We are only a few days away from The Big Game. That’s right, the Championship Game of the National Football League, otherwise known as “The Super Bowl,” is back for its sixtieth rendition this year, featuring the AFC Champion New England Patriots against the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks. One thing that poker players like to do is bet on the game, and there is nothing better than some silly proposition (prop) bets for people to sink their teeth into. How about we look at a few of them?
Goofy Prop Bets Anyone?
When it comes to the Big Game, there are a slew of prop bets that are out on the different betting platforms. On DraftKings, you can bet on someone other than the quarterback throwing a touchdown pass in the game. The theory behind this is that coaches like to hold onto their gadget plays for a time when “nobody will expect it.” If you’d like to put $100 on that option, the 35:1 odds would deliver you a nice payback of $3500.
BetMGM seems to take the cake with opening the prop bet wonder wheel. The online betting site has odds set for what is called a “scorigami,” or a score that has never occurred in NFL history. Odds are set on the Big Game ending with one of these happenings at 220:1, making a $100 bet worth $22,000; the problem is you have to find one of the potential final scores that hasn’t already happened in NFL history (believe it or not, there have been 1,095 different final scores in NFL history).
The Roaring Lion also has a funky wager on another rarity in the game of football – the “octopus.” An “octopus” is a player who scores a touchdown and converts the two-point try to score a total of eight points (hence, the “octopus”). At BetMGM, they have put 14:1 odds on it happening, but it is entirely unlikely this will occur as your star players are not usually in the game for conversion attempts – unless the game calls for it!
Finally – and it is something we’ve seen a few times in the NFL playoffs this year alone – there is the “doink” kick. NFL kickers are always trying to cut the goalposts close, sometimes resulting in a kick glancing off the uprights or the crossbar. Caesars Sportsbook is offering odds of 4:1 that it will happen in this year’s Championship Game, with -700 odds (bet $700 to win $100) that such a situation will not occur.
Some More Conventional Wagers
For most, conventional wagering is the more common way to bet on the Big Game. There are always plenty of options for that, regardless of the sports book or betting site.
On HardRockBet in Florida, the Seattle Seahawks are a 4.5 favorite against the New England Patriots, meaning that the Seahawks must win by more than four and a half points against the Patriots. If the ‘Hawks were able to beat the Pats by five, then the return would be $187 on a $100 bet (-115). However, if you believe that the Pats can keep it close at the end or outright win the game, then your $100 bet would bring back $195 (-105).
Anytime touchdowns are always a good bet, especially when certain offensive players get the ball more often than other participants. Currently the best bets for players to score a touchdown at any time during the Big Game are Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III, who is a -200 to score, and Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is -110 to score during the game. Two bets that might be worth taking? Seattle wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who is at +260 on a $100 bet, and New England quarterback Drake Maye, also at +260 to carry the ball over the line (a touchdown pass does not count, it is the actual player scoring the touchdown).
The Big Game is set to take the field at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, at 6:30 PM (Eastern time) on Sunday, so you still have a chance to place your bets. If doing the leg work for making some wagers is too much, you might be up for putting your initials in a squares game, where the final digits of the two teams determine who wins by quarter, half, and end of game. See? There are many ways to enjoy The Big Game and have some skin in the game!