How To Bet On Hockey

Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in the world to bet on. In this beginner's guide, we will teach you how to bet on hockey.

We will list the most popular hockey events to bet on, as well as different hockey betting types and how they work.

We will also share some top tips to help you to make a profit when betting on hockey!

What is hockey betting and how does it work?

Hockey betting is the act of placing a bet on the outcome of a hockey game, and it is available through most UK online sportsbooks.

Betting on hockey can be a great way to add an extra level of excitement to your favourite sport.

How does it work?

When it comes to betting on hockey, the first thing that you need to do is find a hockey betting site that offers markets that interest you.

Once you have found a suitable site, you will then need to create an account and make your first deposit. Make sure that you claim the welcome bonus for new customers.

Here is an example of the signup offer at the BetVictor sports betting site:

Once your account is funded, you can then start placing wagers on hockey games.

In order to be successful at hockey betting, it is important to do your research and understand the different types of bets. Also, you need to understand how sports betting odds work before placing any bets.

With a little bit of knowledge and effort, you can start making profits from betting on hockey.

The best hockey events to bet on to make a profit

There are many hockey events that you can bet on, but not all of them will offer you the same chance to make a profit.

The best hockey events to bet on are:

Winter Olympics
IIHF World Championship
National Hockey League (NHL)
Stanley Cup
US American Hockey League (AHL)
Canada Western Hockey League (WHL)
Swedish Hockey League (SHL)
Finnish Hockey League (Liiga or SM-liiga)
Czech Republic Extraliga (EHL)
FIH Pro League

Different types of hockey bets and how they work

Now that you know the best hockey events to bet on, we will teach you about the different types of hockey bets.

The most popular types of hockey bets are:

Moneyline bets;
Puck line bets;
Totals bets; and
Proposition bets.

Moneyline bets

A moneyline bet is the most common type of hockey bet. With this type of bet, you are simply betting on which team will win the hockey game. You can also bet on a tie, and that option is called 3-way moneyline (Home team win, Away team win or Tie).

For example, let's look at the NHL hockey match between the New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes offered at10bet betting site (read 10bet Review). The moneyline odds for this hockey game are:

New York Rangers to win - 3.15
Tie (X) - 4.20
Carolina Hurricanes to win - 1.95

According to the sportsbook, Carolina Hurricanes are the favourite with odds set at 1.95 and have a better chance of winning.

A £20 wager will bring you a total of £39 if you win (1.95 multiplier x £20 wager). That’s £19 profit earned on your initial wager.

If you were to bet on a tie, keep in mind that the match needs to result in a tie after 60 minutes of regular time play, excluding overtime (OT).

In this example, if you bet £20 on a Tie (X) and the game ends in a tie after 60 minutes of playing time in regulation, you'll win £84 (4.20 multiplier x £10 wager). That's a profit of £64 on your initial wager!

Puck line bets

A puck line bet (or point spread) is a type of hockey bet where the sportsbook gives one team a head start (or handicap) of X number of goals.

For example, let's look at the same NHL hockey match between the New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes offered at the 888sport sportsbook.

Carolina Hurricanes are the favourite in this match. If you think the Hurricanes will win, you would bet on them with a spread of -2.5. This means that the Hurricanes would have to win by three goals or more for your bet to be a winner.

888sport hockey puckline betting example

Betting £20 on the Hurricanes with odds of 2.45 (multiplier) results in a £49 payout (£29 profit). Remember, if they win by only one or two goals or even lose the game, you’ll lose the bet.

If for some reason you think that the New York Rangers will win or lose by less than two goals, you would bet on them with a spread of +1.5.

888sport hockey point spread betting example

Betting £20 on Rangers with odds of 1.571 (multiplier) results in a £31.42 payout (£11.42 profit). Remember that the Rangers can either win the hockey match or lose by one goal for your bet to be a winner.

NOTE: Point spreads in sportsbooks are often expressed in decimals to eliminate the prospect of a tie game (push) since it's impossible for any team to win or lose by half a point.

Totals bets

Totals (or Over/Under) bets are hockey bets where you bet on whether the total number of goals scored in a hockey match will be over or under a certain number set by the sportsbook.

For example, let's look at different totals odds for the IIHF World Championship hockey match between Finland and Sweden offered at the Betiton sportsbook.

If you think that there will be more than 4.5 goals scored, you will bet on the "over" market. Remember that in this case, the total number of goals needs to be five or more for your bet to win.

betiton hockey over under betting example

If you think that there will be less than 4.5 goals scored, you would bet on the "under" market.

Proposition bets

Proposition (or prop) bets are hockey bets that don't necessarily have anything to do with the final outcome of a hockey match.

Prop bets can be a lot of fun since you can bet on almost anything related to hockey games.

As you can see in this NHL hockey match between the Saint Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche offered at bet365 sportsbook, you can bet on how many assists a specific player will make in a hockey match.

Here are some popular hockey prop bets for you to consider:

who will be the first team to score
who will win the first period
will the match go into overtime
will the total score be odd or even
team total goals in the first period
will both teams score at least one goal in the first period
guess the final correct score
guess the correct score of the first period
guess the winning margin
guess the team to win with a shutout
will any team win without conceding a goal
whether a hockey player will score a goal in the first period
will a specific player score two or more goals
how many shots a specific player will make
how many power points a specific player will make
time of the first goal scored

The sky is the limit when it comes to prop bets. It's up to you to find the hockey prop bets that suit you best.

Top hockey betting tips to help you to make a profit

Now that you understand the basics of hockey betting, it's time to share some hockey betting tips that will help you to make a profit:

Do your research - before you start betting on hockey, it's important that you do your homework and research the teams, players, and match-ups.
Set a budget - it's very important to set a budget and stick to it.
Start small - when you're first starting out, it's important to avoid going all-in and betting large amounts of money.
Look for value bets - don't just bet on the favourite to win. Look for hockey bets with good value.
Shop around - different sportsbooks will offer different odds and lines. It's important to shop around and find the best hockey bets that suit you.

Conclusion

We hope that our beginner's guide has given you a strong starting point and shown you how exciting, fun, and profitable betting on hockey can be.

Now it’s time for you to get out there and start making some profits! Remember to follow our top tips, research the teams and games thoroughly, use reputable sportsbooks, and most importantly have fun.