What Are Prop Bets?
Prop bets can be found in many sports, covering various entertaining betting markets that make your viewing experience more engaging. They are wagers on events within a game that don't necessarily affect the final outcome. But sometimes, these novelty bets go so far that they become legendary. Here are five of the craziest prop bets ever offered.
5. Betting on the National Anthem
In the United States, the National Anthem is a staple before nearly any professional sporting event. Capitalizing on this tradition, many sportsbooks offer fans the chance to bet on its duration. This is one of the most popular Super Bowl prop bets because it’s often the first wager to be settled for the big game.
It’s an exciting and undoubtedly crazy prop bet because the result is entirely out of anyone’s control. The length depends on the specific performer, their unique rendition, and their chosen tempo. It's a highly unpredictable bet, usually offered in an over/under format where you predict if the anthem will be longer or shorter than the bookmaker's set time.
4. Prop Bets on US Elections
Political betting is a massive market, and US elections often generate intense interest and some of the most unusual prop bets. The campaigns involving Donald Trump, for instance, were a hotbed for creative wagers from bookmakers.
Beyond betting on the winner, some novelty bets pushed the boundaries. One of the most talked-about wagers during the 2020 election cycle was whether Trump would still be president in five years, implying a third consecutive term. While we know this didn't happen, a win on that bet would have been as historic as it was unlikely.
3. Ridiculous NFL Super Bowl Prop Bets
For many sportsbooks, the Super Bowl is the single most lucrative event of the year. This makes it a gold mine for some of the funniest prop bets imaginable, designed to keep viewers engaged with every moment of the broadcast.
The list of ridiculous NFL prop bets is nearly endless. Over the years, some of the most memorable have included:
- Will Snoop Dogg smoke on stage during the halftime show?
- Will a performer make an overt political statement?
- How many commercials will feature a dog?
- What color will the Gatorade be that is dumped on the winning coach?
These entertainment betting markets prove that with the Super Bowl, you can wager on almost anything.
2. Counting on a White Christmas
It sounds like something from a movie, but in the United Kingdom, you can place a real wager on whether the country will have a White Christmas. This unusual prop bet has been offered for years, with the bookmaker William Hill being one of its pioneers.
Given that heavy snow is relatively rare in many parts of the UK on December 25th, betting "no" might seem like a safe bet. However, the conditions for winning are very specific. For the bet to cash, there must be official proof of at least one snowflake falling at one of several major UK airports on Christmas Day.
1. Crazy Poker Prop Bets
The world of high-stakes poker is famous for its side action, where players make poker prop bets among themselves to raise the stakes and test each other's limits. These wagers are often personal, daring, and incredibly lucrative.
There are countless examples of how imaginative poker players can be. Some legendary tales include:
- Vegetarian poker pro Howard Lederer accepting a $10,000 bet to eat a single hamburger.
- The legendary Johnny Moss, who was once bet that he couldn't win a bar fight he was goaded into starting.
- Perhaps the most famous: Jay Kwik was bet a six-figure sum by Andrew Robl that he couldn't live inside a bathroom at the Bellagio hotel for 30 days. He succeeded.
These examples show that in the world of high-stakes gambling, the bets made away from the table can be even wilder than the game itself.
