Hockey Betting Advice
Speed Matters: Announcements like starting goalies or injuries on gameday can quickly move odds. For example, in Game 3 of the 2022 playoff series between the Canes and Bruins, the odds for the Bruins winning went up by 2% within 23 minutes of news that the Canes were starting rookie Pyotr Kochetkov in net due to Antti Raanta being injured. The Bruins went on to win that game.
Verify Track Records: Lots of people claim to be brilliant sports bettors but few really are. Trust those who post all of their predictions and bets vs. just highlighting their wins. If you purchase professional betting tips, make sure you can try them out for free first to see if they can beat the market before paying for anything. For example,
Doc's Sportsbook offers $60 worth of professional picks for free.
Know When You Have an Edge: Some sportsbooks will allow you to bet in the middle of regular season games for some futures markets and will only update the odds once a night. For example, if you want to bet that a team will make the playoffs, and they are currently up 4-0 in the 3rd period of a game vs. another team they are close with in the standings, that may be a good time to place a wager. Similarly, if it's right before puck drop, you may want to wait to see how the game plays out before placing a bet, as the futures odds won't change till the next morning.
Shop Around: Odds can vary by sportsbook. Once you know what you want to bet on, it's worth your time to find the sportsbook that you trust and gives you the best odds. There are many websites that compare and review betting apps so you can easily find the best option for you.
Do the Math: Do things add up? Use our betting calculators to make sure you understand the numbers behind the bet you are placing.
Understand There's Lots of Luck In Hockey: The best team doesn't always win, as shown by our Deserve To Win 'O Meter. There's no such thing as a sure bet and be careful about being overconfident.
Basics of Betting On Hockey
Below is an example of potential bets on a game between the LA Kings and the Oilers, where the Oilers are considered the favourites:
| Team | Money Line | Spread | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
+183 | +1.5 -135 |
Over 6.5 -106 |
 |
-217 | -1.5 +115 |
Under 6.5 -111 |
There are three main types of wagers you can bet on for NHL games:
Money Line: Simply betting on which team will win the game.
Spread: If you pick the team more likely to win the game, they have to win by at least the spread for you to win the bet. In this case, the Oilers would need to win by more than 1.5 goals. Since you can't score half a goal in hockey, you would win the bet if you wagered on the Oilers and they won the game by 2 goals or more goals. If you wagered on the LA Kings for the spread, you would win the bet if the Kings won the game or lost by only 1 goal.
Total Goals: You are betting on the total number of goals scored by both teams combined in the game. If you think there would be 7 or more goals scored in the game, you would want to bet on the "Over 6.5". If you thought there would be 6 or less goals, you would take "Under 6.5". Be sure to understand if this wager includes shootouts, as that can vary by sportsbook.
American vs. Decimal Odds (See Betting Odds Conversion Calculators)
American Odds: Whenever there is a minus sign (-) in front of the odds, that is the amount you have to bet in order to win $100. If there is a plus sign (+) in front of the odds, you win that amount for every $100 you bet. In the example above, if you bet the money line on the Oilers, you would need to bet $217 in order to win $100 if the Oilers win the game. You'd get back $317 in total. (The $217 you wagered plus the $100). If you bet $100 on the Kings for the money line and the Kings won, you'd win $183 and get back $283 in total. (The $100 you wagered plus the $183 of winnings). There can be a significant difference in the value you receive from your bets based on the odds, so it could be worth your while to check out reviews of American betting sites to try and find which sites offer the best value.
Decimal Odds:Below are equivalent decimal odds for the Kings vs. Oilers example. To figure out the potential payout on decimal odds, just multiply your bet by the odds. The resulting number includes the amount you initially wagered. If you bet $217 on the Oilers for the money line you'd potentially get back $217 * 1.46 = $317. If you bet $100 on the Kings for the money line you'd potentially get back $100 * 2.83 = $283. Most sportsbooks have an option to let you switch between American and decimal odds depending on your preference. Usually people find decimal odds easier to understand.
| Team | Money Line | Spread | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2.83 | +1.5 1.74 |
Over 6.5 1.94 |
|
1.46 | -1.5 2.15 |
Under 6.5 1.90 |
