How To Bet NHL Games: A Beginner’s Guide
Contents
How To Bet NHL Games: A Beginner’s Guide covers the basics of how to get started betting on NHL games.
Introduction
NHL betting is becoming more and more popular, as shown by the increasing handle (the total amount of money wagered) at Nevada sportsbooks. Bettors can wager on the moneyline, puck line and total for each game, as well as futures bets like who will win the Stanley Cup.
Here’s a beginner’s guide on how to bet NHL games, including an explanation of each type of bet:
Moneyline bets
In a moneyline bet, you simply pick who you think will win the game. The odds will be plus (higher than 100) or minus (lower than 100), and indicate how much you need to bet to win $100. For example, let’s say the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing the Tampa Bay Lightning and the odds for the Penguins are -105. That means you’d need to bet $105 on the Penguins to win $100. If you bet $100 on the Lightning and they won, you’d get a payout of $200 (your original $100 bet plus $100 in winnings).
Puck line bets
A puck line bet is essentially a combination of a moneyline bet and a point spread bet. In addition to picking a winner, you must also pick whether the winning team will win by two goals or more (called a minus puck line) or by one goal or less (called a plus puck line). Let’s say the Los Angeles Kings are playing the San Jose Sharks and you think the Kings are going to win. The Sharks are +1.5 (-210), meaning they must lose by one goal or less or win outright for you to win your bet, while the Kings are -1.5 (+175), meaning they can lose by two goals or less or win outright. If you wanted to bet on the Sharks, you would need to risk $210 to win $100 since they’re +1.5 underdogs, while if you wanted to bet on the Kings in this scenario, a $100 wager would net you $175 since they’re -1..
How To Read NHL Betting Lines
In order to make bets on NHL games, you need to understand how to read NHL betting lines. This can seem confusing at first, but it’s actually quite simple once you get the hang of it.
The first thing you need to know is that there are three different types of betting lines: moneyline, puckline, and total goals.
Moneyline bets are simply wagers on which team will win the game. The favorite will always have a minus (-) sign in front of the odds, while the underdog will have a plus (+) sign. For example, if the Los Angeles Kings are playing the Chicago Blackhawks and the Kings are favored to win, the moneyline might look like this:
Kings -240
Blackhawks +190
This means that for every $240 you bet on the Kings, you would win $100 if they won the game. Similarly, if you bet $100 on the Blackhawks, you would win $190 if they won.
Puckline bets are similar to point spread bets in other sports like football or basketball. With pucklines, you’re wagering on whether a team will win by a certain number of goals. For example, let’s say that in our Kings/Blackhawks example from earlier, the puckline is set at 1.5 goals. This means that if you bet on the Kings as -1.5 goal favorites (-160), they would have to win by two or more goals for you to cash your ticket. On the other side, bettors taking the Blackhawks +1.5 goals (+140) would cash their tickets if Chicago either won outright or lost by one goal. If the final score was 2-1 in favor of Los Angeles, those who took Los Angeles -1.5 would lose while those who took Chicago +1.5 would win since the Blackhawks “covered” by losing by only one goal.
Total goals betting is also known as “over/under” betting because bettors are wagering on whether or not the final score will be over or under a certain amount set by oddsmakers (similar to how point totals are set in basketball or football games). So continuing with our Kings/Blackhawks game from earlier let’s say that oddsmakers have set the total at 5 goals and we see an over/under like this:
Over 5 (-120)
Under 5 (-110)
This means that oddsmakers believe there’s a good chance that six or more goals will be scored in this game and they’re asking us to risk $120 to win $100 on their prediction coming true (an implied probability of 54%). On the other side, those who think oddsmakers may have been too generous with this total and that five or fewer goals will be scored can risk $110 and collect their payout of $100 if they’re right (an implied probability of 47%).
Moneyline Betting
Moneyline betting is the most popular way to bet on NHL games, and for good reason. It’s simple, easy to understand, and has the potential to make you a lot of money. The basic idea behind moneyline betting is that you are simply picking who is going to win the game. No spread, no handicap, just who is going to come out on top.
Of course, because there is no spread involved, the odds on each side are usually very close. This means that there is no real value to be found in moneyline betting, and it should only be done if you are confident in your pick. With that being said, let’s take a look at how moneyline betting works and how you can make some money with it.
Puck Line Betting
Puck line betting is when you bet on a team to win by two or more goals. For example, if the Detroit Red Wings are playing the Chicago Blackhawks, and you bet on the Red Wings puck line, you are betting that the Red Wings will win by two or more goals. If they only win by one goal, or if they lose the game, you will lose your bet.
Over/Under Betting
Over/under betting is one of the most popular ways to bet on NHL games, especially among beginners. It’s a relatively straightforward bet where you’re simply wagering on whether the total number of goals scored by both teams in a game will be more or less than a certain number set by the sportsbook.
For example, let’s say you’re betting on an over/under for the Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game and the over/under is set at 6.5 goals. If you bet on the over, you’re wagering that the combined final score for both teams will be more than 6.5 goals. If you bet on the under, you’re wagering that it will be less than 6.5 goals.
If there’s a shootout in an NHL game, only goals scored in regulation and overtime will count towards the over/under total.
One thing to keep in mind with over/under betting is that sportsbooks tend to inflate these numbers a bit to encourage more betting action on both sides of the bet. So, if you see an over/under that looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Prop Betting
Prop betting, or proposition betting, is a type of wager that requires you to wager on an event that is not directly related to the final outcome of the game. For example, you might bet on how many goals a certain player will score in a game, or whether or not a fight will break out. Prop bets can be placed on anything and everything, and they are usually specific to a particular game or event.
Futures Betting
Futures betting is when you bet on an event that will happen in the future. The most common type of futures bet in hockey is betting on which team will win the Stanley Cup. To place a futures bet, you will need to go to a sportsbook that offers them.
The odds for each team to win the Stanley Cup change throughout the season. They are usually better before the season starts and get worse as the season goes on. This is because it becomes more clear as the season goes who the better teams are and who is more likely to win the Stanley Cup.
You can also bet on other events that will happen in the future such as which player will win the Hart Trophy (MVP) or which team will have the most points at the end of the regular season.
Parlay Betting
Parlay betting is a popular form of NHL betting, especially among beginners. A parlay bet is a bet on two or more NHL teams, in which all teams must win for the bettor to win the bet. For example, if you bet on the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings to both win their games, and they both win, you would win your parlay bet. Parlay bets usually have higher payouts than betting on just one team, but they are also more difficult to win.
NHL teaser betting is a lot like parlay betting in that you need to win all of your bets in order to cash out. The difference is that with a teaser, you get to move the lines in your favor by a set amount of points. For instance, let’s say that you bet on the New York Rangers to beat the Philadelphia Flyers and the puck line is set at 1.5 goals. If you were to bet on the Rangers at -1.5, you would need them to win by two or more goals. However, if you were to bet on a Rangers teased at -0.5, you would only need them to win by one goal.
If Bets
If bets are wagers placed in succession on two or more games. If the first game selected loses, the entire wager is lost. However, if the game wins then the bettor moves on to the next game selected. The bet amount is carried over from the previous game. If all games selected win, then the bettor will win the total amount of all winnings combined.
NHL Betting Strategies
In order to have success betting NHL games, there are a few NHL betting strategies you can employ. Below we outline a few of the most popular NHL betting strategies, as well as a few tips and tricks to help you get started.
1) Home teams typically win more often than not – In the NHL, home teams tend to win more often than not. In fact, over the past decade, home teams have won approximately 60% of all games played. As such, when placing bets on NHL games, it is often wise to bet on the home team.
2) Bet on underdogs – Another NHL betting strategy that can be successful is betting on underdogs. Due to the fact that home teams tend to win more often than not, favorites will usually be given higher odds (i.e. they will have to risk more money in order to win less money). However, this also means that there is value in betting on underdogs since they will sometimes pull off an upset.
3) Do your research – Before placing any bets on NHL games, it is important to do your research. This means familiarizing yourself with the teams involved, their recent form, key injuries/suspensions, etc. The more information you have at your disposal, the better chance you have of making successful bets.
4) Shop around for the best lines/odds – Not all sportsbooks offer the same lines or odds on sporting events. As such, it is important to shop around in order to find the best possible deal before placing your bets. This may take some time and effort but it will be well worth it in the long run.
5) Set a budget and stick to it – When betting on NHL games (or any other sporting event), it is important to set a budget and stick to it. Only bet what you can afford to lose and never chase your losses. By doing so, you will be much more likely to be successful in the long run.
NHL Betting Tips
When it comes to NHL betting, there are a few things you need to keep in mind if you want to be successful. First and foremost, the NHL is a marathon, not a sprint. The season is long and there will be ups and downs. You need to be patient and ride out the waves.
Second, you need to remember that the NHL is a low-scoring affair. Don’t get too caught up in betting the money line or the over/under. Instead, focus on betting the puck line. The puck line is simply the spread bet in hockey. It’s usually 1.5 goals, which means that the favorite needs to win by two or more goals and the underdog can lose by one goal and still cover the spread.
Last but not least, don’t get too cute with your bets. A lot of people try to pick winners based on gut feelings or past performance, but this is a dangerous way to bet. Instead, do your homework and let the numbers guide your bets. There are plenty of tools and resources out there that can help you handicap NHL games effectively.
If you follow these tips, you’ll be on your way to making money betting on NHL games.
Conclusion
In conclusion, betting on NHL games can be a great way to make some extra money. However, it is important to remember that there is no guaranteed way to win. The key is to do your research and always bet with caution.
