Docs Website

54 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

2026 Super Bowl Props to Avoid and Sucker Bets to Stay Away From

by Spencer Toth - 1/27/2026

Super Bowl props to avoid Gatorade Shower

The Super Bowl brings many incredible traditions to an otherwise lackluster day in February. From the extravagant advertisements, to the most-viewed concert of the year at halftime, to getting an excuse to spend time with friends and family, the Super Bowl has a little bit of everything for everyone.

For avid sports bettors, the Super Bowl is the most exciting day of the year. On any given Sunday, millions of dollars will be wagered on the NFL. For the Super Bowl in 2025, there was $1.4 billion wagered legally across 38 states, with even more expected to be bet on the game this year.

You can bet on the usual NFL props such as the spread, total, and moneyline, with an even wider variety of player props to choose from. But beware. The sportsbooks aren’t offering new props to bet on out of the kindness of their hearts. They are looking to exploit casual bettors or overexuberant NFL mainstays on the biggest game of the season.

You have reached this stage of the season thanks to careful, calculated bets, and there is no reason to throw it all away on the color of Bad Bunny’s opening outfit at halftime. These novelty bets can be a fun way to add excitement to the big game, but betting any more than a few dollars is a big mistake. By avoiding these ‘trap lines,’ you can maximize your chances of coming out on top on Sunday. Here are the 2026 Super Bowl props to avoid. 

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

Coin Toss:

The question is simple. Heads or tails? The Super Bowl coin toss has flown to the top of many lists as a fun bet to make this year. It doesn’t take a football guru to pick the pregame coin toss, as you, I, Rob Gronkowski, or my 89-year-old grandmother all have the same chances of selecting the right outcome. It would be one thing if the sportsbooks offered +100 odds on this prop as a fun way to get engaged, but that is not the case. Standard spreads and total scores with -110 odds, while player props and other novelty picks can go as high as -115 or -120 on two-way lines. For the coin toss, sportsbooks often reduce the juice on the purely 50/50 event, but anything other than +100 odds is impossible to justify. 

If you want some coin flipping action, you are better off finding someone at your Super Bowl party to bet against at +100 odds. Better yet, cut the Super Bowl out altogether and sit in your basement betting on coin flips with your closest friends. How ridiculous does that sound? Almost as ridiculous as laying juice on a coin flip with your sportsbook. It doesn’t matter if you have a ‘feeling’ on heads or if you remind yourself that Tails never fails; no research, preparation, or hunches will change the fact that this is a 50/50 wager. Have some fun at +100, but anything else, even -101 odds, makes this the easiest bet to avoid on Sunday. 

Unusual Football Props:
While the magnitude of the Super Bowl can be overwhelming, it is important to remember that this is just another football game. There will be an average number of rushing yards, interceptions, touchdowns, and catches, and it isn’t time to unload the clip on a million parlays. While betting on the standard player props is fine within moderation, betting on unusual football props is an absolute no-go. The Super Bowl doesn’t have a higher chance of seeing the opening kickoff returned for a touchdown than a random Jets-Browns game in the middle of November. Sportsbooks will come up with props that you would normally scoff at in an attempt to lure you away from your tired and trusted methods. 

A good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t bet it in a regular-season game, there is no reason to bet it in the Super Bowl. Scorigamis, octopus bets, and exact statlines are things that aren’t even offered in the regular season, and shouldn’t be touched at the Super Bowl, either. Betting on the over/under of the jersey number of the first touchdown scorer is a perfect example of a prop that will tempt casual or undisciplined bettors into thinking they have an edge on one side or the other. Unless you have seen it offered, researched it, and bet it in the regular season, stay away from unusual football props. 

Non-Football Props:

Betting on the national anthem length and Gatorade color has turned into a Super Bowl tradition, and can be a fun wager for this annual event. I won’t go as far as to say that these props should be avoided entirely, as a couple of dollars on a fun prop can bring life to your Super Bowl party. 

However, it is important to remember that you do not have an edge in any of these markets. In the coming days and weeks, there will be numerous social media posts on leaked Gatorade orders and national anthem videos posted. You can delve into the history of the Gatorade colors and how fast Charlie Puth normally sings, but these are heavily juiced markets that have every ‘leak’ already priced in. Even wackier than the seemingly standard Gatorade color bets are other random props you will find. Will Stefon Diggs propose to Cardi B after the Super Bowl, what hat will Bad Bunny wear first at halftime, and will a player or coach cry during the national anthem are all markets you will see on your sportsbook. Bet $1 for a laugh with your friends, but under no circumstances, no matter what you see online, should you be laying any serious cash on any of the non-football props. 

Get NFL picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

 

Most Recent Super Bowl Betting

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers