamalu
picks off a pass in the Super Bowl, it will pay out at +170, it he doesn't it
will pay out at -220.
The
aforementioned props are only the tip of the iceberg...check them all out.
