Player Bet Builder: How to Use It, What It Costs, and What to Watch For

Three taps. One ticket. Odds updated in real time as I added each leg. 
That’s Player Bet Builder in action.

What Is a Player Bet Builder?

A player bet builder is a sportsbook feature allowing users to combine multiple prop bets on individual players, and sometimes bets from more relevant markets, into a single tailored bet. Instead of placing three individual bets, the three bets are linked together on one ticket and paid out at a combined rate. 

Player Bet Builder appears under separate names on different platforms. FanDuel labels the format Same Game Parlay, or SGP. DraftKings employs the same term but with an SGPx extension for cross-game builds. BetOnline has a label for Player Bet Builder as Player Props Bet Builder. Like mechanics, different names. ^[1][2]

The principles are as follows: select the player, select the stat category, choose whether the number will be over or under the threshold, and add it to the slip. You can also add or remove legs, change the thresholds for some players, and watch the changing odds in real-time as the slip comes together.

What You Can Build with It

Player Bet Builder” now offers a wide range of markets since it began. 

In the NFL betting market, you can bet on passing (quarterback yards, touchdowns, and completions), rushing (carries and rushing touchdowns), and receiving (yards and receptions). Also, the limits can be changed, and the new odds can be viewed immediately. 

In NBA games to bet, points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers, steals, and double and triple-double bets are available. In MLB, bets can be placed on strikeouts, hits allowed, total bases, and stolen bases. 

Thanks to the partnership with the NBA, the Player Bet Builder at FanDuel has NBA player bets, making it one of the best basketball bets in the US. ^[2]There is a wide choice of touchdown scorer bets, yardage bets at various levels, and a variety of player bets for the NFL (ibid). ^[3]

Player props have dramatically increased in popularity. However, before 2018, the US sportsbooks largely avoided player props due to concerns around fairness. Player props now give sportsbooks most of their revenue.

How the Odds Work

This part is important, and many bettors forget about it. 

When a straight prop bet is placed, the cost for such an outcome is clearly borne (Justin Jefferson over 85.5 receiving yards, -115). That means when the wager is presented as -115 on Justin Jefferson to rack up over 85.5 receiving yards, there is an implicit payment for the book’s profit. 

When that prop is added to a Bet Builder containing two other bets, the combined odds indicate three things; 

• The odds for each bet
• The relationship between the bets 
• Fees on top of the final sum 

FanDuel is one of the very few major sites that provide the user with the odds for each bet before they confirm it. This is useful because the user can work out how much they overpay for each prop when using the Bet Builder compared to betting on it individually. ^[2]

A 2-leg player props combination, which pays +267 as a parlay, might pay +232 in a Bet Builder. That 15% difference is down to the correlation adjustment, otherwise known as the correlation tax. ^[4]
More legs mean higher costs. A 5-leg Bet Builder has a much higher house edge than a 2-leg. All the math is just getting bigger and bigger. The thrill of a bigger slip is there, but so is the cost.

Fandel’s Your way Feature

FanDuel has a strong Bet Builder tool in the USA. However, YourWay allows tweaking the standard prop lines to suit the punters. 

For example, if the line for Jefferson stands at 85.5 receiving yards, and this rate looks too close for you, you can set a different rate with 90.5 or 78.5 receiving yards, and see the new odds immediately. The odds are updated in real time on the site.^[2]

This lets you adjust based on your own view of the game instead of just using the set line. If you have researched the states of the game, this is useful. 

FanDuel also offers the most bets in the US, allowing up to 15 bets in one parlay. This feature comes as a marketing component since many 15-leg bets cannot be won. But there’s a real variety of prop options.

Drafting’s SGPX & It’s Cross-Game Flexibility

DraftKings takes a different approach to the Bet Builder. They focus on having many options and allowing access across games. 

SGPx, the cross-game feature, allows one to create a ticket with bets from multiple games. They can be a Lamar Jackson rushing yards bet from Monday night, a Saquon Barkley carries bet from Sunday, and a Lakers moneyline all combined in a single ticket. The bets can be from different games, changing how they relate to each other, but the costs go up with each added bet. ^[3]

On Sundays, DraftKings has one of the NFL prop menus with the most selections, including touchdown scorers, yardage over/under, passing attempts, and protrusions in receptions. If you are looking for a particular prop line that other sites don’t offer, then DraftKings is your best bet.

Building Smarter: What to Focus on

Not all tickets in Bet Builder are similar. These factors determine whether you are making a smart bet or just increasing the number of bets to increase the payout.

Ensure that your bets are connected. The best reason to link bets when using a Bet Builder is that, for example, the number of yards gained by a wide receiver and the team winning the match can be right for some games. A quarterback’s number of passing yards and high scoring are also related. Choose bets that tell the same story.

Look at usage stats for better results. The number of targets a player receives predicts how many catches he makes. In this case, it is easier to predict the performance of a receiver who gets 30 percent of the team’s targets in a team that does a lot of passing than it is to do so for a player who scores touchdowns. Touchdowns are dependent on specific plays and can vary from one game to another. For more consistency in a Bet Builder, look at the usage statistics and not scoring.

Fewer bets mean better odds. A 2-leg Bet Builder can give a good payout with lesser risks as compared to a 6-leg one. It is safe to say that bigger wins are fun, but the more legs added make the whole bet risky enough. It is better to have fewer bets on which you are sure.

Check odds for each bet. If FanDuel displays the odds for each bet, compare them with what you will get if you place that bet alone. If a bet is worse in the Bet Builder than as a single bet, you are paying for the connection. Have a clear understanding of what you are paying for.

When the Format Makes Sense

Sometimes, the Bet Builder is used for good reasons and not just for fun.

Suppose you have done profound research on a game (injuries, player stats, team matchups) and have strong convictions about how the game will unfold. In that case, consolidating those convictions into one ticket makes sense. You then use your research on a single bet, not just chasing a big win.
More often than not, though, the Bet Builder is a quick way to make a game bet a little more fun, and the costs are not always clear when using it.

This format is for bettors who can weigh the potential win against the cost of placing the bet.