The NHL is one of the most exciting sports in America. It’s not just because of the fast-paced hockey action, but also because there are many ways to bet on it and win money! If you’re new to betting on hockey, don’t worry—we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about how it works and how to get started with your bets.
NHL Odds Explained
The oddsmakers determine the probability of each team winning a game. These are expressed in decimal form, with the “moneyline” being the sum of the two teams’ odds and their win probability for that game.
The exact calculation for determining these numbers is proprietary information for bookmakers; but generally speaking, they use historical results to calculate how likely it is that each team will win or lose any game.
The Most Popular Types of NHL Spreads
The money line is one of the most popular options in NHL betting, but there are other options available as well—including puck lines, totals and game props.
Money Line
The money line is one of the most popular ways to bet on a hockey game. It’s also the simplest because you don’t have to worry about any point spreads or totals. The odds are just straight-up win or lose bets based entirely on who wins.
Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re betting on Team A to beat Team B in a certain NHL game. If you think they’ll win, you can choose to wager $100 that they will win and be paid out $110 if they do (in this case, if Team A wins). But if instead you thought that Team A would lose—or were unsure whether they would win or lose—you could choose not to make any bet at all (just put down your money) and still be paid out $100 if that happens.
Puck Line (Handicap)
The puck line is the most popular NHL betting option and is a type of NHL spread. It allows bettors to wager on the outcome of a game, but scores are adjusted to create more balanced odds. In other words, if you pick a team -2 at home and they win by three goals, it counts as an automatic win for your bet because they won by four goals (two + two).
Total Goals (Over/Under)
The total number of goals in a game is another popular option for NHL bettors. The odds are given for the total number of goals scored in the game, and this can range from 1 to 10. For example, if you think a matchup will see six or seven goals scored, you would bet on “Over 6” or “Under 6” respectively.
It’s important to remember that many factors affect how many goals will be scored by each team in any game; these include: weather (ex: wind), home-ice advantage and special teams play (power plays).
Game Props
Another popular way to get on NHL is with game props. Game props are bets that take place before the puck drops in a hockey game and wager on specific events that will occur during play (such as player statistics). For example, you could bet on whether or not there will be more than two fights during an entire game. As another example: will there be a penalty shot? If so, what team takes it? There are plenty of other questions you could ask yourself when considering your preferred NHL spread options.
Conclusion
The NHL is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, and there are many ways to bet on it. Whether you’re looking for some pre-game action or want to bet on the outcome of a game itself, this article has given you all of your options!
