Are you looking to take your love of hockey and use it to gain a profit? Do you feel like you watch NHL hockey enough to win some cash from betting on it? If so, then you need to learn all you can about how to bet on hockey and give yourself the best chance of winning.
What’s fun about hockey is the even level of competition; any team can win on any given night, so you can win handsomely by choosing the right underdog.
See below for an in-depth guide on how to bet on hockey and increase your chances of winning.
1. Know Your Stuff
It doesn’t matter how much money you have on your bankroll or how much money you’ve won betting on other sports, the NHL is an entirely different animal. You need to know/learn as much as you can about the teams and superstars in the National Hockey League.
Doing so will give you a leg up on the competition. It will help you make more educated guesses, identify potential upsets, and take advantage of some pretty great betting lines.
First, start by learning about the teams to watch for the 2021-22 season. Of course, you have the powerhouses right now such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Las Vegas Golden Knights, but what about the sleepers? Those are the ones that can make you the most money!
We’re considering sleepers to be teams such as the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, and Carolina Hurricanes for this season. Each of these teams matches up well against other contenders, even though the betting line might not indicate it.
Another key is learning about the best players in the game. Right now, we’d consider this to be players such as Leon Draisaitl (EDM), Connor McDavid (EDM), Auston Matthews (TOR), David Pastrnak (BOS), and Brayden Point (TBL).
These players (and others like them) are in a league of their own at times. They can take over the game with a single shift; for that reason, it’s best not to bet against them too often.
2. Start a Bankroll
Many of you are probably wondering how the best sports bettors do it. How do so many of your friends and family walk away from an NHL season with more money than they started? How do the best in the business make sure that they aren’t taking a loss?
Listen, no matter how much you know about the NHL or how long you’ve been doing it, there will always be times where you take losses. The important thing is to know when to cut ties or sit out the next round.
That’s why we recommend starting a bankroll. This is a pre-determined set of cash that you set aside strictly for sports betting.
For example, let’s say that you decide you’re going to place $100 towards betting each week. The first week, you deposit $100 into your bankroll, then place $75 on a few NHL bets; currently, your bankroll is at $25.
Then, let’s say that you win $125 on the bets you placed; your bankroll is now $150 ($25 bankroll + $125 winnings). then, the next week, you add $100 more (as you pre-determined), so that your bankroll is now at $250 ($150 bankroll + $100 weekly cash deposit).
If at any point your bankroll hits $0, then you’re done until the next time that you’re scheduled to deposit cash into your bankroll. This will hold you more accountable and ensure you aren’t spending any more cash than you wanted on your bets.
3. Know the Basics
To play online sportsbooks and win, you need to understand the basic concepts of an NHL bet. Let’s take a look at a basic money line bet and then break it down.
TEAM SPREAD WIN
Philadelphia Flyers +1.5(-110) +225
Colorado Avalanche -1.5(-110) -275
In this money line, you’ll see exactly what it takes for you to win $100. To win $100 betting on the Avalanche to win, you would have to bet $275. However, if you bet on the Flyers to win, you would only have to bet $100 to win $225.
4. Stay Current
On paper, the Tampa Bay Lightning should win against virtually any team they play. They have one of the best goaltenders in the world, an offense that can score at will, and a defenseman (Victor Hedman) that seems to play every minute of the game.
But what if their starting goalie gets hurt? Suddenly, they’re letting in 1 to 2 more goals a game (or more) and more teams can keep up with their scoring trends.
You must stay current with things like player injuries. One injury, if to the wrong player, can sabotage an NHL team’s likelihood to win.
5. Consider Prop Bets
Granted, you’ll have to know a good amount about specific NHL players before you start, but prop bets can be a fun way to mix up your NHL betting.
You can bet on the over/under for things like a certain player’s total goals for the season, total assists for the season, total points (goals and assists combined), penalty minutes, and more.
You can also bet on who will win the Stanley Cup at season’s end, the over/under on a team’s regular-season record, player award winners, and so much more.
Use This Guide to Bet on Hockey
Now that you have seen an in-depth guide on how to bet on hockey and get desirable winnings with your bets, be sure to use this information to your advantage.
Take the time to browse our website for more articles on how to bet on hockey, as well as many other topics that you will enjoy reading about.
