Question 1

What are the types of NHL bets you can make?

Accepted Answer

The six main types of NHL bets, also called mainline markets, are <0>moneyline bets, <1>puck line bets, <2>over/under bets (also called total bets), <3>parlays, <4>futures, and <5>player props.

Question 2

What is an NHL Moneyline?

Accepted Answer

A moneyline is the most simple concept to follow in sports betting, in terms of different bet types. It is simply betting on a team to win the game outright. Your team could win by 1 point or 15 points, it could require overtime or be done in regulation - all that you are betting on is the direct outcome of the game. The team with a - sign next to its odds is said to be the favorite and the team with the + sign next to its odds is the underdog. Speaking of odds, while the concept is simple the strategy of betting moneylines gets a little more complex. The odds directly determine how much you need to stake to win a certain amount of money. If the LA Kings are -275 favorites over the Chicago Blackhawks, you would have to bet $275 to win only $100. Conversely, the Blackhawks are +200 underdogs a $100 bet would net you a $200 profit if they were to win.

Question 3

What is an NHL Puck Line (Point Spread)?

Accepted Answer

When you bet on an NHL point spread, you’re betting on the margin of victory (or defeat) as opposed to the outright winner of the game. This is called the puck line and is typically set at +/-1.5 Let’s say you bet the LA Kings -1.5 vs the Chicago Blackhawks. This would mean that to win your bet the Kings would need to win by at least 2 points. Conversely, if you bet the Blackhawks +1.5 they don’t actually need to win the game, they just need to lose by less than 2 points. This is called covering the spread, and it is applied to both favorites (- next to point spread, called “giving points”) and underdogs (+ sign next to point spread, called “getting points”). If your NHL point spread bet wins, your team covered the spread.

You’re probably noticing that most point spreads have the same odds on either side, unlike moneylines. This is because rather than use the odds to make bets even on each side, they use the point spread to even things out by having the better team have to cover a larger margin of victory. Bettors beware though, there is still juice, or vig baked into these odds as well. This is the tax that sportsbooks collect on each bet. Typically you’ll see odds of -110/-110 on either side of the point spread, implying that based on that point spread it’s a 50/50 chance on either side, minus the vig.

Question 4

What is an NHL Over/Under or Total?

Accepted Answer

Betting an Over/Under or Total in the NHL is one of the more popular types of bets you can make. A Total, or Over/Under is a bet on the combined total score of the game (hence being called Totals) of both teams. If the Total for the Kings vs Blackhawks example above is set at 4, you are betting that at the end of the game the total of the Kings points and the Blackhawks points would be over or under (hence being called Over/Under) the number of 4. If the final score is Kings 2, Blackhawks 1, the game is said to have gone Under (total of 3 less than 4). If the final is Kings 3, Blackhawks 2 the game is said to have gone Over (total of 5 > 4).

If the final score is Kings 3, BlackHawks 1 the game is said to have Pushed (total of 4 = 4). Pushes can happen in both Point Spreads and Totals. If this occurs, bettors on both sides get their money back. You’ll often see Over/Unders and Point Spreads set at non-whole numbers, say 5.5. That extra 0.5 is called the hook. Spreads or Totals that have the hook prevent a push from happening but bring in the possibility of winning (or losing) by that extra half a point.

Question 5

What is an NHL Parlay?

Accepted Answer

Betting an NHL parlay is another incredibly popular bet. This involves putting multiple choices into one bet slip to get larger odds on the ticket. The catch with this type of bet is that every single choice, or leg, in the parlay has to hit. If even one of those legs does not hit, the entire bet is void.

For example, if you bet on the LA Kings to win, the St. Louis Blues to win, and the Kings vs Blackhawks under 4, all of those things need to happen. The Kings need to win, the Blues need to win, and the Kings vs Blackhawks game needs to go under 3.

Question 6

NHL Betting Strategies

Accepted Answer

Now that we’ve outlined the most popular types of NHL bets, let’s go through some profitable NHL betting strategies to help you win more money betting on the NHL!

• Check NHL Injury Reports - NHL injuries can happen frequently and often aren’t announced until shortly before tip-off. By closely monitoring the injury reports you can get in before the lines start moving in one direction or the other based on the news.

• Scheduling Advantages - The NHL is a long grind of a season, 82 games in all. There are many advantages to understanding a team’s spot within the schedule and how to use that to influence your betting decisions. Each NHL team will play at least 9 back-to-back games each season, meaning they play games on two days directly in a row with no rest. As a bettor, you can use that to your advantage in deciding who to bet on or if the game will go over or under. Another advantageous scheduling spot for bettors is teams that are coming off of long road trips.

• Live Betting NHL Games - Live betting is a great way to make the game you’re watching more interesting, but it also offers bettors a way to hedge out of (or double down on) bets made before the game. There are a couple of important things to note when live betting NHL games, though. You should always try and live bet NHL games during stoppages in play or commercial breaks, as the lines during live-action are often way more volatile. Additionally, bettors can also take advantage of in-game momentum swings - especially early in the game. A team may come out hot and go up by a goal in the first 5 minutes of the game, which will drastically impact live odds, despite there being lots of game left.

Question 7

Where to Bet on the NHL?

Accepted Answer

Most importantly, to bet on the NHL, you need to be signed up for sportsbooks to be able to place some bets! A list of our favorite sportsbooks is below: - <0>Caesars Sportsbook - <1>BetMGM Sportsbook - <2>BetRivers Sportsbook - <3>PointsBet Sportsbook - <4>Unibet Sportsbook - <5>FanDuel Sportsbook - <6>DraftKings Sportsbook

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