So you’re new to sports betting and you need some help? There’s no shame in that, everyone starts somewhere. I wish I had someone to hold my hand through the process when I jumped in head-first. Lucky for you, we’re here to educate the masses.
Everyone on the planet knows how to bet on somebody winning or losing outright. A win is a win no matter if it’s by one point or a hundred points, it’s all the same. That’s called a moneyline bet and is the most historically popular of all betting types. This can be applied to almost all sports and try as I might, I’ll never be able to explain it more eloquently than Dominic Toretto.
This type of betting, while the most popular and the baseline for all bets, can become very boring. For example, imagine a scenario where there’s a team of professional-level superstars playing in a game against children. Of course nobody in their right mind would bet on the kids to win outright. That is why spreads were created; it levels the playing field.
Hockey Spreads: Puck Line
Today, we’re tackling one version of betting the spread that’s specific to Hockey. It’s what’s known as betting the “Puck Line”. In basketball or football, the scores are typically so high and vary a ton from game to game so the spreads change a lot depending on who’s playing. In hockey, there’s a lot more parity with very little scoring (respectively) so the spread (Puck Line) is consistent and set at 1.5 points from game to game.If you’re not familiar with spreads, you’re probably wondering what the hell that means. It means that the favorite would need to win by more than 1.5 goals in order to win your bet. Given that there are no half-points in Hockey, it REALLY means that the favorite would need to score TWO more goals than their opponent if you picked them. On the flip side, if you bet the Puck Line on the underdog, you get to add 1.5 points. So even if those bums lose, as long as they only lose by 1, you’d still win your bet.
Why 1.5 Points?
Now that you know what a spread is and what the Puck Line is, you might be wondering why Vegas and the rest of the world landed on 1.5 points as the standard spread for hockey. In reality, as with anything gambling-related, it all comes down to stats. 3-2 is the most common score to end a hockey game with 2-1 and 4-3 as final scores closely behind it. Given the (admittedly outdated) data from 2018 below, you can either do the math yourself, or trust me when I say that games ending within that 1.5-point window are the most likely outcome.
There is one thing you should have noticed in the graphic above. That is how much less scoring there is when it comes to the playoff hockey. When you really think, it obviously makes sense though. All of the weaker teams have been eliminated and it’s a best against best atmosphere almost every night. Not only that, but teams typically play a more physical and conservative style in the playoffs. What does that mean for you? More sweating out close games.
Betting the Games
While sports betting has (stupidly) not been legalized in all 50 states yet, anyone in America is still able to place a wager on games through sites like Bettor Edge. The site allows individual users to buy positions against one another rather than betting against “the house” whether that be a casino or other establishment. That maneuvering and clever programming means that you’re still able to place sports bets on big games. It can be against a friend on the platform or against a complete stranger.
Hockey Playoff odds with Bettor Edge – Use promo code “10k” for $20 to put towards your bets
I’ve been hit by cars three times, which is an indication of how stubborn I am.
I write about everything across the board, but focus on Hockey and the pain that is Minnesota sports.
Argue with me on Twitter: @venividiveech