Guide to Betting on Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is extremely popular in some countries, whilst in others it’s seen as a niche. But, in terms of betting, it is a very good sport to wager on, with a variety of different markets you can use.
Betting on ice hockey is similar to betting on basketball, with many of the same markets used, so if you’ve previously gambled on basketball, you will have an advantage here. In this guide we will walk you through the most common ice hockey betting markets, which to choose and in-play ice hockey betting.
Ice Hockey Basics
The game of ice hockey is split into three periods, each of which is 20 minutes long. Teams play with six players on the ice, five out skaters and one netminder. Penalties are called in the game, which involves the penalised player sitting out of the game for two minutes, giving the opposing team a man advantage, sometimes a two man advantage if two players get penalties. This is known as a powerplay, and these can really affect the outcome of a game, so watch for them happening, especially if you are betting in play.
The biggest league in the world is the NHL, which has teams from America and Canada. Elsewhere, the sport is popular in many European countries, with Russia, Sweden, Finland and Germany all having strong leagues and many fans who love the sport.
Common Ice Hockey Betting Markets
Here is a look at some of the betting markets you can use to bet on ice hockey games.
Money Line & 60 Minute Line
There are two ways to bet on the winner of an ice hockey game. The main one is to bet on the money line, which includes overtime and penalties if they are needed to separate the teams. This is a two-way betting market, there has to be a winner.
Secondly, you can bet on the 60 minute line, which does not include any overtime and penalties, instead there is a draw option here. If you think a team can get in done in 60 minutes, and not rely on overtime, you will get a better price on this market, but of course, you may find yourself in a position where your bet loses, even though your team wins, because they win in overtime.
Puck Line
The puck line is essentially the name of handicap betting in ice hockey. More often than not, if you are betting on a game in one of the big leagues such as the NHL or KHL, the puck line will be set at 1.5. On occasions, this will be higher, but not too often, so check the line before you bet.
If you are betting on the favourite, they will be -1.5, meaning they need to win by two or more for your bet to succeed. If you are betting on the outsider, they will be +1.5, which means your bet wins if they win, draw or lose by only one goal.
Totals Line
The totals line is all about goals in the game, and is set as a simple over/under line for you to use. Most games are set at 5.5 or 6.5, and by being like this, the line is a two-way market that has to result in a winner. If the market is 6.5 then over means seven goals or more, while under means six or less.
Period Betting
As mentioned, an ice hockey game is split into three periods. You are able to bet on all of these three, either on who wins the period, how many goals are scored and more. The first period markets will all be available before the game, so look out for these. Then, the same markets for the second and third periods will be made available on games that have betting in play, so if you’re watching a live game and it has in play betting, you will be able to wager across each period if you want.
In Play Ice Hockey Betting
Ice hockey is a great sport for in play betting, with a wide variety of markets specifically created for in play, such as who will score the next goal, who wins the current period, will there be a goal in the next 10 minutes and more.
With regular whistles to stop play, you have breaks where you can assess the betting markets and place any bets you want, which makes betting and viewing easy to do together.
Ice Hockey Betting Markets – Which to Use?
The biggest problem that most people have with ice hockey betting is which markets to use when you are betting on a team to win. There is the 60 minute line, money line and puck line, all providing very different odds.
Key to this has to be your confidence in the team you are betting on. When this is low, look to cover as many bases as possible by going on the money line. If you are feeling very confident, and not only do you think the team will win, but you think they will win be multiple goals, this is when you need to look at the puck line.
This is where the better odds will be found, because you are usually betting on a team to win by two or more. If you are looking to set up a strategy for profit, knowing when to use the puck line and gain better odds will be crucial to your strategy.
For those looking to place acca bets on ice hockey, it is probably better to stick with the money line or the 60 minute line, unless you are feeling very confident about a pick for the puck line. There is also the totals to bet on too, don’t forget that, perfect if you are expecting a high or low scoring game, but aren’t sure which team is going to come out on top, this allows you to bet on goals and nothing else.
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