If you’re a hockey fan but don’t know the rules of odds-making, you should consider getting into the betting game. It can be an excellent way to combine your love of the game with the opportunity to make money! What could be better?
Hockey betting takes place at all levels. You can bet on the regular NHL season, on the Stanley Cup, and much more. In the following sections, you will learn how to read NHL odds with confidence.
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How it works
The general sequence you have to follow to successfully bet on hockey is the following:
- You choose a sportsbook
- Learn the primary betting types
- Research the team stats and goalie matchups of whoever is playing
- Put in your wager before the game starts
How NHL betting lines work
On a fundamental level, hockey betting is much like other types of sports betting: you choose the side you think will win and put your money on them. With hockey in particular, you can bet on the total number of goals that might be scored, as well as different kinds of alternative odds markets for any given game.
Three major types of bets
There are three major categories of bets that people can make on NHL games: Moneyline, Puck Line, and Over/Under.
Moneyline bets
Moneyline bets are placed on who the likely winners of games will be. Oddsmakers consider different factors, including recent team performance, histories, and other circumstances, to provide odds to bettors.
In moneyline betting, each team is given a numerical probability of winning, with the favored team having a “+” next to its name before a game and the underdog having a “-”. This is the most straightforward type of betting.
Puck Line
Puck Line is hockey’s version of what other types of sports betting call the “point spread.” It refers to the number of goals that are designated as a handicap between the two teams playing in a game.
Because many NHL games tend to see teams scoring quite close to each other, puck lines tend to be quite low. The most common puck line to see in a game is 1.5, which means that the favorite will have a handicap of -1.5 and the underdog one of +1.5.
Over/Under
Over/Under bets tend to be the most complex types of bets that you can make. These bets involve a combination of both teams’ results within a game. To be successful at this type of betting, you have to really know your game.
In Over/Under betting, oddsmakers will set an expected total number of goals within a game. Bettors can then place bets on whether the total number of bets will go over or under that amount. Estimates tend to range from 5 to 6.5 for any given game. These numbers are generally much lower than in other sports because hockey scores don’t tend to be very high.
And more still
There are yet other ways to bet on hockey, including parlays (in which you can wager a single amount across multiple bets), same-game parlays (in which you can add multiple bets to a single game), and 60-minute lines (a bet made on a game without overtime included), but these are the main ones. Once you become seasoned in betting and have a firm grasp on how odds are made, you can start branching out and include more types of bets. But the important thing is to get started and see how it goes!
