"When the hell freezes over, I'll play hockey there too". This is how the old hockey fans' saying goes, and it perfectly shows the popularity of this phenomenal sport in certain areas of the world. With this in mind, there is no wonder that hockey betting is so popular today. But the question is, how to bet on hockey? Stick around and find out!

Understanding Hockey Odds

There are three types of hockey odds featured in online sportsbooks; Decimal odds, Fractional odds, and American odds.

Decimal Hockey Odds

Probably the easiest type of odds to understand are decimal odds. Decimal odds work in a very simple way. You simply multiply your wager with odds, and the final result will represent your potential winnings. Let's say that you want to bet on a single game, and the odds on one team are 1,5. If you wager $100 on that match, your winnings will be 1,5*100, which is $150. Simple as that.

Fractional Hockey Odds

Fractional odds are mostly used in UK and Ireland. This type of odds represents how much you have to bet to win $1. For example, if the odds on one time to win are 1/3, that means you have to bet $3 in order to win $1. This type of odds does not count your wagering amount, so your total return will be $4.

American Hockey Odds

 Some people find American odds hard to understand, but they are quite easy once you wrap your head around them. Those odds are expressed with either plus or minus before them. If there is a minus sign, you have to bet that amount to win $100. On the other side, if there is a plus sign, the odds represent your total winnings if you stake $100. It sounds hard, but it is actually easy to understand. Let's take an example. If there is an NHL match between Pittsburgh and Washington, the NHL odds are -300 on Pittsburgh Penguins and +700 on Vegas Golden Knights.
If you bet on Pittsburgh, you will have to stake $300 to win $100. In case Pittsburgh wins, you will get a return of $400. In other case, if you place $100 on Golden Knights and they win, you will get a return of $800.  

Understanding Hockey Betting Markets| Types of NHL Bets

Looking at hockey betting lines can be a bit overwhelming because there are too many types of NHL betting options you can choose from.

The NHL itself has dozens of markets that offer bets on all NHL games of every season. The major markets in NHL betting world are money line, points spread, totals, proposition bets, live bets, and futures. Let's check them all out and see what each one of those stands for.

Hockey Money Line Bet - Match Winner Betting

Money line is probably the most straightforward hockey bet casual bettors can place on any NHL game. It is also the first bet and introduction to the betting world for every bettor. This type of bet literally stands for betting on match winner. You simply choose which team you think will win this match and place a bet on that team.

Point Spread Betting – Puck Line Betting

Puck line bets are similar to MLB Run line bets and handicap bets in other sports. Every hockey game has the favorite and the underdog team. Puck lines will usually be something like -1,5 on the favorite and +1,5 on the underdog. If you bet on the favorite, it simply means that the favorite team needs to win the game with more than 2 goals difference. On the other side, if you bet on the underdog, they can still lose the game outright with 1 point spread, and it will count as a win.

Hockey Totals - Over/Under Betting

Betting on totals usually implies betting on over or under. The online sportsbook sets a margin and you need to guess will the total number of goals scored be higher or lower than that margin. The margin is different in every match, but it is usually in a range between 3,5 and 8,5. For example, if the margin is set at 4,5, you need to guess will the total number of goals scored be higher or lower. If you bet on over, it means the total number of goals scored by both teams has to be at least 5. So, the final score can be both 3-2 and 5-0, it does not matter.

Hockey Prop Bets

Proposition betting in ice hockey includes many lines. Simply put, a prop bet is a bet made on an occurrence or non-occurrence of some event during a game. You bet on something to happen or not to happen during a hockey match. Every game has individually available game props, both player props, and team props. You can bet on things like goals accumulated by a certain team or a player, assists earned, shots taken, and even saves from a goalie.

Live Betting

NHL live betting is, without any doubt, the best way to bet on ice hockey. This type of hockey wagering allows hockey bettors to bet live during the match. It is easier to predict what will happen next in the match than to predict who will win the game before the game even starts. You can watch the game, see which team is performing better, who has the momentum, who is attacking, and include all those information in your bet. Keep in mind that you need to be fast because the odds constantly change as the game progresses.

Futures

A future bet does not have to be placed on any particular day as you bet on things that will happen in the future. You place outright hockey bets on top leagues, which team will win the regular season, who will win the Stanley cup, who will be the MVP, who will be the coach of the year, and similar. This type of bet has to be placed before the event begins. So, if you want to bet on a team to win the Stanley cup, you will have to do so before the battle for the Stanley cup begins.

Betting on Ice Hockey on Rivalry

Rivalry is a betting site regulated by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission under the License issued by the Online Gambling Regulations Act 2001 on 2018/01/19. It is a legal betting site, 100% safe and secure. So, if you are looking for a reliable betting site, look no further because Rivalry has everything you need.

Rivalry also offers a welcome bonus to every new customer. You can get a welcome bonus of 100% up to $100. The bonus money can be used immediately to place bets on both sports and Esports. What are you waiting for? Bet of football, basketball, MMA, baseball and other popular sports with Rivalry.

FAQ - Hockey Betting Trends

Let us list some of the most commonly asked questions our readers concerning how to wager on NHL Hockey and other NHL games.

How do you bet on hockey?

It is easy to place a bet on hockey at Rivalry. Find the game you want to bet on, click more bets to see all available bets, and select the type of bet you want to place. After that, select your wager amount and place your bet.

Is Hockey betting difficult?

It can be difficult if you do not know anything about hockey. Otherwise, just familiarize yourself with all types of bets and you will be fine.

What is the Moneyline in hockey betting?

Moneyline is betting on a match winner. You don't have to guess the correct score, only who will win the game.

What does plus/minus mean in hockey betting?

Plus and minus signs are usually in front of point spread margins. It is used for puck line betting to determine the handicap on the favorite team.

What does +1.5 mean in Hockey betting?

It means that the points spread on the underdog team is +1,5. If you place a bet on them, they can win that match, play a draw, or lose it with 1 goal difference, and it will still count as a win.

Does overtime count in Hockey betting?

Yes! All bets include overtime unless otherwise stated.