Hockey betting has yet to gain popularity, like some major sports like soccer, baseball, basketball, and so on. However, there are some very interesting betting types in hockey that you will be amazed to know.
In this article, we’re taking you through what hockey betting means, introducing you to the bookmakers that offer the best hockey betting. Bettors who intend to get involved in hockey betting in a serious and regular manner are advised to read through this guide to make the most of hockey betting today - let’s get you started!
Hockey betting is the act of predicting the outcome of a hockey game or tournament and placing a wager on that prediction. When betting on hockey, you'll see a money line with two options: a favorite and an underdog.
The favorite has a minus sign (-) next to its name, while the underdog has a plus sign (+). This is similar to baseball betting, where you can bet on a team to win or on the total number of points scored.
In hockey, you can bet on the money line (which team will win) or on the total number of goals scored (over or under a certain number). Most sportsbooks offer hockey betting odds, so you can easily find a game to bet on. There are various types of hockey bets, including; moneyline, puckline, totals, futures, and prop bets.
Betting hockey: Money Lines
Moneyline betting is the easiest way to bet on NHL games. In this type of Hockey betting, you're simply picking the team that will win. Typically, in NHL moneyline betting, one team is usually favored to win (called the favorite), and the other team is the underdog. The favorite has negative odds (like -200), while the underdog has positive odds (like +180).
For example, if the Toronto Maple Leafs are favored to win (-200) and the Montreal Canadiens are the underdogs (+180), you can bet on either team to win.
If you bet on the favorite Leaves at -200, you'd need to bet $200 to win $100. If you bet on the underdog Canadiens, you'd win $180 if you bet $100. Most moneyline bets include overtime, so if the game is tied after three periods, the bet still counts.
There's also a less common three-way moneyline bet, which offers three options: Team A, Team B, or a tie. However, since NHL games no longer end in ties, these bets are settled after three periods and don't include overtime.
For example:
Toronto (favorite): -200
Montreal (underdog): +180
Tie (after 60 minutes): +305
If Toronto wins in regulation, the -200 bet wins. If the game goes to overtime and Toronto wins, the tie bet (+305) wins, and the Toronto -200 bet loses.
Now let’s assume a bookmaker has given the following hockey money line for an NHL game:
Detroit Red Wings +120 Chicago Blackhawks -130.
You will notice from the above example that the road team, which is also the Underdog, is the Detroit Red Wings. We can tell it’s the underdog by the plus (+) sign it was designated with. The implication of this is that bettor would net $130 for a $100 bet if the Detroit Red Wings win this game. There is a minus (-) sign in front of Chicago Blackhawks; it designates them as the favorite. This meana that bettors intending to make a profit off this game would have to risk $130 in order to net $100 having placed a bet on the Chicago Blackhawks to win. ´
What to Look out for?
One important thing that bettors must keep in mind about hockey betting is the benefits that can accrue to a hockey betting punter who carefully studies each team’s goaltenders. The simple reason for this is that hockey is not like some other games like baseball where goaltenders’ performance doesn’t really have that much influence on outcome of the game. In hockey, a well-performing goaltender can strongly influence and dictate the outcome of a game, to a reasonable extent. Thus, knowing the current form of each team’s goaltenders is very important for bettors to make some profit in hockey betting.
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Betting hockey: Total Lines
Total Lines, also known as Over/Under betting in hockey, involves wagering on the combined score of a game. Oddsmakers set an expected total number of goals scored by both teams. Bettors then decide if the final score will be over or under this number.
Most NHL Over/Under totals range between 5 and 6.5 goals, based on the team's offensive and defensive strengths.
Since hockey is low-scoring, goal totals don't change as much as in basketball or football. Instead, the betting odds (juice or vig) for the Over and Under adjust.
For example, if the total goals for a Wild vs Canadiens game are set at 6.5, and you bet on the 'over', you would win $100 for every $135 wagered (-135 odds) if the game has seven or more goals. Betting on the 'under' would win you $115 for every $100 wagered (+115 odds) if the game has six or fewer goals. Totals often include a half-goal to avoid ties.
In a shootout, the winning team gets one goal for wagering purposes.
The fact that betting hockey on total lines often only leaves room for very little variance necessitates that bettors do their research in finding matchups that has potentials for bettors to win some profits. Recall the role of goaltenders we discussed earlier. Bettors paying close attention to details they come across in their research would be able to forecast that a game between top two defensive teams with very competent goaltenders is most likely to result on the “under”. Sports bettors should know that bookmakers often attach a money line to betting on a total in cases like this to compensate bettors.
Bettors interested in hockey betting should know that hockey also has its own version of point spread, adding to the various ways’ bettors can place the bet betting hockey. Hockey’s version of point spread is referred to as puck line. Hockey’s puck line shares a great similarity with baseline’s run line as the former is always set at 1.5. The simple implication of this is that for bettors who bet on the favorite to win, the favorite has to win by two or more goals for these bettors to have some kind of pay off. Punters should also know that odds for money line are always attached to puck lines; however, bettors can make more on betting the favorite in this wager and the risk gets transferred to betting on the underdog.
Let’s use our previous example of Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. The bookmaker may present the puck line for Detroit at Chicago game as follows:
Detroit Red Wings +1.5 (-160) Chicago -1.5 (+140)
From the above example, the simple interpretation of this bet is that bettors willing to bet puck line in this game would have to risk $160 on a $100 bet to get Detroit plus the 1.5 goals. In another vein, bettors willing to give up the 1.5 goals would stand to make $140 betting on Chicago Blackhawks.
Which Bookmakers offer the Best Hockey betting?
Those who intend to get involved in hockey betting on a serious and regular manner are strongly advised to find and select the correct bookmaker for their betting endeavor. Selecting a substandard bookmaker already throws away any significant chance of winning for bettors. Essentially, what sports bettors interested in betting hockey should be looking for are bookmakers that not only deliver a large choice of hockey betting markets but with consistently great and fascinating odds.
This gives a comfort feeling and knowledge for hockey bettors that gaining maximum returns is guaranteed on the occasion that they win. Now, finding the bookmakers with all these aforementioned qualities is no joke. This is why we have gone through the stress and simplified the whole experience for you on our
sports betting
comparison page.
All you have to do is head over to our sports betting comparison page to select bookmakers of your choice with whom you want to make your next hockey betting. You can also take a look at our comparison of bookmakers and choose which appeals to you.
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Editor's Recommendation
Caesars: Pros & Cons
Extremely generous odds
Early cash-out options
Extensive markets for major sports
Missing some key secondary markets for major sports
Geolocation verification sometimes takes multiple attempts via the app
Our sportsbook recommendation for Hockey betting is Caesars Sportsbook. You can bet on every NHL game at Caesars Sportsbook, as well as NCAA hockey and some European leagues. While its hockey coverage isn't as extensive as some other sportsbooks, it's great for NHL fans.
Caesars Sportsbook often provides odds boosts for NHL games, which are shown when you view a specific matchup. You'll find standard bets like money line, puck line, and total goals, along with 60-minute betting options. Bettors can also choose from individual periods, alternate lines, player props, team props, and game props.
Although there isn't a same-game parlay builder for NHL games, you can still create a single-game parlay by adding multiple picks from the same game to your bet slip. There are also some pre-made same-game parlay options. Additionally, Caesars Sportsbook offers more NHL futures betting markets than many competitors.
Conclusion: Much ado about Hockey Betting
Hockey betting has not gained as much popularity as betting in other sports, such as soccer, American football, baseball, and basketball. However, sports bettors who grasp hockey betting well can significantly increase their chances of being successful at this.
Notable among
betting types
that can be placed in hockey are money line wagering, total line wagering, and puck line (spread) wagering, among many others.
As we have pointed out in the previous section, the significance of finding a standard bookmaker in betting hockey cannot be overemphasized. Visit our sports betting comparison page to make your hockey betting and enjoy a pleasurable betting experience.
Minimum $10 deposit required. Minimum odds -500 of greater. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. T&CS, time limits and exclusions apply. This Referral Code is used for marketing/tracking purposes only. $10 minimum deposit. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. Available in app only. Max. prize, game restrictions, time limits and T&Cs apply. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL OR TEXT 1-800-GAMBLER (AZ/CO/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA/MD/NC/NJ/OH/PA/TN/VA) or 1-800-BETS OFF (IA). 21+ (18+ KY). Must be present in AZ/CO/IA/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA (select parishes)/MD/NC/NJ/OH/PA/TN/VA.
Frequently Asked Questions
📈How do you read a hockey betting line?
The team wagered on has to win the game, despite the score. The minus sign (e.g.-230) always indicates the favorite and the amount you must bet to win $200. The plus sign (e.g.+220) always signify the underdog and the amount you win for every $200 bet.
😎How does the hockey betting work?
Like most team sports, hockey betting permits fans to pick the side they think will win the game. Alongside this, bettors can wager on the cummulative number of goals scored and numerous alternative odds markets for each game. The most common hockey betting lines are the moneyline, puck line, and Over/Under goal total.
👀Is hockey betting profitable?
Yes, hockey betting is profitable. Not only is there a good profit in hockey betting, it has upto a 55% win rate on the road which is exciting.
🏑How does moneyline work in hockey?
Moneyline Betting on the Moneyline is simply the most popular betting method in hockey and it's as simple as it gets: bet on the winner. Since all teams unequal, each team is assigned a Moneyline, a line that reflects the probability of that team winning the game.
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Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US) Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA) 21+ only. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). Rewards are non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 7 days. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. See BetMGM.com for Terms. US promotional offers not available in DC, Mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario, or Puerto Rico.
Minimum $10 deposit required. Minimum odds -500 of greater. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. T&CS, time limits and exclusions apply. This Referral Code is used for marketing/tracking purposes only. $10 minimum deposit. Paid in Bonus Bets. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. New customers only. Available in app only. Max. prize, game restrictions, time limits and T&Cs apply. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL OR TEXT 1-800-GAMBLER (AZ/CO/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA/MD/NC/NJ/OH/PA/TN/VA) or 1-800-BETS OFF (IA). 21+ (18+ KY). Must be present in AZ/CO/IA/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA (select parishes)/MD/NC/NJ/OH/PA/TN/VA.
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