Verah | February 5, 2020 | Updated on: December 4th, 2023
Betting on hockey may not be as major as the NBA or NFL. But there’s still a large enough fan-base In America that sports bookmakers accept bets on National Hockey League (NHL) games. For those interested in making money off the game, we’ve compiled a beginner’s guide on how to bet on hockey. The NHL is the largest hockey league in North America with 31 teams from the US and Canada. Read on for more on hockey betting at online gambling sites.
Best Hockey Betting Sites
Check out the sites below for the best NHL betting books.
What You’ll Find In Our Hockey Betting Guide
How to Bet on Hockey
Americans betting on hockey will find that the betting limits are lower than in the NFL or NBA. Sports betting sites are more or less uncomfortable with accepting bets in the NHL.
When learning how to bet on hockey, it’s important to get a good understanding of the types of bets you’ll be picking from. The money line is the most common way of betting on the NHL; second is the puck line. Furthermore, there’s the Grand Salami, which we’ll discuss below.
Top Hockey Betting Lines
In learning how to bet on hockey, you’ll discover that there are tons of different NHL betting lines available to you. These are the types of bets you’ll have to choose from.
Money Line Bets
If there’s one thing we’ll emphasize on in our how to bet on hockey guide is that this betting line is the most popular option. In this type of hockey betting, you pick which team wins the game.
It’s important to remember that you may not always get paid the same amount for each team.
It’s crucial that bettors have a good understanding of this type of bet. A tip to keep in mind: the bigger and more favourite an NHL team is to win the game, the less money you’ll get for the correct pick. Going for the underdog tends to pay well.
How to Bet Hockey: Puck Line Bets
This line bet is similar to the money line bet. However, in this bet type, the team either has to win by more than 1.5 goals or lose by less than 1.5 goals. So basically, your payouts are determined by how many goals the team scores.
Over Under Bets
This type of bet is about predicting whether or not the total number of goals scored by both teams will be more than (i.e. over) or less than (i.e. under) a chosen number. While in some sports the chosen number changes and the payout odds remain the same, in NHL betting the number is almost always 5.5 goals. Additionally, the payout odds change to accommodate the number change.
Prop Bet
A prop bet in sport is very entertaining and can also be very rewarding. This is a bet on an event occurring during the game. Prop bets are divided into two categories by sportsbooks – skilled prop bets and unskilled prop bets.
- Skilled prop bets: these allow you to use your knowledge and expertise to increase your chances of placing a winning bet. A popular skilled prop bet in the NHL is choosing which team scores the first goal.
- Unskilled prop bets: these are entirely up to chance and luck. They are purely for entertainment.
Futures Bets 
This bet is about predicting the outcome of the playoffs or season. They have rewarding payouts because they are really hard to figure out. Generally, they are offered at the beginning of the season or playoffs but most bookies allow future bets at any point in the season.
The Grand Salami
With a Grand Salami bet, sportsbooks let bettors with an interest in every game being played on a specific day place a bet with the cost of one bet. You’ll place an over under bet on the total number of goals scored in that whole day.
Check out our other hockey guides:
Hockey Betting Strategy: How to Bet
In this section we’ll be looking at some expert tips and advice on hockey betting.
- Set Yourself Up with a Mentor: find someone who is willing to show you the ropes and explain why they’re making those particular bets.
- Get Familiar with More than Just the Game: apart from knowing the players, teams, you’ll have to know about a team’s travel schedule; find accurate statistics from sites like ESPN; know the different line matchups; and finding the best bets.
How to Bet on Hockey Conclusion
NHL betting is an enjoyable and rewarding past time if you know what you are doing. Read more on NHL hockey our other Gambling 360 pages.