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How To Bet On Hockey
Published: July 22, 2010
Although not as popular as football and basketball, the popularity in hockey betting continues to grow. Here are three different ways to bet on hockey.
1. Money Line – This form of gambling is common amongst all four major sports. In hockey, the money line is the most popular type of wager as the line moves up and down dependant on the game. Essentially if a game is played where one team is significantly better than their opponent, the line will be larger. Most sportsbooks that provide hockey wagers use a 20 cent line, which makes up the difference between the underdog and favorite. Here is an example of a 20 cent line in hockey
Minnesota Wild +110
Chicago Blackhawks – 130
Fans betting on the Wild are required to risk $100 to get back $110, while fans betting on the Blackhawks are required to risk $130 to get back $100.
As noted earlier, the money line odds are different when one team is considered to be much better than their opponent, here is how that money line looks.
Toronto Maple Leafs +250
Washington Capitals -300
2. Puck Line – In essence the puck line in hockey is the same as the run line in baseball. Bettors have the option of placing 1.5 goals with the favorite or taking 1.5 goals away from the underdog. Here is how this looks:
Minnesota Wild +1.5 (-240)
Chicago Blackhawks – 1.5 (+200)
Puck line bettors betting the underdog can win the game if the Wild lose by a goal or if they win outright. Conversely betting the favorite can make you a winner if the Blackhawks win by two or more goals. However now the underdog bettor has to risk $240 to get back $100 while the favorite only has to bet $100 to get back $200.
3. Totals – Similar to baseball totals, sportsbooks set the total number of goals in a game at between a bit lower than they would in baseball for runs scored. In this example, bettors can then wager on if the number of goals will be higher than five or six or under. However the odds in totals are commonly adjusted up to game time, because of the goalie factoring into the decision. Here is an example of a hockey total
Example of a flat:
Washington vs. Toronto over 5.5 (-110)
Washington vs. Toronto under 5.5 (-110)
In this example fans are asked to risk $110 to get back $100 regardless of if they pick the over under. This is known as a flat since both sides have the same payout.
Example of an over:
Washington vs. Toronto over 5.5 (-135)
Washington vs. Toronto under 5.5 (+115)
Fans betting the over in the game will have to risk $135 to get back $100, while fans betting the under have to risk $100 to get back $115.
