There’s the game within the game, the game outside the game and the festive fervor of wagering frolicking.
Here comes the Super Bowl, and its deluge of wagers, descending on Mountain State online sports bettors.
Sunday’s battle between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs has all the gambling whistles, frills and thrills.
It’s a betting feast, both from an analytical and a frivolous perspective. Some wagers are quite serious. Others are sheer hilarity.
Either way, it’s a party.
WV sportsbooks found the right number
The sportsbooks nailed public sentiment on this game right away. The line has been Kansas City -3 or -3.5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since the outset.
When the line hits -3, Kansas City bettors jump on it.
DraftKings Sportsbook WV reported midweek totals of Kansas City garnering 79% of the handle at that number.
The over 56.5 has earned 74% of the money, with the game expected to be a shootout.
For Tampa Bay bettors, the moneyline is a sweet spot. The Bucs produce a +143 moneyline payout, which has been taken by 56% of the bettors. The handle is at 51% for Tampa Bay.
This is a game with parity written all over it, featuring two top teams. The moneyline, the spread and the over-under generate the majority of the money, but the props are fun.
How could you not throw at least a couple of bucks down on some potentially crazy outcomes?
Super Bowl prop bets galore
Here are some other wagering considerations from DraftKings. Some are literally a toss of the coin; others require analysis.
Which team wins the coin toss? It’s -103 either way.
The Gatorade color is an entertaining wager. It’s hard to scientifically analyze, but the payouts are:
- Orange +100
- Red +200
- Clear/Water +300
- Yellow-Green Lime +300
- Blue +700
- Purple +800
With a straight face, you can say that this line has moved. Orange is taking money. Purple can’t get a hit.
- What’s a game without a Fat Man TD prop? An offensive lineman scoring a touchdown is +2000. A defensive lineman to register a touchdown is +800. Taking the “no” on these bets is prohibitive, and you would not want to consider it.
- What is the jersey number of the first scorer? Over 24.5 is -121, while under 24.5 is -103.
- Want to hope for a slow game and a long halftime show? There’s actually a time prop this year. Will the game end before 10:15 p.m.? Both sides are -114. The kickoff is 6:30 p.m. This brings new meaning to working the clock.
- Will either team produce three unanswered scores? Yes is –220. No is +170. It did happen last year, from both teams, in Kansas City’s 31-20 triumph over the San Francisco 49ers.
All of these bets can be made before the game. But don’t miss what comes up in the third quarter.
Watch and win
DraftKings will air a commercial directing players to its pools page for a fourth-quarter free prop fest.
“We’re excited about this one,” Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations, told Play WV. “We had half a million people in the pool before we even started to tell bettors about this.
“One thing we really love about it is that it will keep you interested for every play of the game.”
Even the last play of the game figures into the competition. How does it work?
Gamblers will be directed to the pools section. Fourth-quarter props will constitute their own competition, with a total prize payout of $1 million.
The props include:
- What is the longest rushing play of the fourth quarter: 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25, 26+?
- Will there be a touchdown of 20 or more yards? Yes or no
- Will the two-minute warning occur exactly at 2:00? Yes or no
- What will be the longest field goal attempted? Will it be 17-33 yards, 34-50, 51+ or no field goal at all?
- Will the last play of the game be a run, pass, kneel down or something else?
- Will the first kneel down occur with more than one minute left or at various junctures under one minute?
Whoever gets the most correct answers will gain a piece of the pot. It will keep bettors interested, regardless of how the game unfolds.
If you’re already a DraftKings customer, you can beat the rush and hit the free pools now.
William Hill: Pay upon (touchdown) receipt
With the over-under total at 56.5 at William Hill Sportsbook WV, bettors anticipate a slew of touchdowns. But by whom?
Two Kansas City skill-position players are favored to reach the end zone: tight end Travis Kelce (Yes -180/No +160) and wide receiver Tyreek Hill (Yes -165/No +145).
The prop numbers are stunning. Any player scoring usually returns in the neighborhood of even money at the worst. Most return plus money.
“They definitely bet Kelce up,” said Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill US. “We opened ‘Yes’ at -140, then went to -145 to -160 to now -180. At some point, I think there will be buyback on the ‘No’ at plus money. He’s been on a roll, though.
“The only time you’ll ever see a ‘Yes’ that high is a stud running back who gets the ball inside the 5 every time. It’s hard to have a receiver that high because touchdown passes are a lot more random.”
Kelce has notched three touchdowns in Kansas City’s two playoff games and has scored in each of the last six games he’s played in. Hill, on the other hand, has not reached pay dirt so far in the NFL playoffs, but he did find the end zone three times in the Chiefs’ 27-24 victory over the Buccaneers in Week 12.
“We opened ‘Yes’ at -150 and it’s now at -165, but we don’t have that much action on [Hill],” Bogdanovich said. “Tyreek typically has to score by running it in, versus Kelce, [who] is such a big target that they can just lob it in to him.”
More props
Patrick Mahomes’ passing touchdown prop has stayed put at 2.5, though the over has dropped slightly from -140 to -130 and the under has gone from +120 to +110.
One New Jersey bettor, though, bet $3,000 on Mahomes throwing for zero touchdowns at 15/1 for a total potential payout of $48,000.
Talk about a leap of faith. Mahomes is usually good for two or three touchdowns a game. At most books, his individual props don’t hit plus numbers until there is a fourth touchdown. This bettor is going for zero.
Mahomes did notch Super Bowl 54’s first touchdown by getting in on the ground last year; however, his rushing touchdown prop has slightly shifted from Yes +240/No -280 to Yes +250/No -300.
He’s not the only Chief whom William Hill bettors think won’t punch it in with his legs.
“They’re definitely betting ‘No’ on all the other Chiefs to score for sure [besides Kelce and Hill],” Bogdanovich said. “They’ve really been betting both [Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams] under and ‘No’ on everything. I guess they’re not expecting the Chiefs to do much running or scoring on the ground.”
Edwards-Helaire opened at Yes +130/No -150 to score and is now at +190/-220, while fellow Kansas City tailback Williams went from +130/-150 to +180/-210. In fact, the prop of whether the Chiefs will score a rushing touchdown is now at Yes -200/No +170 after first being listed at Yes -280/No +240.
Chiefs receivers have seen some notable changes as well, including Mecole Hardman (+200/-240 to +290/-350), Sammy Watkins (+250/-300 to +270/-330) and Demarcus Robinson (+300/-360 to +350/-430).
Manage the funds
Across the sportsbooks, there are seemingly countless options. A good rule of thumb is to assign a majority of the bankroll to your favorite picks and some side money to the wacky props.
Hey, how often can you try nailing the two-minute warning or the time of the game?
