Ice hockey betting guide

How To Bet on Ice Hockey

The South African sports betting market is extremely competitive because there are numerous bookmakers with competitive betting odds and features. These bookmakers allow punters to place bets on various ice hockey leagues and tournaments, including the Swedish Hockey League, Kontinental Hockey League, National Hockey League, Stanley Cup, and Winter Olympics. Here is how to make ice hockey betting predictions at South African bookmakers:

To make ice hockey predictions, you must register on a sports betting platform. Go to your preferred platform and initiate the registration process. You will be required to provide your full name, email address, password, address, date of birth, and other relevant information. Remember to verify that this information is correct because you will be required to verify your account with a valid means of identification.

After registration and verification of the account, you will have to make a deposit. Bookmakers offer various payment methods for gamblers to fund their accounts. It is in your best interest to look for available welcome bonuses for new accounts and the requirements. Ensure that you meet the deposit requirement to claim this bonus while making your deposit.

Bookmakers provide other sports apart from ice hockey so you must navigate to the appropriate section to make ice hockey picks. You will see various ice hockey leagues and live matches being played displayed on your screen.

Each hockey game will have multiple hockey betting markets and the best bookmakers will provide decent odds for each bet. If you are new to making ice hockey predictions, you should stick to simpler markets without much risk or complicated odds.

The last step is to place your wager by selecting an amount. You can adjust your intended wager by using the plus sign available next to the wager amount to increase your bet or the minus sign to reduce the bet. Double-check all your selections to ensure that they are correct before booking the bet.

Ice Hockey Betting Markets

There are various betting markets available for ice hockey matches on betting sites. Some common markets include moneyline odds, outright winner, puck line, goals scored, and others. Just like with other major sports, these markets allow punters to formulate a betting strategy that gives them an edge. Here are some of the most common betting markets available to punters:

Moneyline Betting

As with many other team sports, the most popular ice hockey bet is the Match Winner. Moneyline odds allow you to pick the straight winner when two teams play. Ice hockey doesn't allow draws so when you're betting in this market, you are weighing up only two outcomes. This makes the process of analysis easier, although it can mean that the odds available on favourites are often shorter than you will find with football. For example, a punter can pick a home win when two teams are playing.

Puck Line Bets

Puck line bets predict how many goals a team will win or lose by. If you pick the stronger team to win then they must score more than the goals set by the bookmaker. Alternatively, if you back the weaker team, they must win the game or lose by fewer goals than the number set by the bookmaker. Punters should note that negative odds are used for the stronger team while positive odds are used for the weaker team (this also applies to moneyline bets).

Tournament Winner

Another popular option is the Tournament Winner market. In these markets, it is sometimes possible to bet each way, which means that you can still make a profit if a team reaches the final of a tournament, even if they don't win it. In the case of domestic leagues, such as the NHL, you can also bet on the winners of the various Divisions and Conferences. For example, many punters back popular teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers to win tournaments they participate in.

Handicap Bets

Handicap betting is more of a niche market in ice hockey, but it can offer opportunities for the shrewd punter. With ice hockey handicap match betting, the favourite is given a handicap in the form of goals, and you then have to decide whether you want to bet on them to beat the handicap. This offers a useful alternative to the Match Winners market for games where there is a very strong favourite at short odds.

In-Play Betting

This bet is also known as a live bet and it allows punters to bet on a game while it is still ongoing. Bookmakers use live odds which are updated as the game progresses. This bet is quite volatile because they swing wildly but punters have the chance to get amazing odds.

60-Minute Bets

This bet is similar to the Moneyline but it does not include overtime. Unlike regular straight-winner bets, there are three outcomes: win, loss, and tie. Punters who want to gamble on ties would find this betting market attractive. The odds from this bet are attractive but they are risky because if the game goes into overtime without any of the predictions coming true, the bet is lost.

Grand Salami Bet

The Grand Salami is a unique bet that predicts the total number of goals that will be scored by all the teams combined in a tournament on a single day. If the bookmaker sets the Grand Salami line at 40 goals, punters must predict if the total number of goals for the day will be higher or lower than 40.

Every goal scored by the teams in the tournament on the day of your bet is important because it counts towards the overall total. For example, if you place this bet during the match day of the Stanley Cup, all matches played on that day will add to the goals tally. You only win if your bet remains true at the end of the match day.

Goals Markets

If you can't find a suitable bet in the money line or tournament winner markets, there are plenty of other options, including a host of markets associated with goals, which can offer an alternative way to profit from your ice hockey knowledge and analysis.

Total Goals is often a good place for ice hockey betting fans to start as most ice hockey teams are consistent in the number of goals they score and concede. Playing this bet is only advisable if you are familiar with the number of goals a team scores per match.

Both Teams To Score can provide opportunities for profit if you think you've found a game in which both teams will score. This bet is safe because it does not pick a winner but the odds are usually lower.

The Correct Score market is probably the most volatile of the goals markets, but with bigger odds on offer, the rewards can be significant. This is an extremely risky market but there is a huge potential upside which attracts punters.

Ice Hockey Betting Tips

Most ice hockey betting fans will develop their betting strategies to profit from the available game lines. Punters need ice hockey betting tips to guide their decisions and help them make better ice hockey betting predictions. Here are some useful ice hockey betting tips to bear in mind when making your next wager:

Use Multiple Betting Sites

Using multiple sportsbooks is a great way to get the best odds when betting on tennis. Different bookmakers offer different odds, which is why it is wise to compare odds before placing a bet. Using multiple bookmakers also allows you to earn multiple welcome bonuses, which you can use to improve your bankroll.

Home Team Advantage

This is one of the most common ice hockey tips available to punters. It is common knowledge that there is usually a home team bias because of the advantages that these teams enjoy. These include familiarity with the rink, fan support, and zero fatigue from not travelling. These advantages compound and tilt the outcome of the match in favour of the home team.

Monitor Injury News

Injuries play a significant role in the outcome of matches, especially if key players are injured. As a physically demanding sport, injuries occur frequently, and team lineups are always altered. Ensure that you stay current with injury news as one injury can affect a team negatively.

Conduct Extensive Research

Before you place a bet, ensure that you conduct proper research on both teams to see how they match up. You should also check the implied probability of your selections to determine how likely you are to win your bet. Conducting research into teams, odds, and other relevant touchpoints will ensure that you make informed decisions about your bets.

Use Data

Check statistical data about previous team performance and form. Using past data will allow you to check head-to-head records, past player performance, player form, team form, and other match data. Many websites aggregate ice hockey data for punters and ice hockey enthusiasts who want to stay updated with happenings in the league.

Consider Schedules in the NHL Season

The NHL (National Hockey League), which incorporates teams from both the US and Canada, accounts for a huge proportion of the global ice hockey betting market, and one of the first things that you notice about the league is the astonishing number of games that are packed into a season. The regular season requires teams to play 82 times in the space of around six months, often travelling from one side of the continent to the other.

So, as well as being physically demanding, ice hockey in the National Hockey League provides a gruelling logistical test. It is inevitable that teams will not be able to play with the same level of intensity in each of those 82 games and will prioritise some games over others. Careful study of the schedules of each team and each game played can therefore often pay dividends for diligent ice hockey punters.

Know Your Goalies

Ice hockey is a technically varied sport, but of all the various roles on an ice hockey team, the most important is the goaltender. One of the biggest mistakes newcomers to ice hockey betting make is to focus on the forwards and regard goaltenders as extra players to make up the numbers. But in fact, the goaltender can make a huge difference. Teams that are forced to field their second-choice goaltender can be at a big disadvantage, so ice hockey bettors take time to get to know all the goaltenders in a league.

Conclusion

Ice hockey can be an exhilarating sport to watch, and many South African ice hockey fans take their experience to the next level by using their knowledge to bet online. As with any financial investment, betting on ice hockey shouldn't be done lightly, but for those who do their homework and get to know how the various betting markets work, betting on ice hockey online can be a profitable and exciting pastime.

We have covered various aspects of ice hockey betting in this article. You will learn how to place bets, available markets, and ice hockey betting tips. When you are selecting a betting platform, you should ensure that they have good odds which guarantee a decent return on your money. Gamblers are also encouraged to use the betting tips we have provided in this article to improve their chances of winning.

If you are a beginner punter, you should always engage in proper research before placing any bets. We have provided all the information you need to start your betting journey. Gamble responsibly!

Frequently Asked Questions about Ice Hockey