Super Bowl 2021 oddsmaker Nick Bogdanovich talks props, Buccaneers' homefield advantage, his process and more

We're just days away from the biggest game of the year as the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers prepare to take the field at Raymond James Stadium for Super Bowl LV. Kickoff this Sunday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS, and you can stream the game for free at CBSSports.com as well.

Once the matchup is set on conference championship Sunday, things go into overdrive for oddsmakers, who grind for days setting lines for hundreds and hundreds of Super Bowl props ahead of one of the biggest days of the year for sportsbooks. But have you ever wondered what goes into that process, and how someone finds themselves in a room building the numbers obsessed over by millions of gamblers every year?

We recently gave SportsLine's social media audience the opportunity to pose questions about the Super Bowl oddsmaking process to William Hill's Director of Trading Nick Bogdanovich after his book's props release. Check out what he had to say in our Super Bowl oddsmaker Q&A below.

But first, here are the current William Hill Sportsbook odds for Chiefs vs. Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55:

Q: What is the process you go through for the Super Bowl compared to a normal Sunday night game? 

Bogdanovich: Night and day. The Super Bowl takes three days of prep just for props. It's impossibly hard to price 600 props, regardless of how many years data or experience you have doing it.  And the risk management is much larger all the way around.  And I do 25 times more interviews this week.

Q: Does your process change due to the magnitude of the Super Bowl?

Bogdanovich: Just busier.  Making a number is still the same.

Q: As a college student, what is the best way to enter this industry? How did you get your start?

Bogdanovich: There's really no easy way. I got in as a ticket writer and worked my way up. No specific degree will help -- maybe a stats course, but obviously climbing any corporate ladder they are looking for a degree or two. But in my book that is way overrated.  I'd take a real hard worker with common sense any day of the week.

Q: What's your take on the Buccaneers playing in their home stadium this year? Has that changed bets or any decisions you've had to make?

Bogdanovich: I gave them a point for home field -- same bed, field, locker room, surroundings has to be worth something. But it's truly negated by not having 75,000 rabid ticket holders backing them.

Q: How many others are on your staff? How many people drive the William Hill trading experience?

Bogdanovich: Between in-play and pre-match we have 68 traders. Open 24/7, lots to do!

Thanks to William Hill's Nick Bogdanovich for his time during the busiest week of the year for sportsbooks, both for this Q&A and in sitting down with Larry Hartstein on a special bonus episode of The Early Edge, SportsLine's daily sports wagering podcast. Check out his appearance below:

Which Super Bowl prop bets are a must-bet? And which prop pays a colossal 7-1? Join SportsLine now to see the top Super Bowl 55 prop bets, all from the model that's up almost $7,900 on top-rated NFL picks.