How To Bet On Hockey

For every NHL game, there is The Favorite – the team considered more likely to win – and The Underdog – the team deemed less likely to emerge victorious. When analyzing the lines for a specific matchup, the negative number next to a team's name signifies the favorite, while a positive number identifies the underdog. It's important to remember that betting on the favorite generally results in a lower payout compared to placing a wager on the underdog, which often pays out more significantly due to the higher risk associated with their victory.

Favorites Underdogs Hockey Sports Betting

In this betting scenario, Team 2 is designated as the favorite (-275), while Team 1 is classified as the underdog (+225). In the sections that follow, we’ll delve deeper into what these numbers truly represent and how they influence your betting strategy.

Types Of Hockey Bets

Money Line

One of the most straightforward methods to bet on NHL games is to select which team you predict will win the game outright. This is where the numbers indicating the favorite and underdog come into play. In a moneyline bet, the number associated with the favorite indicates how much you need to wager in order to win $100. Conversely, the figure representing the underdog indicates the potential winnings if you place a $100 bet on that team.

To illustrate using our previous example, if you wanted to place a wager on Team 2 to win, you would need to bet $275 to make a profit of $100. On the flip side, betting on Team 1 would yield a profit of $225 if you wager $100 on them.

Puck Line

While betting on the money line is a popular option, the Puck Line offers another interesting avenue for wagers. With this type of bet, you can wager on whether the favorite will score at least two more goals than the underdog. For example, if the final score ends up being Team 2 5 and Team 1 3, betting on Team 2 at -1.5 would be a winning bet, as 5 – 1.5 yields a result greater than the underdog’s score of 3. However, if Team 2 wins with a score of 3-2, your wager would lose, since 3 – 1.5 is less than 2.

The number placed in parenthesis next to the -1.5 or +1.5 indicates the potential payout, operating under the same premise as a moneyline bet. Therefore, placing a bet at (-110) means you would need to wager $110 to win $100 on that particular bet.

Over/Under

Another exciting betting option is wagering on the total number of goals that will be scored in a game, independent of which team wins. In an Over/Under bet, you simply choose whether you believe the total goals scored will be over or under a predetermined line. For example, if that line is set at 6.5, and the final score of the game sums up to 7 or more, you would win your wager if you bet on the over. Over/under bets provide a thrilling way to engage with the game’s outcome without the added pressure of selecting a winning team.

Player Props

Prop bets can significantly heighten the excitement of any hockey game. With player prop bets, you have the opportunity to wager on the performance of individual players, focusing on specific statistics such as:

• Goals
• Assists
• Points
• Shots On Goal

Example of Hockey Player Prop Bets

Here you can observe several prop bets available for a player: Over/Under .5 goals scored, Over/Under .5 assists registered, and Over/Under .5 total points accrued during the game.

Game Props

Game Prop bets add an extra layer of excitement, enabling you to wager on specific outcomes such as which team will score first, which team will net more goals in the first period, or whether or not the game will proceed into overtime. These additional wagers can provide even more thrilling possibilities for enjoying the game.

The Grand Salami Bet

A true mainstay in the realm of hockey gambling, the Grand Salami bet is the ultimate way to engage with the sport. This type of bet is based on the over/under total goals scored across an entire slate of games on a given day. Payouts for the Grand Salami typically range from (-120) to (+105) and can fluctuate based on factors such as the matchup of the teams, the goalies' performance, and other elements that keep the betting competition lively.

Whether you’re placing your bets in person or via the app, make Circa | Sports your go-to destination for unparalleled hockey betting action.