If you read our article on general sports betting for beginners, you will know that one of our fundamental rules is to bet on sports that you know something about. While in-depth knowledge of a sport won’t necessarily turn a profit at the end of any given betting season, it can certainly help. In this article, we are going to provide information and tips for those who want to bet on hockey.
Types of bets:
Just like sports betting on any sport, betting on hockey can be as complicated as you like. However, since we are only focusing on those starting out, this article will describe the two most basic bets that can be made with books on professional hockey games.
The first type of bet is known as a money line. Does it look like this:
Vancouver Canucks -120
Edmonton Oilers +120
The Vancouver Canucks are the favorite team in this example. If you bet on them, you must deposit $120 for every $100 you win. So if you bet $240 and the Canucks win the game, you’ll get $440 back (your $240 plus $200 payout).
If, on the other hand, you think the Oilers are going to win the game, then the money line indicates how much you can win for every $100 you bet. Betting $100 on the Oilers means that if they won, you would receive $220 (your $100 bet plus a $120 payout).
Some people like to increase the amount of money they can win by betting on a hockey game through the odds, and you can do this by betting on the puck line. It works the same way a roll does. In order to collect the bet, the team you bet on has to win by a certain number of goals. Conversely, if you bet on loser, you can cash out if you lose by less than the specified number of goals.
We do not recommend betting on the puck line for beginners as it is quite difficult to predict even for those who have been betting on sports for a while!
Some hockey betting tips:
o Hone your experience first – Before you start betting money play by play, it is a good idea to increase your knowledge of the game. You can get the thrill of a bet and increase your knowledge of the game by joining a hockey group with friends before heading to sportsbooks.
o Betting on the Playoffs – This is another way hockey betting newbies can cut their losses early on. Predicting the outcome of any game is difficult, especially in hockey when scores are so tight and so many factors come into play. Those with some hockey sense can usually figure out who is going to win round by round in the playoffs, so betting on series is better than betting on individual games.
o Do your research – When you’re ready to start betting on individual regular season games, make sure you get some information before you place your bets. Knowing who’s injured, who’s hot, and one team’s record against another team can help you place a winning bet.