Hockey is becoming increasingly popular in the sports betting world. That may be attributed to the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights becoming the first major professional team to play in Las Vegas, as well as the overall increase in sportsbook availability across the United States.
Sports betting is not pari-mutuel. The odds available when your bet is accepted is what you get. If the line on a hockey game moves after you bet, that is not your concern, unless you wanted to make an additional wager.
Most hockey bets found at live, mobile and online sportsbooks are on the NHL. Some major books will offer the Frozen Four, which is the NCAA college hockey playoffs.
Sports bettors must typically be 21 years of age or older. Some exceptions include some retail Michigan sportsbooks and mobile apps in New Hampshire and Wyoming. The minimum age for betting in these situations is 18. Washington DC required bettors to be at least 19 years of age. It is 18 at unregulated online sportsbooks.
Online sportsbook betting guide
If you are looking to make an online sports bet on Hockey or anything else, you must first create an account. Click the sign-up button. The first step involves submitting a username and password. You will then need to enter your name, address, email, date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security Number. Nevada bettors must visit a live sportsbook to open a mobile betting account.
The mobile sportsbook’s security department uses this information to confirm your identity, as required by local gaming regulators. Once this is complete, it is time to deposit. This page shows how to make a deposit at an online sportsbook.
Once your account is funded it is time to make a bet. Click on the menu and look for the hockey games. This is where you will see hockey as one of the game options. Click this and find your preferred wagers. The options include moneylines, puck lines and totals. You may make straight bets or parlays with these types of bets.
The software will show you how to build a parlay. It requires picking multiple outcomes in a bet slip for this function to appear.
You will also see futures bets, and maybe some props and live bets. Those types of wagers are covered later in this article.
Making a live sports bet
It might seem intimidating to make a bet at a live sportsbook. It can be simple with a few tips.
Before heading to the counter or kiosk, see if there are hockey betting sheets available. These are likely to be in something that looks like a book or office shelf. These papers will show the betting rotation numbers. You will need these to place a bet with a ticket writer at the sportsbook counter. The kiosks will work more like the sportsbook apps described above.
The hockey betting sheets will show moneylines, puck lines and totals. You can make straight bets or parlays on these. However, you will not be permitted to make correlated parlays. This means you will not be able to bet a moneyline and puck line on the same ticket. These may be wagered separately as straight bets.
The minimum bet at the counter is usually $5 or $10. If the sportsbook accepts a player’s card, this may help you earn points. It will also track your ticket in case it gets lost. It may be easy to replace if it has not been cashed. Some Las Vegas sportsbooks offer players drink tickets. The minimum bet will typically be at least $50.
Betting hockey moneylines
The most common way to bet on hockey is the moneyline. This is where you pick the outright winner of the game. The favorite requires a lay. The underdog bettor wins more money than was wagered. For example, a -150 moneyline favorite requires laying $15 for every $10 that they want to win. The underdog in this scenario is probably going to be +130. That bettor puts down $100 and wins $130 if their underdog wins.
The winning side also receives the original bet back. This is why a ticket will say “$100 to win $230” on this type of underdog.
Some online sportsbooks offer different types of moneylines. Most have it for the entire game. You may also be able to find odds for regulation and for regulation plus overtime. The latter was a common bet back when games used to end in a tie. It eliminates some of the luck element that a shootout creates.
Hockey puck lines
A puck line is a point spread in a hockey game. It is usually 1.5 goals. Some bigger mismatches can be -2.5. There is a moneyline attached to the puck line. For example, a team may be -1.5 goals, but an underdog on the moneyline. One example is a hockey game where one team is -1.5 +120. The other side would be +1.5 -140. A favorite will usually need to be at least -400 for the puck line to be 2.5 instead of 1.5.
Hockey totals
A hockey total is a prediction about the number of goals scored in a game. The bettor takes the over or the under. A total can pertain to a period, one team, or an entire game. Some sportsbooks offer the grand salami. This is the total number of points that will be scored in all hockey games that day.
Since hockey scores tend to fall in the same range, the totals are not often -110. Each half of a goal means too much. You will often see one side go as high as -130 before the line moves a half of a goal. There is typically a 20-cent spread in hockey totals. This means you will find spreads like -120/even, -130/+110, -115/+105, etc. The spread is how the sportsbook makes money.
Parlays
A parlay involves two or more outcomes. These can be moneylines, puck lines or totals. Parlays that involve a moneyline and puck line on the same game are not accepted. These are called correlated parlays. The payout on a parlay is typically the return of the bets if wagered on every outcome with the winnings rolled over.
Futures
Futures bets are made on teams to win a division, conference or the Stanley Cup. Some online sportsbooks will also offer futures on college’s Frozen Four. These wagers may be made before or during the season or playoffs. Teams that are eliminated from contention are typically removed from the boards.
Hockey prop bets
While not as common as other sports, there are a few hockey prop bets. These may include which team scores first, whether a player will have a point in a game, an over/under on the number of saves by a goalie, or if there will be overtime. Hockey prop bets tend to have a high house edge due to the low volume.
In-game and live hockey betting
Some live, mobile and online sportsbooks offer live hockey betting. This means a wager that is placed after the puck drops. The types of bets available for hockey live betting are moneylines, puck lines and totals. These bets are accepted during commercial breaks and intermissions.
Last Updated on August 1, 2023 by John Mehaffey