Ways To Bet On Hockey

Hockey stands apart somewhat from games like basketball and football in that there is low scoring and a low scoring differential between teams. This makes betting on hockey slightly different from betting on these other sports, but it’s still pretty simple  like playing video poker if you know what you’re doing.

Hockey Betting Option 1: Money Line

One of the best ways to bet on the outcome of any sporting contest is by playing the money line, which is really just like a standards odds bet. Instead of comparing the payout odds to 1, however (ex. 3-to-1, 8-to-1) they are compared to $100.

Money line example: New Jersey -140/+120 Phoenix. This money line means that a bet on New Jersey to win the game will cost $140 to win $100. A bet on Phoenix, on the other hand, requires only a $100 wager to win $120. Expressed in terms of odds, someone betting on New Jersey is laying (giving up) 1.4-to-1, while someone betting on Phoenix is getting 1.2-to-1.

Hockey Betting Option 2: Puck Line

The puck line is a variation on the money line that better takes into account the relative strength of the two teams. A puck line may look like this: New Jersey -1.5 -110/-110 +1.5 Phoenix. This means that whether you bet on New Jersey or Phoenix, you will have to wager $110 to win $100. However, if you take Phoenix, you get one and a half goals, meaning that even if Phoenix loses, you win, as long as they lose by only one goal. In contrast, you get better odds than before for taking New Jersey, but if the Devils win by only one goal, it still counts as a loss.

Deciding Which Hockey Betting Option to Take

If you’re confident in your team’s ability to win and feel like you can win playing slot machines but your team is the underdog, you are probably better off taking the better odds offered by the money line. If you think your team needs a little help, the puck line may be better for you. If you’re going with the favorite, you should take the money line unless you are confident that your team will blow out the opponent, in which case you might take the puck line with the preferred odds.