Betting on Hockey
There’s nothing quite as exciting as a good hockey game, eh? The skaters furiously moving on the ice, the puck whizzing at a blindingly fast speed around the arena, the checks, the goals…. It’s a high energy game that can get anyone to rise to their feet when the action is fast and furious, so it is not an unsurprising thing that a few fans might want to make a few quick bucks as well…
While Basketball, Baseball, and Football are the “Big 3” of the sports world, that does not mean that hockey is without its fair share of attention. However, being fourth out of four sports” presents a nice little advantage to the hockey enthusiast. How so, you ask?
Well, it is said that the odds in hockey are actually easier to “beat”, as odds creation do not have the attention to detail devoted to them like the other sports (such as American football.) This means that the savvy fan might find a great bet.
There are generally three ways to bet on hockey:
- There is the typical moneyline. Montreal -$150 means you bet $150 to win $100. NY Rangers +$140 means you win $140 on a $100 bet (plus your hundred back, of course).
- There is also a puck line (or point line) in hockey. This is a fairly recent development that came about with the sport’s greater emphasis on offense. It’s essentially a point spread with a different name. It could be .5 (meaning half a goal), 1, 1.5, or perhaps even (rarely) 2 (it’s the foolish gambler who spots any hockey team two full goals.)However, this line is often combined with the moneyline, making it a fairly confusing bet for all but the most ardent followers. But for those real diehards, there could be some gems here (Hockey is a game where the most passionate fans might be more knowledgeable than the oddsmakers).
Of course, like the other sports, there are other bets – bet on who will score the first goal (team or player), how many saves a goalie will have, how many power plays a team will have, and even bet on if a certain player will win a fight (which we admit is a fairly odd bet).
Regardless of the type of bet that a player makes, there is something for everyone when it comes to the excitement and thrills of placing a hockey wager. With a little bit of luck, and the right amount of understanding the game and its odds, people can potentially make a tidy little sum from making some smart betting choices.
