Beginner's Guide to Props

Prop bets, short for proposition bets, are wagers on specific outcomes within a game rather than the game’s final result. They focus on player or team performance in measurable categories such as points, assists, or rebounds.

For example, a common player prop might be “Isaiah Hartenstein over 5.5 assists” You are not betting on whether OKC wins, but on whether Hartenstein assists 6 or more times.

Player Props

These involve individual player performance, such as points, rebounds, or assists.

Team Props

These focus on collective team stats, like total points scored or rebounds in a game.

Game Props

These look at specific game events, such as which team will reach 20 points first or how many total fouls will occur.

Prop bets are fun, flexible, and data-driven. They allow bettors to focus on player performance rather than team outcomes, which often leads to more consistent opportunities for finding value.

Recent analysis of betting markets shows that player props are typically less efficient than team markets such as spreads or moneylines. Because sportsbooks receive far less action on props, they dedicate fewer resources to fine-tuning these lines. This creates more frequent mispriced odds and positive expected value (+EV) opportunities that skilled bettors can exploit over time.

LVLup’s data models are designed to make these bets even smarter by identifying where those inefficiencies exist and highlighting the props with the strongest long-term potential.

Each prop is displayed with a line, an over or under, and the odds.

Example:

Isaiah Hartenstein – Assists Over 5.5 (+8.90)

LVLup’s player cards and EV metrics simplify this information, helping you focus on which props have a true statistical edge rather than guessing based on gut feeling.