1. Hockey Betting Odds Explained
2. Hockey Betting Lines
3. Sports Betting Numbers Explained
4. Hockey Betting Rules

Hockey bettors will find lower betting limits on NHL games than they will in the NFL or NBA, something which is generally seen as an acknowledgment by the sportsbooks that they are less comfortable accepting bets on the NHL than they are on the other two sports. Most baseball, hockey and soccer bets are on the moneyline, which is betting on a team to win straight up with adjusted odds. Football and basketball have moneyline bets available too, but most. The KHL is touted as the second best ice hockey league in the world after the NHL and betting on it is increasingly popular. Here are the key differences between the two to consider when assessing the betting value.

As we venture into an NHL season without fans in many arenas, teams have had to get creative in their partnerships to make up for lost live gate revenue. One noticeable difference across many teams’ broadcasts is the introduction of live betting odds. As the legalization of sports betting roars across the country, business is boomin’.

In the two-and-a-half years since the Supreme Court struck down a federal law that effectively banned commercial sports betting, 20 states have passed legislature to allow either online or in-person bets to be placed on sports games. That number is only going to grow, and eventually, California will be on that list.

With sports betting being a relatively new industry to many viewers, let’s give a brief overview of the basics of sports gambling. There are three key figures to understand—the spread, over/under, and moneyline.

The Breakdown

Before we breakdown the bet types,let’s start with the basics. A minus sign denotes that a team is the favorite, while a plus sign indicates the underdog. So, if Team A is -250 and Team B is +250, Team A is who the oddsmakers believe is the favorite. The numbers themselves also are significant, and it all refers back to $100. Odds of -250 mean you would have to place a $250 bet to win $100. On the flip side, +250 would pay you $250 on a $100 bet.

The spread is a bet on a team either winning or losing by a designated number of goals. A +1.5 spread for Team B means that if they only lose by one goal, you would win if you bet on Team B to cover the spread. Team A’s -1.5 goal spread means a bet on them only pays if they win by two or more.

As the name implies, the over/under is a bet on the total goals scored by both teams in a game. Often, they will appear as half-goal figures with either a capital O or U next to it. One note here is that if the O/U and goal total are the same, all bets are a push and are refunded.

Lastly, the money line is the simplest to understand—here you’re only betting on who will win. This will only appear with set odds, which we’ve explained above.

How They Appear

For you visual learners, let’s break down how these odds might appear in say DraftKings or FanDuel, two of the larger sports betting platforms in the United States. (We’ve left some referral links for you to enjoy some free bets when you sign up)

Let’s use a real example—tomorrow’s Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues game. Below is how odds will look when you go to place a bet, with odds courtesy of DraftKings.

What it Means

By reading the spread, we can see that oddsmakers believe the most likely outcome is the Kings either winning or losing by only one goal. Before, we said the minus denotes the favorite, but the over/under has minus for both sides of the coin. That’s because they believe it’s too close to call either way, otherwise known as a pick-em’. Based on the money line, the Blues are fairly strong favorites and you would have to bet $195 to win $100.

Before we move on, it’s important to note that many platforms offer alternate spreads, over/unders, as well as fun prop bets, including fun bets on an individual’s performance. From whether a player will score the first goal of the game, to the over/under on an individual player’s shots in a game, there’s enough variety to keep everyone entertained.

Tonge’s Ticket

With betting partnerships becoming more integrated into NHL team’s revenue streams, we figured why not get in on the fun ourselves? Throughout the season, we’ll bring you some of our favorite bets on Kings games, as well as others around the league. Let’s call this new segment Tonge’s Ticket, as these bets will come from my ticket each Kings gameday.

Since we already broke down some odds on tomorrow’s Kings/Blues game, let’s start there.

Under 5.5 goals. Darryl Sutter may be a distant memory at this point, but the Kings and Blues aren’t the teams to show that it’s not a 3-2 league anymore. We like this to be a low-scoring tilt in the first matchup between these two teams.

Anze Kopitar to score 1+ points. At -155, those aren’t bad odds for a guy who ended his last game tied for the league lead in points. Kopi stays hot and adds another to his statline.

Kyle Clifford to score first goal.We’re not saying bet the house here, especially with reports Clifford might not even play as Sammy Blais returns from suspension, but +2500 odds for The Colonel to score on his old team might make the risk worth the reward.

Be sure to tune in as we bring you more picks throughout the year, and make sure to follow @AndyTonge1 and my new Twitter account, @HockeysBestBets. There, you will find my picks for the rest of the league. Good luck and happy betting!

Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com

As with soccer betting there are pre-match betting markets based on the performance of the teams and individuals regarding the number of goals and the results. There are also added markets not generally available in soccer betting based on the “tie” (draw). Because Ice-hockey rules insist on a “winner” there is betting available (like soccer) in cup competitions with over-time and a shoot-out. There are also statistic based betting markets and of course handicap betting too. Markets maybe divided into “pre-match betting” markets, 1st period, 2nd period and 3rd period betting markets.

The markets are usually divided into three different markets – the “Match” market, the “Goals” market and the “periods” market. Here is a list of the most common bets available at any good on-line bookmaker for a typical ice-hockey game both in the NHL and other leagues offering the three markets:

Pre-Match market bets

Money Line – Choose which team will win (includes overtime and shootouts)

Enhanced Odds – A “special” double bet that includes a first goal scorer or anytime goal scorer and Team A or B to win – See “specials” below

Puck Line Handicap – A standard handicap bet as in soccer or basketball betting

Total Goals – How many goals will be scored in 60 minutes (3 periods)

60 Minutes Betting – Team A to win, lose or tie (draw) after 60 minutes.

Draw No Bet – Team A to win but if the result is a draw you get your original stake returned.

Double Chance – Choose between the following – Team A to win or Tie, Team B to win or tie, Team A or Team B to win

Anytime Goal scorer – Choose which player or players you think will score a goal.

First Goal scorer – Choose which player you think will score the first goal.

Last Goal scorer – Choose which player you think will score the last goal.

Will there be overtime? – Choose if the game will go or not go to overtime

Will there be a shootout? – Choose if the game will go or not go to a shootout

Method Of Victory – Choose when the game will end – after 60 minutes, after over-time or after a shootout.

Winning Margin – choose Team A to win by 1,2,3,4,5 or more goals

Both Teams To Score – Will both teams score a goal?

Both Teams To Score 2,3,4 Or More – Will both teams score 2,3,4 or more goals?

Teams To Score – Team A to score only, Team B to score only, Both teams to score, neither team to score

When Will The Game End? – Exactly the same as “method of victory”

Team to Score 1st Goal – Team A to score first

1st Period Betting – Team A to win, lose or tie the first period

60 Minute Goals Odd/Even – After 60 minutes the total goals scored is “Odd” – 1,3,5,7, 9, 11 or “Even” – 2,4,6,8,10,12

60 Minutes Correct Score - Team A to win 1-0, 2-0,3-0,4-0,2-1,3-1,4-1,5-1, etc.,

Goals market bets

Match X Goals – Team A to win and score more or less than “X” goals [2.5. or 3.5 or 4.5 goals listed by the bookmaker], or Team A to tie and score more or less than “X” goals or Team B to win and score more or less than “X” goals

60 Minutes Betting and Both Teams To Score – Team A to win and both teams score 1,2,3,4 or more or less goals, or Team B to win and both teams score 1,2,3,4 or more or less goals, or a tie and both teams to score 1,2,3,4, or more or less goals.

Alternative Total Goals 1 – Choose under or over the total goals listed by the bookmaker e.g. Over 5.5 11/8 Under 5.5 8/15

X Team Goals – Home team to score Over or Under the goals listed by the bookmaker

X Team Goals Alternative Total Goals 1 – Away team to score Over or Under the goals listed by the bookmaker

Time of 1st Goal – Will the first goal be scored before or after 10/15 minutes?

Race to 2,3,4,5 Goals – Which team will be the first to score 2, 3, 4, 5 goals?

Total Match Goals Odd/Even - After 60 minutes the total goals scored by both teams is “Odd” – 1,3,5,7, 9, 11 or “Even” – 2,4,6,8,10,12

Total Home Goals Odd/Even - After 60 minutes the total goals scored by the Home team is “Odd” – 1,3,5,7, 9, 11 or “Even” – 2,4,6,8,10,12

Total Away Goals Odd/Even - After 60 minutes the total goals scored by the Away team is “Odd” – 1,3,5,7, 9, 11 or “Even” – 2,4,6,8,10,12

1st, 2nd, 3rd Period Goals Odd/Even - The number of goals scored in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd period is “Odd” – 1,3,5,7, 9, 11 or “Even” – 2,4,6,8,10,12

Easy As 1-2-3 – Will 1,2 or 3 goals be scored in each period?

Period market bets

Highest Scoring Period – Which period from 1,2, or 3 will have the highest number of goals scored

1st Period Race To X Goals – which team will score 0,1,2,3 goals in the 1st period

1st Period Money Line – Standard Handicap win / lose best for the 1st period only

1st, 2nd and 3rd Period Betting – Team A to win, lose or tie the period

Hockey Betting Odds Explained

2nd Period Money Line - Standard Handicap win / lose best for the 2nd period only

3rd Period Money Line - Standard Handicap win / lose best – for the 3rd period only

1st, 2nd or 3rd Period Total Goals – How many goals will be scored in the period?

1st, 2nd, 3rd Period Puck Line – Standard handicap bet for each period

Goal In Each Period – Will a goal be scored in each period?

1st Period Both Teams To Score – Will one or both teams score in the 1st period?

2nd Period Both Teams To Score – Will one or both teams score in the 2nd period?

1st Period Correct Score – What will the score be after the 1st period?

2nd Period Correct Score – What will the score be after the 2nd period?

1st,2nd or 3rd Period Double Chance – Team A to win or Tie, Team B to win or tie, Team or Team B to win the period

Home Goal In Each Period – Will the home team score a goal in each period?

1st Period Result and 2,3, 4 Or More Goals – Who will win the 1st period and will 2,3,4, or more goals be scored?

2nd Period Result and 2,3,4, Or More Goals - Who will win the 2nd period and will 2,3,4, or more goals be scored?

Away Goal In Each Period – Will the away team score in each period?

Home Team Win All Periods – Will the home team win every period?

Away Team Win All Periods – Will the away team win every period?

1st Period Result and Both Teams To Score – Which team wins the 1st period and both teams score?

2nd Period Result and Both Teams To Score - Which team wins the 2nd period and both teams score?

Team A (Home / Away) to Win Or Draw All Periods

Team A To Win Most Periods – Which team will win more periods?

Special Bets – Enhanced Odds

Hockey Betting Lines

Special bets or “Enhanced Odds” also include “double” bets for the individual goal scorers and the final score:

Sidney Crosby To Score And Pittsburgh Penguins To Win @5.50

Nick Foligno To Score And Columbus Blue Jackets To Win @7.00

Sidney Crosby To Score First And Pittsburgh Penguins To Win @19.00

Sports Betting Numbers Explained

Nick Foligno To Score First And Columbus Blue Jackets To Win @26.00

Final word

Hockey Betting Rules

The popular bookmaker such as William Hill not only offers these odds above but also so many odds for in-play markets. Of course, you can also bet on the outright markets and individual performance markets before the new season started that we mentioned in Online ice hockey betting guide.