Sportsbook 101: Super Bowl Wagering

Las Vegas Hilton SportsBook We are less than a week away from the culmination of the 2010 NFL season when the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers meet in Super Bowl XLV this Sunday. With the close of that comes the end of the season which also means football wagering will take an eight month hiatus. So it is no wonder that the Super Bowl is the single most wagered sports event every year.

For sports bettors, think of the Super Bowl as the last meal a prisoner gets when they are on death row before execution. Prisons honor requests of filet mignon for those prisoners much like sports books pull out all the stops for sports bettors. Never will you see so many proposition bets available surrounding one single game than you will for the Super Bowl. With each passing year, the prop bets seem to get more and more exotic and outrageous.

Of course there are the standard money line, point spread, over/under and half time score bets that you can get down on. This time of year everyone seems to have an opinion on who will win and will offer up superbowl predictions even if you didn’t ask for it. Some people may point to how each team has performed and will back up their lean with statistical analysis. Others will look to trends coming from previous Super Bowls as their guide on how to bet. No matter what method you choose, there is no dearth of options of how to bet come Sunday.

Here are just a few strange prop bets we found interesting that are unique to this year’s Super Bowl. (Odds listed are from BetUs and were the odds as of press time.)

Color of Gatorade dumped on Winning Head Coach
Lime Green +600
Yellow +100
Orange +500
Red -120
Blue +1500
Clear/Water +300

How long will it take Christina Aguilera to sing the National Anthem?
Over 1min and 56sec -125
Under 1min and 56sec -115

Number of NFL Players arrested during Super Bowl Weekend
Over ½ Players +150
Under ½ Players -200

Will a punt hit the scoreboard during the game
Yes +800

Who Will Have More on Feb 6th 2011
Blake Griffin (Clippers) Points (NBA) -115
Packers Points -115

Those examples are just a small sample of the types of bets you can make on the Super Bowl. You can wager on who will score the first touchdown, the last touchdown or even if the team to score last will even win the game. You can bet on the number of punts, sacks, interceptions and even how the first punt will be fielded. You can even get action on if the Super Bowl MVP will thank his mom, coach or God first in the post game interview.

Our advice? If you are going to wager on the Super Bowl and you plan on deviating from the “normal” bets, please make sure to realize these bets are based on pure luck. Have fun watching the Super Bowl and always bet responsibly.