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 a team 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 a team 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 that team wins 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.
• For example, if the First Period Total Goals is set at 1.5, and two goals are scored in the opening period, the Over 1.5 is the winner! Only goals scored during that period count towards the total. Goals aren’t carried over from previous periods.
• If you see the Second Period Total Goals set at 1.5, and only one goal is scored in the second period, the Under 1.5 is the winner.
• You’ll also sometimes 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.