How to Bet – Hockey Betting Explained
As a new or long-time hockey fan, placing bets on the National Hockey League (NHL) provides extra entertainment to this already exciting game.
The level of competitiveness between teams and the excitement that accompanies playoffs makes the NHL a hive of opportunities for punters.
Staking and winning wagers in any sport starts from having some basic knowledge on wagers. For instance, as a baseball fan you also need to know how to bet MLB baseball before making considerable profits from your stakes. The same goes for sports of several kinds too. In our short but concise guide, we’ve provided you with four very profitable ways to place wagers in hockey.
Hockey Puck Line (Spread) Betting
A spread in betting is among the most popular means used by online punters in NHL games. In Hockey, however, it is called Puckline. With this system, you are predicting whether the bookie’s favorite will win the match with two or more goals.
Alternatively, you can also place bets that the underdog will keep the scores tied at 1-1 or even win the game. It simply involves placing wagers on the number of goals a team must win by. A spread in betting is usually provided in this format:
New York Islanders +1.5 -110
Florida Panthers -1.5 -110
In the example above, the Florida Panthers (favorites) have been placed at -1.5 while the New York Islanders (underdogs) at +1.5. To win this bet, the team you wager on must perform better than the representation on the line.
If your stake is on the New York Islanders, they must win by two goals or more. If it’s on the Florida Panthers, they must not lose the match by more than a goal. Losing by two goals means you lose. In a situation where the underdogs come out winners of the game, you also win.
Live/In-play Hockey Betting
Ice hockey is a lively sport that is popular around the world, in places you would least expect such as the Middle East. The UAE launched their own league in 2009, and has gone from strength to strength.
Betting on hockey is also popular with live betting being the most exciting. It is more thrilling as your decisions are influenced by live events occurring in the game. Due to the high level of interest shown by punters in this method of wagering, more online bookies offer it amongst their betting options. You’re able to find all the best betting sites online where in-play sports betting can be done.
In addition, you’re able to make real-time predictions on football, horse racing, boxing and other popular sports. The site also provides comprehensive reviews on the best sportsbooks, and even checks for the best welcome bonuses available on the web to get started.
Hockey Moneyline Market
Moneyline is the easiest wager you can place in hockey. Compared to the spread which requires forecasting that a team will win by a number of goals, all you do here is predict who will win. Moneylines are usually provided in the format below:
Carolina Hurricanes +105
New York Rangers -125
In this example above, the bookies have designated the Caroline Hurricanes as underdogs, hence the positive sign in front of the odds (+105). Where you wager $100 on them and they win the game, your $100 wager is rewarded with extra $105. If your wager is on the favorites (New York Rangers) who go ahead and win, you enjoy a $80 reward on your $100 bet.
In the example above, both teams are considered a good match. As a result, a correct wager on the underdog is rewarded with only $25 more than what a successful bet on the favorites will fetch you.
Moneyline bets differ and the example doesn’t create a huge gap, as there isn’t much of a discrepancy between both teams. In situations where the league leader is facing the club at the bottom of the league, you can expect a larger gap.
NHL Over/Under Bets
Instead of predicting the winner of a game, you can forecast the total goals that will be scored. With over/under, you can predict whether the entire goals in the game will be less or more than six.
