How to Make Super Bowl Picks

Everyone loves the Super Bowl

There's nothing quite like gathering with friends and family to watch the "Big Game." The Super Bowl has become as much of a celebration as holidays and birthdays. So much so, some people are calling for the Monday after the game to be a national holiday so they have an extra day of recovery.

For football fans, watching the "Big Game" represents the culmination of a journey started in the sweltering heat of July training camps. For sports bettors, it represents a signficant opportunity to feel the thrill of winning more. I'll help you do just that. 

No one is better at picking the Big Game than me. My Super Bowl record from 2008-2024 is 15-2 (88%). Including props, my Super Bowl record since 2008 is 109-63 (63%).

Watching the Super Bowl with friends and family is great, but winning your bets makes the experience that much sweeter. The Super Bowl is big business, which means there's an opportunity for sports bettors to get a piece of the action with Super Bowl Picks.

The Super Bowl offers countless ways for us to feel the thrill of winning throughout the game. The trick is knowing which bets are actually worth your money and which are just sucker bets.

That's where I come in. I've been making Super Bowl picks and predictions for over 20 years and can help you decide which team should get your money.

Betting the Super Bowl

Super Bowl betting can be as informal as saying, "Hey, I'll take that team to win," with one of your friends. That type of bet is called a straight-up or moneyline bet. You're taking the team to win regardless of the points or final score. The other most common type of betting on the Super Bowl is picking a team with the points, also known as Super Bowl picks Against the Spread (ATS).

Super Bowl Picks: Against the Spread Picks

When you're making Super Bowl against the spread picks, you're adding or subtracting points from a team's final score. For example, let's say that the Broncos are playing the Giants in the Super Bowl. You'll see something like this: Denver Broncos -7 (-110). That's the "line," and it's saying that the Broncos are the favorite to win the game. So, if you were to make your spread for Super Bowl picks on the Broncos, they would have to win the game by more than seven points for your bet to pay. Conversely, if your Super Bowl picks against the spread were on the Giants, seven points would be added to the Giants' final score. If that number is greater than what the Broncos ended the game with, you win the bet!

Having Fun with Super Bowl Prop Bets

Not only is the Super Bowl the most-watched nationally televised event in the US, but it's the biggest night for every sportsbook in Las Vegas and online. 

In Nevada alone, 2019 saw more than $145 million wagered in Super Bowl picks and bets. That follows a record $158 million in 2018. It's no secret that bettors worldwide come together for this event in hopes of winning some money.

This is largely due to the event's popularity, but the inclusion of Super Bowl prop bets has taken it to a new extreme. Not only does it make the game more exciting, but it also allows those not interested in football (yes, they exist) an opportunity to enjoy the event.

What Are Super Bowl Prop Bets?

Proposition bets, commonly called NFL prop bets, are bets that don't necessarily correlate with a game's outcome. Although they've been around for centuries, they were first included in the Super Bowl in 1986.

The Super Bowl XX, between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots, became a turning point for sportsbooks in Las Vegas when Caesar's posted the first-ever Super Bowl prop bet: Will William Perry score a touchdown in Super Bowl XX?

So many people bet "Yes" that the odds quickly went from 50/1 to 2/1. Perry infamously scored a rushing touchdown as a fullback despite being a defensive player. Caesars Palace would lose nearly $120,000 in payouts that evening.

However, it was still a win for Caesars, as Super Bowl prop bets were born.

Popular Super Bowl Prop Bets

Several decades later, Super Bowl betting has taken a life of its own. Some of them are similar to that first prop bet in 1986, while others might leave you scratching your head. Either way, they are Super Bowl favorites and bring unimagined enjoyment to the game.

The truth is, the spread for Super Bowl prop bets can include anything from stats and achievements by a player or team to what color Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach. Yes, you read that right.

Below is a list of some of the more popular Super Bowl prop bets to give you a better idea of how fun these can be:

Player Prop Bets: These bets will correlate to specific stats or achievements made by a player during the Super Bowl. This can include how many rushing yards, whether they will get an interception, or who will score the game's first touchdown.

Team Prop Bets: Similar to the one above, these prop bets will correlate to specific stats or achievements made by a team during the Super Bowl.

MVP: Another major prop bet for the Super Bowl is who will win the game's MVP Award.

Coin Toss: Bettors can wager on whether the coin toss will land on heads or tails. You can also bet on who will win the coin toss. This is one of the Super Bowl favorites for prop bets every year.

National Anthem: Not only can you bet on the amount of time it takes to sing The Star-Spangled Banner, but you can bet on whether a team will have a drive that lasts longer than The Star-Spangled Banner.

Halftime Show: These prop bets can include how many songs will be performed, which songs will be performed, and even the order of songs. You can also bet on artists making surprise appearances.

Las Vegas and online sportsbooks have made one thing clear over the past few decades—there are absolutely no limitations to Super Bowl prop bets. They have even found their way into the Super Bowl commercials!

Why I Love Super Bowl Prop Bets

Many people view Super Bowl prop bets as a distraction from the real game at hand, but I like to view them as additional opportunities to earn money the fun way. Prop bets hold immense value when used properly. 

"What's easier is finding bets that don't get a lot of attention. You can spot errors more often in these lines. You can find places where the oddsmakers make consistent mistakes that don't get fixed year after year. Bottom line: there's more value in the prop bets; they are easier to beat."

- Wunderdog

Super Bowl prop bets can help you get the most out of the Super Bowl, both financially and with more enjoyment.

More Resources

New to sports betting? If you want a crash course in sports betting, check out my sports betting 101 article.

Curious how I make my Super Bowl expert picks? Read my NFL football picks philosophy to learn more about how I sift through the data to give you a Super Bowl winner.  

Take a look at where the NFL public is betting with my Super Bowl consensus picks.

Stop praying for luck. Bet with my picks. 

As your sports handicapper, I'm as dedicated and competitive as they come. I hate to lose more than I like to win, and I win a lot. You can use my abilities and discipline to your advantage when you buy one of my Super Bowl premium picks packages. I take all the guesswork out and leave you with a clear choice.

Together we can make Super Bowl Sunday fun AND profitable (and I promise not to snitch on you if you take Monday off).