Hockey is a fast paced game with skilled players and hard hitting that fans love to watch. Hockey betting online is one of the additions a fan can make for a hockey game to become more exciting. With an understanding of the rules of hockey and wagers offered by sportsbooks this season can become profitable by taking part in hockey betting online.
Check out our page devoted to NHL betting online.
The National Hockey League (NHL) hosts 30 U.S. and Canadian teams in its six divisions. Regular season and post-season NHL games are the most common types of hockey bets online, though International Ice Hockey leagues are also available on European sportsbooks. Betting on hockey is straightforward when patrons know how to read hockey odds and basic hockey betting lines.
Types Of Hockey Bets You Can Make Online
Hockey has three main types of bets: the money line, the puck line and over/under. The odds are listed with an indication of which team is the favorite to win in any match up. To bet wisely on hockey, start by understanding the basics of these hockey bets.
Money Line Hockey Betting
Betting the money line in hockey is a bet for the outright winner of the game. Hockey money lines do not involve point spreads. The favorite of the two teams is listed with a minus sign (-) while the underdog is listed with a plus sign (+).
Money line bets pay better odds for the underdog. The betting lines for the favorite show how much money you have to bet to win $100. The betting lines for the underdog show how much you win when putting down a $100 bet.
Puck Line Hockey Wagering
The puck line bet acts as an additional bet on the point spread to the money line. Since the underdog gets spotted a goal or more, making it a more likely to win the bet, the money line flips. The money line in a puck line bet shows how much to wager on the underdog to win $100 or how much you win with a $100 bet on the favorite. Puck line bets are the most common type of hockey bets.
Over/Under Hockey Bets
The over/under hockey bet wagers on the total goals of the game, usually between 3 and 7. Over/under bets are the least used form of hockey betting.
Begin with these basic rules and bets to get started on hockey betting.
Money line bets are the most common type of hockey betting online and require wagering on one team. The money line is a way of displaying how much money can be won by risking a specific amount. A money line example is below:
Team A +140 Team B -120
The negative number is always the favored team and shows how much must be risked to win $100. In this case, winning $100 with New York requires a $120 wager. The positive number is always the amount that can be won by wagering $100. In this case, $140 can be won by wagering $100 on Detroit.
Totals bets are wagers placed on the number of goals scored during a game. Sportsbooks will post a total number of goals and bettors must wager on whether the number of goals scored will be more or less than that number.
The grand salami allows fans to bet on every hockey game on a particular day. Bettors wager on whether the total number of goals for all games will be higher or lower than a total number created by the sportsbook.
Hockey Basics
The object of hockey is to score by shooting a heavy rubber disk called a puck into the opponent’s net. Hockey is played by two teams on a large ice rink with two nets at each end. Players wear ice skates to maneuver around the ice and use hockey sticks to shoot, pass and carry the puck. A hockey team requires players in the following positions:
- Goaltender
- Defenseman
- Center
- Wing
A goaltender’s only objective is to keep the puck from entering his net. Two defensemen have the main responsibilities of guarding the goalie and stopping opposing forwards. The center and two wings are offensive positions that do most of the scoring for a team.
NHL games consist of three 20-minute actual play periods with 17-minute intermissions between them. A tie at the end of regulation play leads to a five-minute overtime. An additional shootout will play out if there is no score in the overtime period.
Most sports betting sites state that the score at the end of the regulation game determines a win or loss on a wager. If additional bets are allowed for overtime, those are listed separately. Bettors should refer to the hockey betting terms and conditions at their favorite sportsbook for betting changes that apply to play-offs and Stanley Cup Championship hockey games. These games typically have longer overtimes.
