Betting on hockey has become a popular trend as legal sports betting makes its way across the Kenya. The fast-paced nature of the sport is already a thrill, and adding real-money wagers to the equation can add another layer to the experience.
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Can I Bet Hockey Online for Real Money?
Kenyan bettors can wager real money on hockey games as long as online betting is legal in their country. There are over 30 legal sports betting states, but just over half of them offer online services.
All major online sportsbooks will offer various National Hockey League options once the fall season rolls around. While hockey betting is less popular than football and basketball, it is a staple of all leading online betting sites.
Hockey Moneyline
Regarding hockey, wagering on the moneyline is the most popular betting form. We recommend it for novice bettors given its simple focus. You pick the winner of the game.
The plus and minus betting odds tell you who is the favorite and who is the underdog.
Though the NHL has its fair share of contenders and basement-dwellers, hockey can be unpredictable. All it takes is a couple of puck bounces for an underdog to upset the top contenders.
Keeping track of recent player performances, injuries and winning/losing streaks is important for moneyline betting. An 82-game season can yield numerous scenarios, so it’s necessary to stay as up-to-date as possible with league trends.
Fortunately, there are many resources to help research hockey betting trends, especially regarding the moneyline. With player stats and team trends available with the click of a few keys, there’s no limit to the available information.
Hockey Puck Line Betting
Another popular way to bet on hockey is the puck line. In other sports, it’s referred to as spread betting, where you’re wagering on whether you think a team can win by a certain number of scores.
In high-scoring sports like basketball and football, you may see bigger spread lines, such as -5.5 or higher. That isn’t the case for hockey, where games end with lower totals. Instead, it’s common to find 1.5-goal spreads in NHL markets.
Over-Under Betting in Hockey
Some bettors prefer not to wager on the winner and loser of a hockey game. That’s why over/under betting—also known as totals markets—is an alternative that lets you wager on the total number of goals that will be scored.
Hockey is one of the more unpredictable sports for totals betting. One team could be involved in a 2-1 shootout contest one night before playing in a 7-5 barn-burner the next.
Like other forms of hockey betting, researching a specific team is crucial for wagering on the over/under. Various factors determine the number of goals that will be scored, such as goaltending trends and the overall defensive makeup of a team.
Two teams with elite defenses or goaltending aren’t going to combine for a high-scoring affair like one that may occur if a Stanley Cup contender was facing one of the worst teams.
First Period Betting Markets
Similar to betting on the first five innings of a baseball game, hockey bettors can gamble on the first period.
At most sportsbooks, three condensed markets of the three aforementioned options will be available for the opening frame: the moneyline, puck line and the total.
For the moneyline, bettors must decide which team will win the first period. In the event teams are level after 20 minutes of play, the bet pushes.
Finally, bettors can wager on the first-period total, traditionally set at 1.5 goals. For games with lower full-game totals—think five or 5.5 goals—the first-period total will be juiced heavily to the under, while games with higher totals—six of 6.5 goals—will see more even juice.
While the first period is the most popular option amongst hockey bettors, sportsbooks also offer pre-game markets for the second and third periods. Further, at the conclusion of each frame, books will adjust lines and create live markets for the subsequent action in each 20-minute period.
NHL Futures
While it can be profitable to wager on the moneyline, spread and total of hockey games, some bettors want more. That’s where NHL futures markets add some variety and occasional chances to win larger payouts.
Futures betting is what it sounds like: wagering on events that will happen in the future, be it a week, month or year. It’s a good way to make simple bets without needing to know the ins and outs of the hobby.
NHL futures are always changing. Situations that impact futures include free-agent signings, trade deadline deals and injuries. Participating in futures betting can also help give you a reason to pay more attention to the league as the lengthy season rolls on.
Team Futures
Most NHL futures betting revolves around the league’s 32 teams and how they perform over the campaign. Here are some of the more popular futures markets you can find on most major online sportsbooks:
- President’s Trophy Winner: Betting on which team will finish the regular season with the highest point total
- Worst Regular Season Record: Predicting which team will finish with the lowest point total
- Conference/Division Winners: Wagering on which team you think will win either their respective division or conference
- To Make/Miss Playoffs: Placing action on a team that you think either will or won’t qualify for the NHL playoffs
- Regular Season Points: Wagering on which team(s) you think will pass a given point total. In these instances, the book will set lines for individual teams, and bettors can wager on whether that team will surpass that benchmark (over) or fail to eclipse it (under).
Player Awards
Wagering on individual player awards is a lot tougher than betting on team-based markets. There are over 700 players on the 32 teams’ opening night rosters for NHL seasons. Even though only a few of those players are good enough to win an award, it gives you an idea of how tough it can be to predict these outcomes.
Here are some notable player awards futures that you can find on most sports betting sites:
- Hart Memorial Trophy: The Hart Memorial Trophy is the NHL’s MVP award, given to the league’s best player. A player’s importance to their team’s success is always considered, so remember that the individual with the highest point total doesn’t always win this award.
- Vezina Trophy: Awarded to the NHL’s best goaltender for that season. Again, though statistics are important, it’s intended to go to the goalie most critical to their team’s success.
- Rocket Richard Trophy: Wagering on which player you think will pace the NHL in goals for the season.
- Conn Smythe Trophy: Once the playoffs are set, sportsbooks will allow you to wager on the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is given to the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
60-Minute Line
Some sportsbooks offer what’s called the 60-minute line. It’s similar to moneyline betting in that you focus on the final outcome. However, you only focus on what happens within the first three periods.
What separates 60-minute line betting from moneyline wagers is that the option to bet on a tie is present in the former. You can opt for a tie if you don’t think a game will end after regulation.
Live Hockey Betting
Sometimes life gets in the way, and you forget to wager on a game before the puck drops. Fortunately, some of the biggest legal sportsbooks offer live betting, allowing you to make wagers after the puck has dropped.
Live hockey betting odds can change as the game progresses, which is why you want to keep an eye on the action.
There isn’t much of a difference between pregame and live betting. You can usually find the same available markets between the two, with those markets adjusting after goals are scored.
The odds change quickly in live betting because the game is already in progress. You risk losing an advantageous line by waiting for a game to start. Conversely, you could get a better line if the team you want to bet on before the game gets out to an early disadvantage.
Parlay Betting
Parlay betting involves combining multiple hockey wagers into a single bet. The only catch is that you need every bet (or leg) to hit to win your payout. Parlay betting can seem intimidating at first glance.
There are two predominant types of parlays in the hockey betting scene:
Same-Game Hockey Parlays
A same-game parlay combines wagers on various prop bets from the same game. If you only want to pay attention to one game, this is the easier form of parlay betting.
Nevertheless, not all online sportsbooks offer same-game parlays.
Still, if you can find them, they’re a simple way to experience a parlay until you’re comfortable enough to move up in stakes.
For reference, bettors can either select from a list of preset same-game parlays designated by the sportsbook (we advise against this as books will sometimes offer a worse price) or design one independently. In either case, you can include as many legs as desired, but the bet only wins if all legs cash.
Multi-Game Hockey Parlays
Unlike their same-game counterparts, multi-game parlays allow you to jump in on the action for multiple NHL contests.
Multi-game parlays are usually what people talk about when referring to parlay betting. It’s a fun way to follow the action around the NHL while giving you longer odds, increasing your potential payout.
Hockey Prop Bets
Some bettors prefer to wager on players as opposed to teams.
There are more than enough NHL-related prop bets to satisfy that hunger. These props can range from predicting if a player will score a goal to the combined number of saves made between two goaltenders.
Skater Props
Popular skater props reflect a player’s performance, such as the number of goals, assists and/or total points. Some sportsbooks even let you wager on the number of shots on goal, blocked shots and hits thrown.
Specific to goalscorer markets, books will offer two unique markets. First, bettors can wager on players to score at any point in the game – defined as an “anytime goalscorer.”
Alternatively, if bettors are angling for a higher payout, they can wager on what’s known as the “first goalscorer” market. This market is what it sounds like – simply pick the player from either team who will score the game’s first goal.
Every season, there tends to be a few players who go on goal-scoring streaks. Skater props let you join in on that excitement while giving you a way to make some money along the way.
Goalie Props
Skaters aren’t the only ones on the ice during an NHL game. Like forwards and defensemen, goalies have their fair share of prop markets (albeit less extensive).
Game Props
Game props can reflect the actual NHL matchup rather than the players and goalies involved. An example would be wagering on the total number of goals scored for one team rather than both, simply referred to as the team total.
More examples include the correct score of the game, the first/last team to score and the race to X number of goals, where X is set at two, three, four, etc. Bettors can also wager on a team to win by an exact number of goals or to record a shutout victory.
Game props can also involve more limited-time scenarios, such as predicting the score after the second period or placing some action on the final combined shot total.
