Betting on sports isn’t just about watching the game. For many people it involves betting on the outcome. While some sportsbooks offer odds on more obscure games, there are few options for betting on hockey.
In fact, most online bookmakers don’t even list the sport among their offerings. It is still possible to make money off hockey but it can be tricky.
The problem is finding good information. Most books offer odds on individual teams, but those numbers often change frequently.
And while you might find odds on individual players, the number of bets placed on each player is usually much lower than what you’d find on football or baseball (Check out What Are The Easiest Football Bets To Win).
Hockey fans know that it can be difficult betting on hockey as there are a lot of variables involved, and it takes some skill to make sure you’re getting paid off if you win.
But there’s one thing that everyone agrees on: the best way to enjoy watching a game is to place a bet.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you learn how to bet on hockey. We’ll cover everything from where to place your bets to how to read lines and winnings. Here’s hoping you’re ready for the show.
Main Bets On Hockey
The most common wagers in the NHL (Also check out Does Fanduel Do NHL) are the money line, total goals, and power play percentage. The money line is the easiest way to make some quick cash because it doesn’t require much knowledge about the sport.
The money line is basically betting on whether one team will beat another. If you think the Capitals will win against the Flyers, then you’ll want to put down $100 on the Caps.
What other ways of betting are there?
Goal Scorer
One popular type of bet is called a goal scorer. This bet allows you to pick the name of the player who will score the winning goal. For example, you could wager $100 on Sidney Crosby scoring the first goal of the game. You’d win $100 if he does, and lose $100 if he doesn’t.
Goalie Matchup
Another popular option is the goalie matchup. In this bet, you select two teams and pick one to cover the spread. If the chosen team wins, you win; otherwise you lose.
A great example of this is the Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs matchup. Both teams are -165 favorites, meaning that if you bet $100, you’d win $165.
Powerplay
A third popular bet is the powerplay. With this bet, you pick a team and select whether it will score first or second during a five-minute period of 5v4 advantage.
For example, you might wager $100 on the Chicago Blackhawks being the home team and having the first powerplay opportunity of the game. You would win $100 if the Blackhawks scored first and lost $100 if they didn’t.
Player Props
Finally, there are the player props. These include things like the amount of goals a player scores, the amount of assists he gets, and his plus minus rating. Some players even have specific statistics associated with them, such as shooting percentage or penalty minutes.
How To Read Lines
As mentioned above, the main types of bets in hockey are the money line, goal scorer, goalie matchup, powerplay, and player props. Each of these options has its own set of rules and regulations.
Money Line
The most popular hockey betting line is called the “moneyline,” where bettors choose either the favorite or underdog team. Oddsmakers calculate the implied probabilities of winning for each team based on the relative strengths of the squads.
They then set prices for the moneyline.
A $100 bet on the favorite team would pay out $100 if it wins. But if the favored team loses, the payout drops to zero. In contrast, a $100 bet on the underdog would return $200 if the underdog triumphs.
However, if the underdog loses, the payout returns just $100.
Puck Line
Another best option is the Total Goal Line. With this type of bet, bettors choose whether their team will win by scoring more than five goals, four goals, three goals, two goals, or just one goal.
Bettors can also select the Over/Under market for the total goals scored. For instance, a bettor might choose to bet $100 that the total number of goals will be seven or less.
If the total goals are seven or less, the bettor wins; if the total goals are eight or more, the bettor loses.
Over/Under
An over/under (also known as totals) is a sports betting bet where you are betting on the total number of points, runs, or even goals that will happen during a single sporting event.
In other words, you are betting on whether one team or another will score the most points, run the most times, or shoot the most goals. You do not care about the outcome of the game; all that matters is how many of each thing occurs.
An over/under bet is also a wager placed on whether an event will occur above or below a certain number. For example, a sportsbook might offer odds of +150 (or -150) on whether a game’s total points scored will be higher than 150.
If the total score ends up being more than 150, the bettor wins; if not, he loses.
Over/unders are often used by gamblers who want to hedge their bets. For instance, if you think that one team will win and another will lose, but you don’t know which way the outcome will go, you can place an over/under bet to hedge your risk.
This type of bet is popular because it offers you complete freedom from what actually happens in the game.
Future Prop Bets
Another betting option is that you can bet on how many games each team will win in the future, whether it will be over.500 or under.500, what division each team will finish in, and even what player will lead the league in scoring.
But there are also some less obvious wagers, like betting on whether a particular team will win the Eastern Conference or Western Conference, or whether a certain player will receive Most Valuable Player honors.
For those who want to go further down the rabbit hole, there are even prop bets on things like whether a team will make it into the postseason or how much money it will lose during the regular season.
Resources Hockey Betting
The hockey analytics and betting communities are always growing, and generally speaking people are happy to help others learn how to do things.
There are some incredibly sharp folks who put out publicly available data about players, teams, leagues, etc., and following them and reading their stuff makes you better.
Twitter follows
@DomLuszczynski, @theathletichockey, @mahoneye_hockey
@manny_hockey, creator of Corsica
Conclusion
Betting on hockey is fun, but it’s not for everyone and isn’t that easy to get right. It requires a lot of time and effort to get good at it, and most people don’t have the patience to devote themselves to it.
That said, if you enjoy sports betting and you’re willing to put in the work, then you’ll find plenty of value in betting on hockey.
A favorite of mine is golf gambling. Such a relaxing game can win you big when you bet on the right people. Plus, betting makes watching it much more fun, too!
If you’re looking for a new hobby, gambling can sound like a risky venture. But it doesn’t have to be. Stick with my knowledge of the business and I’ll help you navigate the tricky waters that are gambling online sites.
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