From pre-season to summer, where teams are stockpiling new players and getting rid of their roster of unsuitable players, you have betting options available. The NHL is full of more bet types than you can shake a stick at – a hockey stick, obviously. One of these betting options is the very popular puckline.
What is Puckline Betting?
Puckline is a hockey version of the point spread and is similar to a baseball runline. For the NHL, the oddsmakers gave the underdog a 1.5-goal advantage while depriving the favorite by 1.5. The line is adjusted based on how strong the favorite is and how weak the underdog is.
The reason this type of NHL bet only uses 1.5 goals is that hockey is not a high-scoring affair. The most goals scored by a National Hockey League team was 16 when the Montreal Canadiens held a clinic over the Quebec Bulldogs in March 1920. However, this is generally not the case as NHL teams have averaged 2.95 goals per game over the last five years. The most common result is a 3-2 final.
How to Read Puckline Odds
On the sports betting site of your choice, chip odds will look like this:
Detroit Red Wing -1.5 (-175)
Toronto Maple Leaf +1.5 (+150)
In this scenario, the oddsmaker gives the Leafs a 1.5 goal padding as Toronto must win the game outright or not lose by more than one goal. As for the Red Wings, they need to win the game by two goals or more to cover their line.
The numbers in brackets are what you use to calculate how much you will win. Say you bet $100 on this game. If you take Wings at -175 and they win by two goals you will get a payout of $157.14 – your $100 back along with your winnings of $57.14.
If you take the other side of the bet, and the Leafs win the game or don’t lose more than one, you will get your original $250 – $100 back plus your $150 winnings.
Our Odds Calculator will show you exactly how much you will win based on the odds and the amount wagered.
What is the Difference Between Puckline and Moneyline?
Although both types of bets have the word “line” in them, they are very different. The Moneyline requires you to choose a team to win outright, while the puck line bet is based on the winning margin.
Another bet that is often confused with this betting option is the total bet. This bet requires you to choose whether the combined score of the two teams will be OVER or UNDER the number set by the oddsmaker, not whether the team will win or lose by two goals.
When to Bet Puckline
There are instances where this type of bet makes more sense than taking the Moneyline or making a total bet. When there is a strong appeal in betting on the favorite on the odds board and little value on the underdog, chip betting can give you more of an advantage. By betting on the favorite to win by two or more goals, you can get a possible winner of the game at a lower price.
Hockey Betting Parlay
This bet combines two or more individual bets into one bet. Parlays are like smoothies, except you don’t add protein powder or almond milk, you add a puck line bet on the team to win by two or more goals and/or some other type of hockey bet. Furthermore, hockey bettors can place puck line bets with other NHL bets or even other sports such as Major League Baseball, soccer, and basketball. However, for your parlay bet to be cashed out, all bets on the ticket must win.
We have a Parlay Calculator that gives you an idea of what you will win based on the odds of each bet and the total amount wagered. You can add up to 100 bets, but we don’t recommend making such a parlay ticket as you greatly hinder your chances of winning.
NHL Handicap Betting
Winning NHL puck lines requires good money management and, of course, a little research. The great hockey page at Odds Shark will take care of the research part. Before betting on the NHL, check out our Odds, Betting Trends, Consensus, Offensive, and Defensive stats, and Free Picks pages to make sure you make an educated bet. We have the tools needed for you to determine if you take the right side of a two-goal game. This could mean the difference between making Sidney Crosby dollars and Phil Kessel cash*.
*Not actual currency units. Don’t go to your bank and ask for 30 Phil Kessels. You will be disappointed.
How does the line for underdogs differ from favorites in puck line wagering?
Puck line wagering is a popular type of sports betting in North America. Based on the puck line, it is usually used for ice hockey betting and is a combination of money line and point spread wagering. The main differences between them are the betting options available and the payout.
In puck line wagers, the bettor has three options to choose from: the favorite, the underdog or a total. The favorite is the team with the higher likelihood of winning the game. The underdog is the team with the lower likelihood of winning the game. Lastly, the total is the total number of goals scored by both teams.
With a puck line wager, bettors must then decide if they want to place their wager on the favorite or the underdog. If the bettor chooses the favorite, then the line will be set at a +1.5 and will subtract from his or her bet. The rationale behind this is that if the favorite team wins by two or more goals, the bettor will win the wager.
On the other hand, if the bettor chooses the underdogs, then the line will be set at -1.5 and the bettor will win the wager if the underdog team wins the game by at least two goals.
The payout structure for a puck line wager is also different from a money line wager. The payouts for the favorite and the underdog are usually higher than for a money line wager, but the payouts for a total are much lower.
Puck line wagering is an attractive bet for many bettors because of its greater profits and higher payouts. If you are looking for an exciting way to bet on hockey, then puck line wagering may be worth considering.
