How to read hockey odds

Hockey is the first Canadian sport followed by lacrosse and football.

Well yes: born and raised right here in Canada, ice hockey is the most popular national sport in the country. The major league, in which the most important teams in the country participate, is called the National Hockey League, also known by the acronym NHL. The National Hockey League, founded in 1917 with only 4 teams in Montreal, now has 31 teams based in the United States and Canada. Curious how hockey is the only professional league based in the capitals of two different states: Ottawa and Washington. The team that has won the Stanley Cup in the most years, (this is the name of the official trophy) from the foundation of the highest league until today, is that of the Montreal Canadians, with 24 titles. It is the winter sport par excellence, and the season starts on the first Wednesday in October and ends in April.

Are you a fan of sports such as hockey? Bookmakers give you a chance to bet on this game from the comfort of your home. You only need to choose a reputable site for you to start enjoying hockey betting. You can start making profits if you learn how to read hockey odds. Odds refers to the probability of a particular event occurring. Sportsbooks set different hockey odds that should guide you during betting.

This game offers different betting options and can help you earn significant profits after some time. Understanding hockey odds should be the priority of every bettor. Though the odds may look a bit intimidating for new bettors, they are not that complicated to understand. Here are some of the wagering options and hockey betting odds explained.

Moneyline

In this betting option, you only need to predict which hockey team you think has the highest chance of winning. If you focus on this wagering option, you may see odds written like this:

• Minnesota (-130) vs. St. Louis (+ 110).

The negative sign indicates the favorite, while the positive sign is the underdog. The minus sign shows the specific amount that you have to bet for you to gain 100. In this case, if you choose to support Minnesota, you have to place a bet of $ 130 for you to win at least $ 100. On the other hand, the positive sign shows the amount you can win for each $ 100 bet. Using the same example, if you choose to support St Louis and place a bet of $ 100, you will get $ 210. Now that we have these hockey odds explained, here is another form of betting option you can consider.

Puke line

Understanding hockey odds is what distinguishes professional bettors from casual ones. As you engage in hockey betting, you can focus on the puke line or point spread. The spread refers to the margin that oddsmakers use to handicap the favorite hockey team. Odds compilers can predict that a specific hockey team is likely to win by a particular number of points. For instance:

• Minnesota – 1.5 (240) vs. St Louis + 1.5 (-280).

In this example, if you focus on St Louis, the team has to win the game outright or lose by at least three goals for you to win your bet. You have to bet with $ 280 for you to win at least $ 100.  If you focus on Minnesota, the hockey team has to win by at least two goals. If you place a bet of $ 100 on this team, you will receive a payout of $ 240. Now that we have these hockey odds explained, we can look at another betting option.

Over/ under

Oddsmakers also set odds based on the number of points they expect from two hockey teams combined. In this form of wagering, you can either predict whether the total points that are likely to be scored will be less or more than what the oddsmakers predicted. The hockey betting odds explained are easy for anyone to understand. Learning how to read hockey odds is the key to successful betting.