A Beginner's Guide to Ice Hockey Betting Online
Ice Hockey is one of the four big sports for online betting in North America – along with Football, Basketball and Baseball. With its huge popularity and a large number of competitions taking place all year round, betting on ice hockey has boomed over the last few years. That’s why we have created this guide to give you a deeper understanding of ice hockey, along with the ins and outs of betting on it online.
Ice Hockey Competitions
National Hockey League (NHL)
Regarded as the number one competition in ice hockey, it is the pinnacle of a player’s career. Navigating through the regular season and playoffs, eventually lifting the Stanley Cup is a goal of every professional ice hockey player. With over 1500 games taking place each season, you'll have plenty of opportunities to beat the bookie.
Canadian Hockey League (CHL)
The CHL is the top level for amateur ice hockey in Canada. It is known as the number one junior league for developing professional hockey players, who then move on to the NHL.
Winter Olympics
You only get the chance to stand on the podium and receive a gold medal every four years, so competing in the Winter Olympics can be a highlight of many players careers. It is a hotly contested event (and one of the major ones at the Winter Olympics), which provides bettors with an abundance of opportunities to win money during the competition.
European Leagues
- Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) – the biggest competition across Europe and Asia, consisting of teams from Russia, China, Finland, Latvia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
- Swedish Hockey League (SHL) – the professional ice hockey league in Sweden is a close second to the KHL in competitions in Europe. Sportsbooks will offer all of the same bet types for these games as they do for the NHL.
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Ice Hockey Betting Markets
- Moneyline – which team will win the game outright. When betting on moneyline, the game can go to overtime and penalties and your bet will still be valid. If you were to place a bet on the 3-way outcome, then the bet is settled at the end of the 3rd period (end of regulation), which can also include a tie! Please be careful when selecting which market to choose.
- Puck Line – otherwise known as handicap betting in other major sports. A sportsbook will offer one team at -1.5 and the opposition at +1.5. Placing a bet on -1.5, means the team will have to win by two or more goals. A +1.5 bet allows the team to either lose by 1 goal or win the game outright for your bet to win. This is important in ice hockey, because if you think a game will be close and potentially go to overtime, a team will only be able to win by 1 goal. Please keep this in mind when betting on ice hockey games.
- Over / Under – a market loved by everyone in the ice hockey betting communities. You decide on whether a game will go over or under a total number of goals that is offered by the sportsbook. This market is also split into two different ones, just like in moneyline betting (highlighted above), so be wary when placing your bets.
If you would like to find out more about the markets highlighted above or learn about a whole array of other markets that you can take advantage of, then please read our article that focuses on all of the hockey betting markets available.
Parlays
Parlays are a fun way to bet and they can also be very profitable. Teams that are highly favoured in a match-up usually have extremely low odds, making it pointless betting on them on the moneyline. However, if you group together 2 or more bets, then the odds will be increased, and the potential pay-out will be much greater. When placing a parlay bet, all of the individual bets have to win for it to be successful. 1 losing bet and your parlay is done.
Tips for Ice Hockey Betting
It is worthwhile spending some quality time researching and understanding the rules of ice hockey. This will help you to gain an advantage over your sportsbook. You must also choose the right sportsbook to use when placing ice hockey bets. You need to make sure they offer a wide variety of markets and have favourable odds (every sportsbook is likely to offer slightly different odds). If you would like help finding the right one for you, we have a great article listing all of the top online sportsbooks for Canadian bettors – we have you covered. Research is key to successfully betting on ice hockey. You must gain an understanding of each team, their form and current injury list. Carrying out research will help you to decide on how a game is going to play out.
Final Warm Up Skate....
Once you have gathered enough background knowledge of online ice hockey betting, it is time to start placing bets. Start by placing small wagers across multiple markets, to help you learn which ones you are getting the highest win percentage on. Then you can start to look into increasing your bet amounts.
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