There are various different hockey bet types that you can stake and each one deals with a different aspect of hockey matches. You can obviously place bets on who you think the overall winner of a match will be, but there are many other ways to place bets too.
Some of them aren’t immediately obvious and involve a quirky twist, but they all involve making the game that much more exciting to watch.
Whatever aspect of match betting you are thinking of placing a stake on, you’ll want to know what the terminology all means. How does a moneyline bet differ from a prop bet, and will a period wager earn you more return than an over and under bet?
This comprehensive guide to the different hockey bet types aims to answer all of this and more, to give your match betting that all-important edge.
Hockey Moneyline Bets
Hockey moneyline bets are the most popular form of bet to place because they are the easiest to predict. Basically, you are deciding who you predict the winner of the game is.
If you think of odds in sports, you’ll probably imagine something like 5-1 or 5-13. This is not the case in hockey and the odds are worked out is a little different. Make sure to check out the best hockey betting sites before placing any bets.
Every game will have a favourite and an underdog and you’ll place bets on which one you predict will win. Simple enough so far.
In hockey, the favourite will have a minus next to the odds and the underdog has a plus. Let’s look at the following example for more clarity. Team A are favourites, Team B are the underdog;
- Team A -160
- Team B +150
If you bet £160 on Team A and they win then you would win your original wager plus £100. If you were to bet £100 on Team B and they win, then you would win your original stake and another £150.
In this example the returns are very similar, but there is more at stake betting on favourites because you have to bet more to win a similar amount to betting on an underdog. This is how the bookmakers attempt to cover their losses.
Puck Line Bets
Puck line bets have a similar method of giving out odds. Puck line bets refer to a points spread and the favourites are always given -1.50, the underdogs are always given +1.50. This means that the favourites must win by two goals or more in order for the bet to be claimed.
The main thing to consider when betting on the points spread aspect of a game is how much home advantage plays into the eventual outcome of a game. If your chosen team has a great home record of winning by more than two goals then you probably won’t place bets on an underdog.
If their record is a little shakier (remember, we’re betting on just two goals here) then betting on the underdog can leave you quids in.
Hockey Over Under Bets
When it comes to the hockey over-under bets, things get a little easier to understand. Before a match, the bookmaker will predict how many goals they think will be scored between the two teams by the end of games.
An over and under wager means that you bet on whether you think the total amount of goals will be over or under what the bookmaker has predicted.
With this type of bet it’s irrelevant who wins the game. All you have to do is decide which side of the goal prediction the game will finish on to have a winning bet.
Hockey Totals Bet
The hockey totals bet is a simpler part of a game that you can bet on. The clue is in the name; all you have to do is correctly predict how many goals you think will be scored overall.
Again, it doesn’t matter who wins and who loses, all you need to do is get the number of goals scored correct in order for you to win your bet.
It’s always worth checking if your prediction includes overtime or not. Most bookmakers, including Coral and Ladbrokes, will implicitly state whether this is the case or not, but it’s always good practice to check anyway.
Hockey Prop Betting
Hockey prop betting is where you stake a wager on a proposition, such as which team will score the first goal, or which team gets the most penalties awarded. In hockey there are two types so prop betting, skilled and unskilled.
Skilled prop bets are where you use your expertise to enhance your chances of winning. Unskilled ones are just a bit of fun and aren’t even remotely scientific. A good example of an unskilled prop-bet is how many fights a certain team gets into!
Hockey Futures Bets
Hockey futures bets are where you try to predict the outcome of something like the eventual winner of the season, or who will make the playoffs. Futures bets can bring some serious windfalls if placed at the beginning of each season.
Putting a small bet on long odds can sometimes pay off big, and people have won life-changing amounts of money on futures bets. You could continue to place them throughout the season, but with more information to go on, the odds that the bookmakers give you are likely to be less attractive. Make sure to check out the best betting sites before placing your bets.
Period Wager
A period wager is where you place a bet within the first 20 minutes of play, otherwise known as the first period.
The eventual outcome of a game is irrelevant, all that matters is what happens in the first period. The most common hockey bet types for a period wager are moneyline bets, puck line bets, and total goals betting.
No matter what type of bets you place, you can be sure of a fast-paced, thrilling game. Match betting just makes it that much more enjoyable, and if you place your bets right you could be going home with a tidy sum of money too.
If you are planning on placing bets, you might want to check out hockey betting tips first to ensure you place good bets.
