At DraftKings’ odds, Super Bowl coin toss is the best bet you can make before 49ers vs. Chiefs
Betting on the coin toss that precedes the Super Bowl is often scoffed at. “Why would anyone wager real money on a truly random event?,” the naysayers ask, as 49ers vs. Chiefs in the 58th edition of the game approaches.
Despite this incredulity, the coin toss remains one of the most popular bets on the Super Bowl props menu.
And the hard truth is, for 99% of bettors – that means you – picking either heads or tails is the best bet you can make on Sunday.
Especially at the even-money odds DraftKings is offering.
Super Bowl coin toss odds at DraftKings
DraftKings is dealing +100 odds on either side of two different coin flip bets. This means, bet $100 to win a $100 profit, bet $50 to win $50, etc.
Here are two coin toss markets DraftKings is offering:
Odds on Super Bowl coin toss outcome
Odds to team to win the coin toss
Johnny Avello, DraftKings' sportsbook director, said the plan is to stay on even-money odds.
"We are," Avello told Sporting News' Kris Johnson. "Some people say, 'I’m gonna bet this coin toss and then that’s it, I’m out of it. I’m gonna get it over early, and I’m not gonna have to pay any juice.'
"[These markets] do see quite a bit of action. I’m always surprised at the kind of money they (attract)."
Why does betting on Super Bowl coin toss make sense?
Sportsbooks make money because they price bets in their advantage. DraftKings' coin toss market is the rare instance where there is no house advantage built into the odds.
DraftKings' +100 presents the true odds of this bet. A +100 price implies an exact 50% chance of occurrence, and a winning $100 bet would result in a $100 profit. A coin landing either heads or tails, of course, is a 50/50 proposition.
Let's compare these odds to the standard -110 "vig" bettors have to lay when betting on the point spread. In Sunday's Super Bowl, you may see Chiefs +2 (-110) and 49ers -2 (-110). The -110 means you have to risk $110 for every $100 you'd like to win, and to turn a long-term profit against these odds, you must hit 52.4 of your bets.
While that may look like an attainable win percentage, unless you are a sharp bettor with some kind of edge, it is not. We're just being real with you when we say you're not going to pick at a 52.4% clip against the spread over the long term.
Before you call us crazy, Roxy Roxborough, a legendary Las Vegas oddsmaker and Sports Gambling Hall of Famer, made this observation a few years ago, even before DraftKings' generous pricing (admittedly, this tweet has been the inspiration for me writing a version of this story for pretty much every Super Bowl):
Super Bowl coin toss odds at other top sportsbooks
In addition to heads or tails, you may also bet on which team will win the coin toss:
While DraftKings' pricing is particularly nice, Super Bowl coin toss odds on other sports betting apps still look better than the -110 on either side of the spread bet. These books still have the edge, though.
Other options:
We always recommend shopping around for the best odds for any bet you'd like to make. Sometimes books like FanDuel, BetRivers, BetMGM, and Caesars have better prices. In the case of your Super Bowl coin toss bet, it should surely be with DraftKings.
