The Super Bowl is basically a national holiday at this point, but for a huge chunk of people watching, the actual football is kinda secondary. Sure, Patrick Mahomes or whoever is under center this year matters, but have you ever seen a room of grown adults scream at a TV because a country singer held a note for three seconds too long? That’s the magic of weird bets for the super bowl.
It’s a world where the color of a liquid matters more than a touchdown. Honestly, the betting handle on "novelty props" has exploded so much that some sportsbooks report more action on the coin toss than on some regular-season NBA games. It’s wild. If you're looking to put a few bucks on something besides the point spread, you've got to know what you’re actually getting into.
The National Anthem: The Most Stressful Two Minutes in Sports
Betting on the "Star-Spangled Banner" is a tradition that feels wrong but stays so right. You’re essentially betting on a human being’s lung capacity and ego.
The "Over/Under" on the anthem is a staple. In 2024, Reba McEntire clocked in at 1 minute and 35 seconds, just barely hitting the "Over" at many books. But then you look back at someone like Alicia Keys in 2013, who stretched it out to a massive 2:36. That’s a lifetime in betting years.
Why this bet is tricky
- The First Note: Different books have different rules. Does the timer start when the music kicks in or when the singer actually opens their mouth?
- The "Brave" Hold: This is where the money is won or lost. If a singer decides to do a vocal run on the word "brave," the "Over" is almost a lock.
- Insider Info: People actually try to time rehearsals. Seriously. In the past, "leaks" from the stadium have caused the line to move 20 seconds in an hour.
The Gatorade Shower: A Sticky Situation
If you’re waiting until the end of the game to see if you won, you’re probably looking at the Gatorade color. This is one of those weird bets for the super bowl that actually has a bit of "strategy" involved. Or so people think.
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You’d think the color would match the team, right? Wrong. The Kansas City Chiefs won back-to-back titles recently and used Purple Gatorade both times. Red—which is their primary color—has actually been a massive loser historically. In fact, since 2001, Red/Pink hasn't hit once.
Orange is the historical king, hitting about 20% of the time since the early 2000s, but Blue has been on a tear lately. If you’re looking at the odds for the next big game, don't just pick the team’s jersey color. Look at what the equipment managers have been lugging around on the sidelines during the playoffs.
The Taylor Swift Factor (And Other Celeb Props)
We have to talk about it. The "Taylor Swift effect" turned the prop market upside down. For Super Bowl LVIII, there were literally dozens of bets dedicated solely to her.
People were betting on:
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- How many times she’d be shown on camera (The Over/Under was usually around 5.5).
- Her lipstick color (Red was the heavy favorite).
- Whether Travis Kelce would propose on the field.
While some of these are just for fun and have $20 limits, they represent a shift in how people engage with the game. It’s not just about the "X's and O's" anymore; it’s about the spectacle. Betting on whether a celebrity will be shown crying during the anthem is now a legitimate way to lose (or win) fifty bucks.
The Coin Toss: A Literal 50/50
The coin toss is the purest form of gambling. There is zero skill. No "sharp" edge. Just a piece of metal in the air.
Interestingly, Tails actually has a slight lead in Super Bowl history, coming up 31 times compared to Heads at 28. Does that mean Tails is "due"? No. That’s the gambler’s fallacy. But try telling that to the guy who put $5,000 on Heads in 2021. He won, by the way.
Scorigami and the "Octopus"
If you want to feel like a football genius, look at Scorigami. This is a bet on whether the game will end in a final score that has never happened before in the history of the NFL. It sounds impossible, but with the way missed extra points and two-point conversions work now, it's more common than you'd think.
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Then there’s the Octopus. This happens when the same player who scores a touchdown also scores the ensuing two-point conversion. It’s rare, but Jalen Hurts pulled it off in Super Bowl LVII, sending the "Yes" bettors into a frenzy.
What You Should Actually Do
If you’re going to dive into these weird bets for the super bowl, keep it small. These are "novelty" props for a reason—the limits are low because the books know they don’t have a real statistical edge, and neither do you.
Actionable Steps for Your Prop Sheet:
- Read the Grading Rules: Check if your book counts the "instrumental" part of the anthem or just the lyrics. It makes a 10-second difference.
- Ignore the Jersey Colors: For the Gatorade bet, look at the team's history in the regular season, not their helmet color.
- Watch the "Cross-Sport" Props: Sometimes you can bet on whether a player's total yards will be higher than a specific NBA player's points that same day. These often have more "real" data to work with.
The Super Bowl is a circus. You might as well bet on the clowns, the acrobatics, and the color of the cotton candy while you're at it.