Hockey is a famous kind of sports and has a lot of fans in many countries. Although it is not as popular sport for betting as football or tennis in the bookmakers’ facilities, it does not mean at all that you need to give up the opportunity to make money on forecasting the results of hockey matches. Moreover, if you are a fan of this sport and are well versed in it, you simply have to get your profit on it. How to bet on hockey cost-effectively? We tell everything in detail.
Hockey Betting Features
Hockey matches are held several times a week, which allows doing a qualitative statistical analysis and always be aware of the physical form of the players. The game is characterized by frequent comebacks, that is, when the team becomes the winner being an outsider in the previous period; this also gives many opportunities for a successful bet. However, the concept of a draw is absent here, because in case of the end of regular time with an equal number of goals scored, overtime starts, and after it the penalty shootout begins until the difference in the score appears.
The number of tournaments whereon the bets could be made is limited in this sport. Therefore, only NHL, SHL, KHL leagues and several European championships are offered to bets makers. Betting on NHL is considered the most profitable today, as bookmakers give high limits and low margins for them. However, if you intend to make live bets, you can catch high coefficients in all leagues thanks to the rapid development of events on the ice. Other features are the acceptance of bets by the bookmakers without taking into account the extra time and the unpredictability of the game due to a very large final score.
What are the Hockey Bets and Their Strategies
The bets action line will depend on the bookmaker’s facility, since not every bookmaker pays enough attention to hockey. Thus, there are traditional options in the standard line as follows:
- Bets on outcome: on the winner of the match;
- Bets on total: on less or more goals scored;
- Bets on handicap: on a certain handicap;
- Bets on periods: whether the puck will be thrown into the opposing goal in a certain period.
Bookmakers may also offer betting on various additional events. For example, you can predict the exact score in normal time, put simultaneously on two of three possible results, as well as enjoy a host of other interesting options.
You can bet using a wide variety of strategies, the most popular of which are bets for a draw in a period, bets for a total under for KHL matches and bets for a productive period. You will find more about each strategy in a special section on the website.
How to Analyze Hockey Matches
In order to successfully bet on hockey today, you need a pre-match analysis, otherwise your forecast will be just a matter of luck. If you monitor over the events in the world of this sport, watch broadcasts and already know the potential of the teams, it will not be absolutely difficult to analyze the upcoming match. The main thing is to take into account a number of factors before the game that will affect hockey players themselves and the outcome of the match as a whole. The more various nuances you take into account, the better and more accurate your forecast will be, and if you intend to bet during the broadcast, this will allow you adjusting your assumptions as the game progresses. For example, you can almost certainly know which team will win if you study the motivation and tournament goals, as well as the statistics of the previous several games.
Players Physical Form
The analysis should be started with an assessment of the current physical form of team roster. Examine the physical condition of the favorite, because everyone knows that the underdog will have a chance to win only in case of unforeseen injuries or disqualifications in the leading team. For example, in the absence of the main player or when the substitute goalkeeper enters the ice, you can bet on an outsider team or use a plus handicap. If there is no serious difference in the strengths of the teams, making live bets you need to be guided already in the course of events. Besides, inquire if the team had difficult matches the day before and whether it was too tired before the game, otherwise even the leading team will lose to the underdog if the players are exhausted by the previous difficult match. The venue of the tournament will also play an important role, because the support of fans and the home ice always gives confidence to the players.
Statistics and Motivation
The best hockey bets are made taking into account the level of team motivation and statistics of the current series. After all, it often happens that a well-motivated underdog manages to play better than the favorite who relaxed after passing to the next round. In order to analyze statistics, it will be enough to evaluate the last five matches which will give an idea of the team’s current mood, its physical form and in general: who really needs points and who plays without much interest. Even if the team was the first in the standings, it is worth refraining from betting on its victory, if it showed poor results at the last games. However, if the whole series was victorious, then the hockey players are in great shape and in the right mood, which practically guarantees a successful outcome.
