This is a full rundown of everything you need to know to learn how to play the SinBin.vegas/William Hill Big Game/Hockey Props Contest.

What is a prop?
Prop is short from proposition, which in gambling terms means, a bet on something other than the final score of the game. Each prop is head-to-head between two different outcomes, one from the hockey game and one from the football game.

What is my “Bank”? 
We are giving you $100 of fake money to bet with, this is your bank. If you win a bet, you will not only win the amount of money you bet, but also be returned your original bet. So, if you bet $10 on a bet and you win, your bank will now be $10+ your winnings, meaning your bank will be greater than $100. If you bet $10 and lose, then your bank will be at $90.

What are the numbers before the parentheses?
This is a bet number. It is a simpler way to identify which bet you are choosing rather than forcing everyone to type out the entire prop. So, if you would like to bet on VGK Goals to be higher than NE Touchdowns, you would enter bet #5. If you would like NE Touchdowns to be higher than VGK Goals, you would enter bet #6.

Ex. $25 on VGK Goals to win would be entered as: $25 – 6

What are the +0.5, -0.5, +1.5, -1.5 numbers included in some props?
In order to make the prop as close to even as possible, the sportsbook often places what is called a “spread” on the prop. For example, Fleury saves -4.5 vs. Foles completions +4.5. This means that Fleury must have at least 5 more saves than Foles has completions to win. In other words, if Fleury has 30 saves, Nick Foles must have at least 26 (26+4.5=30.5) to beat Fleury. Basically, you just add or subtract the number to the total you picked and then compare it to the other side.

What is -110, -170, +100, +140?
If a number is minus (-) then it means you will win less than your original bet. This is a favorite, meaning it is more likely to win. A plus (+) number is an underdog, meaning it is less likely to win, but if it does, you will win more than your original bet.

Minus numbers are calculated as follows. -110 means you must bet $110 to win $100. -120 means you must bet $120 to win $100. -170 means you must bet $170 to win $100. The easiest way to calculate this is to take the minus number, so -110, divide 100 by the number, 110, then multiply it by how much you would like to bet.

Ex. -110 = 100/110 = 0.91 * $25 = $22.73
-170 = 100/170 = 0.59 * $25 = $14.71

Plus numbers are much easier. They mean you get that much if you bet $100. So, +110 means you get $110 if you bet $100. +120 means you get $120 if you bet $100. the easiest way to calculate these is to place a decimal point after the first number, then multiply your bet amount by that.

Ex. +110 = 1.10 * $25 = $27.50
+170 = 1.7 * $25 = $42.50

Once you’ve found out how much you will win, you add in the amount you’ve bet, and that’s how much you will get back to your bank.

Ex. $25 on -110 means you win $22.73, you get the original $25 back meaning your bank will now have $47.73.
$25 on +110 means you win $27.50, you get your original $25 bet back meaning your bank now has $52.50

Some props do not have a spread, why?

That just means we are picking them straight up against each other. Which ever side comes our higher wins.

What if there’s a tie?

Then you will get the original bet amount returned to your bank. You will not win nor lose money on the prop.

Why would I want to bet less than $100?

If you make a bet and lose, you lose the money in the bank. So, if you leave some money, you are guaranteed to have it when the contest is over. If you get every bet correct, you would want to use all of your money to gain the most back, however, if you miss just one, it would be better to have saved money rather than lost it in that bet.

The reason we allowed this is to encourage creativity and to hope there would not be as many ties. If we forced everyone to make 3 bets and use all $100, we would be more likely to get duplicate entries.

Example Entry breakdowns

Ken’s entry
$25 – 4
$25 – 7
$30 – 13
$10 – 24

$25 on bet #4 – Jake Elliot will have more points than VGK has penalties. The bet is -110 so the win total is $22.73.
$25 on bet #7 – Alexander Ovechkin will have more shots on goal than total sacks. The bet is +105 so the win total is $26.25.
$30 on bet #13 – William Karlsson + James Neal Points over Steven Gostkowski field goals. The bet is +130 so the win total is $39.
$10 on bet #24 – More punts than Cody Eakin faceoff wins. The bet is -110 so he win total is $9.10.

Ken’s highest possible bank is $197.08 ($97.08 winnings, $90 original money returned, $10 not bet). Lowest possible is $10.

Jason’s entry
$35 – 9
$25 – 22
$40 – 25

$35 on bet #9 – Colin Miller + David Perron Hits over Brandin Cooks Receptions. The bet is -110 so the win total is $31.82.
$25 on bet #22 – Tom Brady TD Passes over Deryk Engelland Blocks. The bet is -130 so the win total is $19.23
$40 on bet #25 – VGK shots on goal -1.5 over Patriots points. The bet is -110 so the win total is $36.36.

Jason’s highest possible bank is $187.41 ($87.41 in winnings, $100 original money returned)

Miss Abby’s entry
$20 – 5
$20 – 7
$20 – 13
$20 – 15
$20 – 20

$20 on bet #5. VGK Goals over New England Touchdowns. The bet is +100 so the win total is $20.
$20 on bet #7. Alexander Ovechkin Shots on Goal over total sacks. The bet is +105 so the win total is $21
$20 on bet #13. William Karlsson and James Neal Points over Steven Gostkowski Field Goals. The bet is +130 so the win total is $26.
$20 on bet #15. Marc-Andre Fleury Saves more than 5 saves more than Nick Foles Completions +4.5. The bet is -110 so the win total is $19.20.
$20 on bet #20. New England Penalties over VGK Penalties. The bet is -170 so the win total is $11.76.

Miss Abby’s highest possible bank is $197.96 ($97.96 in winnings, $100 original money returned)

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If you think we should add anything else to this FAQ, please let me know. ken@sinbin.vegas, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.