The citizens of the British Isles love sports and, by extension, sports betting. Although not a new sport by a long measure, Ice Hockey is growing in popularity across Britain. With the new Ice Hockey season fast approaching, starting in October, we have a look at what it entails to put a bet on your favourite Ice Hockey team. We also have a look at how you can go about getting the most out of your betting experience.
Betting on Ice Hockey explained
Betting on this game stems from how Ice Hockey is played. At the most basic level, Ice Hockey is played between two teams of 6 players who have to try and score as many goals as possible. This in itself creates many opportunities for betting markets or types of bets.
Bettors have the opportunity to bet on the team that will win, the number of goals that one or both teams or even a player might score. Let’s have a look at the most popular betting markets.
Moneyline
The Moneyline bet is one of the simplest and most straightforward bets that can be placed on a match. Punters get to choose between just three different outcomes, either team A wins, or team B or there is a draw. There is no need to make point spreads calculations, so just go ahead and pick who will win the match or whether it will be a draw.
Draw no Bet
This bet type is basically the same as the Moneyline bet, except for one important difference. Should the match end in a draw, your stake will be returned, making this a safer bet than the Moneyline. However, the odds for this betting market are usually lower than you would get for a Moneyline bet.
Over or Under
This market is usually much easier to predict than most other bets. Punters simply need to predict whether they believe the number of goals will exceed or not reach a certain number. As an example, you could place a bet for the goals to be more than 5.5 for the match, meaning that should the total number of goals equal or exceed 6 for the match, you win. You could also bet that the goals would be under 5.5 for the match. Should five or fewer goals be scored in total for the match, your bet wins.
Puckline
This is the unique name that is given for the points spread betting that Ice Hockey has. Similar to the point spread used in other forms of betting, the favourite will be given a handicap, normally -1.5, meaning that they must win by more than 1.5 goals for the bet to pay out. The underdogs will be given a boost of +1.5, this means that they can lose by 1 point or less, and your bet will still pay.
Tips for Ice Hockey betting
Make use of promotions.
When placing a bet on an Ice Hockey match, make your bankroll go further by looking for the latest betting offers from leading UK bookmakers. If you are new to a bookmaker, they will usually give a welcome offer. Otherwise, most of the top UK bookies will offer a “bet and get” promotion or even a rebate on a losing bet. It pays to look around and do some research.
Look for the best odds.
Odds between bookmakers do differ, and the odds that you get directly impact the amount of money that your bet will pay out. Shop around between different bookmakers and look at different markets; the odds can vary a lot.
Follow Ice Hockey tipsters.
If you are new to Ice Hockey betting, look for reputable tipsters that offer their predictions on upcoming games. They will usually give a reason why they predict a certain team to win, and some of them have a wealth of experience which can be benefited from.
The final whistle
As with all forms of betting, keep your head about you. Ice Hockey betting can be a fun addition to an already amazing sport, giving you a bit of skin in the game. Remember, if you are betting, it might not be a good idea to back your favourite team. Stay objective.
