Before we get started, if you’re new to this whole risking-your-money-for-entertainment game, then you might not be aware of what a prop bet is.
Fear not! Merely read our short, informal, yet informative article entitled – NBA player props tips – and all will become crystal clear.
Never let it be said that The Jump Hub team doesn’t have your back (you can say it, just not directly to us please – we’re way too sensitive)
As you can probably imagine, rules and regulations vary between sportsbook operators. When it comes to this kind of thing, there are doubtless many similarities but this is by no means a definitive guide.
Player prop markets are fully covered by the terms and conditions of any legal bookmaker. There will be different rules depending on your chosen sport. But whether you are betting tennis or a football game, you can have a fun adventure investigating those for yourself after you’ve read this missive.
We’ll give you a shove in the right direction with as much accurate information as we can muster and then the rest is up to you champ.
So, what we’re essentially asking is – “If a player gets injured is the bet void?”
What happens if you research your little heart out, study the form and bet a prop you are confident will come up trumps? Except, the player never takes to the court, steps foot on the field, touches the diamond for good luck or swooshes onto the ice looking like a thrift store terminator.
IN OTHER WORDS, THEY DON’T PLAY
Depending on the sportsbook you chose, your bet may or may not stand.
Certain situations are uniformly handled by all online sportsbooks. If your player is declared “inactive” in the league’s or team’s official injury report then your bet will be canceled. Your stake will then be returned.
It would hardly seem fair for them to keep your money and declare it “A bit of bad luck you’re having” if the guy has zero chance of making an appearance. So they do the decent thing and void the bet. It probably galls them but they do it nonetheless.
Some books will consider the bet to be active if the player is declared available to be chosen. This tends to apply to certain sports only. They apply this ideology even if they never play so much as one second.
Far be it from us to recommend that you avoid sportsbooks that do this like the plague. Private yachts and jets don’t fuel themselves you know?
Others only consider the bet to have been completed once the player takes to the court, field, diamond, ice, or pitch (you get the picture). This is always true of NBA bets and your chosen player must at least step foot on the court during active play of the bet to stand.
WHAT IF MY PROP BET IS PART OF A PARLAY BET?
First and foremost – what are you doing messing with parlays? There is no finer way to ensure that you give all of your money to the bookmakers and end up with nothing. Read our article – NBA betting strategy – and stop throwing your money away.
If you’re going to take sports betting seriously and actually try to make some money, then parlays should have almost no part in that.
If you are a group of guys slugging a few beers and looking to liven up the afternoon with a potentially huge windfall, then you may disregard that sentence. You may also disregard the notion that you will be successful. But that’s not as important once you’re in “The Zone”.
The one situation where any member of the team here in The Jump Hub office will tolerate parlay bets is if they are done as part of a sideline – How to bet on the first basket scorer in the NBA
These bets are a little sweetener to start games off. For a tiny wager amount, you can reap vast rewards. Chances are you still won’t but at least you’ve not got next month’s mortgage payments riding on it…
Back to the original question. If your prop is part of a parlay across multiple games then that section of the bet will drop out. The remainder of the parlay will stand and the odds and payout calculations will adjust accordingly.
If your parlay is one that is based on the same game (all your player proposition bets are set to play out in a single game) then most sportsbooks will void the entire ticket if you have bet on a player that does not feature.
Most sportsbooks will void your entire same game parlay if one player affecting the ticket doesn’t play
The reason that they do this is that the absence of one player affects the performances of the others and any other results in that parlay.
Statistically speaking, they all play their part in the game and multiple bets within the same event, unless otherwise stated, might be expected to be declared void when a team’s official injury report rules a contributing player out.
Sportsbooks do an awful lot of research and statistical analysis when it comes to setting their betting markets.
But, first and foremost their model relies purely on mathematics.
If they remove a nominated player from a game then it affects the calculations and odds. All the other related bets are affected. Whether they will subsequently complete their sections of the parlay is now in question.
Rather than attempting to recalculate and keep the ticket alive, most sportsbooks will void any such bets containing player props where those players don’t feature.
It seems that certain bookmakers like DraftKings have changed their attitudes of late. They will now give you a fresh price on your ticket if a related player doesn’t get on the court.
Although college props aren’t a huge market (with the exception of March Madness one assumes), they cause significant problems because there are no official injury reports.
Reporting on live college games and ongoing live betting situations can be a little more sporadic. As a result, bookmakers are a little more inclined to void any bets that are called into question.
ALL SPORTSBOOKS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE REQUIRED TO POST A DETAILED SET OF RULES AND REGULATIONS
These are often referred to as the “house rules”
Many of them will address most scenarios that occur in the course of gambling on sports.
But some are spectacularly vague when it comes to details like these. We can only recommend that you do your due diligence. Contact them directly for further information before making any bets that cannot be canceled once placed.
To begin with, Google is your friend as always in this. If you search the name of your sportsbook and the phrase ‘house rules’ then you will surely find the information you require.
After perusing the rules (get yourself a strong coffee for this, it’s pretty tedious stuff) if you still can’t find an answer then it’s time to give them a call or contact customer service via the live-chat function.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s a somewhat harsh reality. You have to watch yourself when choosing a sportsbook that you trust to give you good deals and treat you fairly.
For a breakdown of our favorites, check out – The top 6 best US sports betting sites
You can be sure that the big players in the bookmaking industry will do all they can to entice you to join their sites and spend (lose) your money. They are, on the whole, fair and use reasonable discretion in unusual situations.
They want to take your money, of course, but they want to drip-feed it out of you like Dracula. Returning to his favorite victim night after night.
It’s no good if they kill the goose that lays the golden egg. They don’t want to drive you away for the sake of one event occurring that requires them to make a decision for settlement purposes.
For them, it’s a fine balance between taking your money and making it difficult for you to get it back while recognizing that you are highly likely to make lots of other bets in the future.
They do retain sole discretion so it is just better all around if you find out where you stand. Do this before placing any prop bets that might be affected by injury or when a player retires.
Knowledge is power
Keep yourself informed about your options at all times. Remember that they might have the power to refuse a payout based on some hidden rules they have towards situations like this. But you retain absolute discretion when it comes to the next round and your bet placement options.
For us, that is unequivocally determined by how we are treated by our chosen sportsbooks. No matter how good their relevant market odds might be for the bet we want to make. If they have burned us in the past then they will never receive another single dollar of our money.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Having said all this, our experiences dealing with online sportsbook operators have been largely positive. Most of our disputes have been dealt with professionally and settled immediately to our satisfaction.
A final word before we let you go.
It is all too easy to find yourself with a gambling problem before you realize it. Always pay close attention to your betting habits and assess them regularly and honestly.
Abide by the golden rules:
Never bet more than you can afford to lose
When the fun stops, stop
Treat your gambling as a fun distraction for entertainment purposes. It is a poor industry in which to try and make your fortune. Can it be done? Sure.
Will you be able to do it?
THAT’S MUCH LESS CERTAIN…
Take care of yourself and your mental health. Seek help if you need it – you are not alone!
