Is a Beginners Guide to NHL Betting something you could benefit from?
The NHL season is speedy, packed with adrenaline and progresses over the course of seven
months. In this time, 32 teams play 82 games each resulting in a total of 1,271 games. NHL
season brings in a lot of excitment for fans and also provides a lot of opportunities for you to bet
and win money.
However, while this game is one of the most profitable and exciting American sports league, it is
also extremely unpredictable and difficult for new bettors to follow.
If you are someone who has had a hard time making profits from NHL betting or even
understanding how it works, our guide simplifies this process by gradually easing you into the
world of hockey betting and everything else it entails.
In this Beginners Guide to NHL Betting, we discuss everything you need to know about
wagering on the NHL season, like types of NHL bets, how odds work and betting tips and tricks.
What is the NHL?
The National Hockey League (NHL) is one of the major 4 professional sports leagues in the
United States and Canada. It comprises 25 teams in the United States and 7 in Canada.
How Do NHL Betting Odds Work?
In NHL betting there are three types of odds you need understand – Moneyline, Even, and Future
odds.
Moneyline Odds
Moneyline odds typically range from -250 to +250, but could be extended in any of these
directions in lopsided matches.
A -250 moneyline, represents a slightly heavy favourite and borders on a chalky play. Here, a
10-dollar bet will return just a 4-dollar payout.
On the other hand, a 10-dollar bet on +250 moneyline for an underdog will bring you a profit of
25 dollars if they pull of an upset.
Even-Money Odds
Even-money in NHL betting, are odds of +100, here a 10-dollar bet brings a profit of 10-dollars.
You would find this line on puck lines or totals. In Even-money, the lower the odds, the higher
the probability of an event ocurring and the smaller the payouts.
Future Odds
Future odds are most profitable before the beginning of the start of an NHL season. However, the
odds can increase for a preseason favourite if it has a slow start. In future odds, it is important to
note the preseason odds and frequently track them throughout the season.
Bets from odds are paid out after a game ends. With your profits, you can place new bets or
withdraw from a sportsbook.
Types of NHL Bets
There are different types of NHL Bets, to know if you want to win betting on this game. We
have listed out and explained these types of NHL bets below.
- Moneyline Betting
NHL Moneyline bet is the most popular and simplest betting mehtod in NHL betting, because all
you need to do is interpret the odds and bet on the team that you think will win a game.
The odds in moneyline usually has a plus (+) sign accompanying the underdogs (+130) or
weaker team and a minus (-) for the favourites or stronger team (-110).
A +130 odds means that if you bet $100 on the underdog and they win, you will get $130 and –
110 odds means that a $110 bet will give you $100 if the favourites win they game. - Puck Line Betting
Puck Line Betting or goal spread is a bet on how many goals the favourites needs to win by or
underdogs must lose by. The odds for this type of bet are based on a 1.5 goal spread.
A – 1.5 goals spread line, means that the favourites must win by two or more goals for you to get
your payout or the underdogs should lose by one goal or win the game to cover a line of +1.5
and you get your profit. - Totals Bet
Also known as an Over/Under betting, a totals bet is a wager on whether the combined goals
scored by both teams, will be under or over an estimated number given by an oddsmaker.
If the over/under of an NHL games is above 5.5, it means that your preferred team will need to
score more than 5.5 goals win an over or less than 5.5 goals to win an under.
- Grand Salami
A Grand Salami hockey bet is just like the totals bet, except here you are wagering on the total
number of all the goals scored in all the games played on a particular match day. So, if it was a
6-game day, your Grand Salami could be 30-40. - Props Betting
Proposition (props) betting are wagers placed on outcomes or performances. There are two types
of props betting – Game props and Player props.
Game props are bets made on specific events that willing happen within a game, like how many
goals a team will finish with in a match. Player props are based on player perfomance like how
many assists or goals a player scored. - Parlay Betting
For Parlays Betting, you can place multiple bets on the same game or different games for a
chance of getting a higher payout.
This type of bet although it increases the total odds and has more profit, the risks are higher
because all the predictions for all the games must be correct for you to win. - Single-Game Betting
In Single Game Betting, individual games are split into a Moneyline, Against the Spread or
Over/Under bets, where you can back one of the two sides of a line. - Alternate Lines
Alternate Lines in NHL betting, requires you to observe all the available options on the alternate
lines, as they can offer a greater profit margin or a higher probability of winning a bet. - Futures Betting
Futures Betting means that you are placing a bet either in the offseason or within the NHL
season for an event you predict to occur in the future or at the end of the season.
This can be which team will win the coveted Stanley Cup, their division or conference, or win a
certain number of games. Futures betting also covers plater awards like the Hart Trophy for the
seasons MVP or Vezina Trophy for top goaltender.
Futures odds are at their highest at the beginning of the season and are adjusted through out the
year based on team or player performances.
- Live / In-Play Betting
In Live/In-Play betting, you can get in on the action by placing a bet while a game is currently
on.
Lines and odds adjust frequently depending on which team is winning or dominating play. They
can also be affected by things like game injuries to a starting goaltender.
NHL Betting Tips & Tricks
To win in NHL, there’s a lot of betting tips&tricks you would want to keep in mind so that you
don’t waste your money on unprofitable bets.
Back Strong Teams
In NHL, back teams with strong power plays and teams that have solid penalty killing units.
Similarly, you should back teams whose special teams click, particulary when facing teams that
are struggling on power play, penalty kill or both.
Consider Home Advantage
Home ice advantage is good in the NHL for several reasons. For one, the home coaches can
make the last line change after a whistle, which means they can get the matchups they want on
ice, and their players benefit from familiar surrrondings and support of the crowd.
However, some teams struggle when playing at home and play better on the road when they are
relaxed and sticking to their system. Other teams don’t have the support of a fan base, losing the
advantage of the crowd supporting them.
Seasons Change
In NHL, seasons change, in the course of an 82-game season, at times a team will be at their low
and other times they’ll play well.
Similarly, teams who have played consecutively within a short period on the road could be tired,
making them easy pickings for the other rested teams playing from their home. Teams playing a
final game on a long road trip may overlook their opponents and instead be eager to get back to
their home.
Other times, a team that has played badly will be more motivated to redeem themselves at their
next match. While a rested team would have rested too much.
Beware of Backups
Most coaches don’t put their ordinary goalies on back-to-back nights, so if the best goalie plays
the first night of a back-to-back, you can be sure that his backup will play for the next game.
If you place your bets before the backup is announced in a goal, then you will get better odds on
your bets, than when other bettors know that the backup will play.
Know the difference between a starting and backup goalie. If the backup is as good as the
starting goalie, then you might get a good value betting on the backup.
