How to bet on hockey

Money Line: Pick a team to win the game

The money line is the easiest way to bet on a game – and one of the most popular hockey wagers at PlayNow Sports. It’s simple: A money line wager is a bet on the team you think will win the game in any fashion.

Check out the Money Line odds for NHL Games

Reading the Money Line

• For most NHL games, there are underdogs and favourites, represented with different odds.
• The underdog is the team less likely to win the game. Their odds will have a higher value than their opponent. With a higher value in odds, a $10 wager on the underdog could have a higher potential total payout compared to the same wager amount on the favourite.
• The favourite is the team that is expected to win. Their odds will have a lower value. Betting on the favourite may seem like the better option – they are expected to win, after all – but would have a lower potential total payout depending on the wager amount.
• On rare occasions, both teams will have the same odds to win the game. This is called a Pick ‘Em – when the two teams are so evenly matched that oddsmakers assign each team the same odds to win.
• For a Money Line bet to pay out, your team must win the game in any fashion – regulation, overtime, or shootout.
• To calculate your total potential payout, multiply your wager amount by the decimal odds. A $10 bet on the Winnipeg Jets at odds of 1.75 would pay $7.50 in winnings plus your original wager for a total potential payout of $17.50.

Puck Line: Hockey’s version of the Point Spread

Another popular wager on hockey is the Puck Line . This is hockey’s version of a point spread and is another way to see which team is favoured and which team is the underdog.

Check out Puck Line odds

Reading the Puck Line

• The favourite is indicated by the minus (-) sign and the underdog is indicated by a plus (+) sign.
• In hockey, the main Puck Line is set at 1.5 goals. This is because hockey is a lower-scoring sport compared to football and basketball.
• Odds are attached to the Puck Line to show how much you can potentially win on your wager.
• If you are betting on the Puck Line favourite at -1.5, that team needs to win the game by two goals or more for your bet to hit.
• If you bet on the puck line underdog at +1.5, your bet wins if that team either wins the game or loses by one goal.
• Let’s say you see the Winnipeg Jets at -1.5 on the Puck Line at odds of 2.60. A $10 wager on the Puck Line has a potential total payout of $26.00 and will count as a winning bet if the Jets win by two goals or more.

Total Goals: Betting on how many goals will be scored

You’ve heard your friends joking about the Over / Under on something – “The number of hockey sticks Dave will break during Sunday hockey is 1.5!” For betting on hockey, the technical term for the Over / Under is Total Goals. This is simply a projection of the total number of goals scored in a game. Or in Dave’s case, the number of hockey sticks his buddies think he’ll break in one game.

Check out the Total Goals for NHL Games

Reading the Total or Over / Under

• In this example, the total is set at 6.5 goals. If there are seven or more total goals scored in the game, the Over 6.5 will win.
• If six or fewer goals are scored in a game, the Under 6.5 will win.
• When betting on hockey, goals scored in overtime, or the goal awarded after a shootout will count towards the total number of goals scored in a game.
• In this example, decimal odds of 1.90 have been applied to both the Over 6.5 and Under 6.5. This means that a $10 wager on the Over will have a total potential payout of $19.00.
• Total Goals are also available for betting on individual periods. When betting on Total Goals in a single period, it’s important to note that only goals scored in that period will count towards the Total.
• You’ll also see Total Goals for a game set at 6.0 or 7.0. If a game has a 6.0 Total Goals Line, your bet is a push/void if there are exactly 6 Total Goals scored.