It was once predicted that ice hockey might disappear entirely with the onset of global warming, but in reality the sport is here to stay: a significant improvement in the quality of broadcasts has led to an increase in league revenues and players’ salaries, and the sport’s audience is only growing. Compared to other team sports, ice hockey is perhaps the most intense: it features high speeds and teams ready to brawl at any moment, and it is precisely this intensity of emotion that often proves decisive when spectators are choosing how to spend their time. Whether you’re a hockey expert or simply want to add a bit of excitement to your next match, place a bet with Betwinner!
Hockey betting
Features of ice hockey betting on the Betwinner website
If you’re currently just a hockey fan rather than an experienced bettor (or an experienced bettor with no experience of betting on this particular sport), then before placing your first bet on Betwinner, you should bear in mind a few key aspects specific to this sport.
First and foremost, hockey is a very fast-paced sport due to its high speed. On the one hand, there is often a clear favourite; on the other, you must always bear in mind the variable factors that can influence the outcome:
a single stray puck could end up in any net at any moment;
The unexpected removal of the leader for just two minutes can completely turn the game on its head;
A team is not a single, cohesive unit – it is bound to include leaders, and they may miss out on individual matches.
At the same time, Betwinner offers visitors a wide range of betting options for every match – we provide up to 1,100 markets on top fixtures! You don’t have to predict the winner of the match, as you can also bet on the total score, the handicap, individual periods and much more. Such a wealth of markets allows customers to find intrigue where there seemingly isn’t any, and conversely, to place a bet with a high probability of winning on a match that appears unpredictable. Long-term bets deserve a special mention: they allow you to predict the outcome of an entire tournament, naming the champion and sometimes even the MVP of the season.
When placing bets on ice hockey not simply on a whim, but with a serious aim of winning, you should take statistics into account, especially as Betwinner allows you to analyse them directly on our website. Thanks to this consolidated information, you’ll know the form of each team, the line-up they’re likely to field for the upcoming match, how much they can rely on their goalkeeper, and how tired they are (or, conversely, whether they can conserve their energy) due to the season’s fixture list.
Main types of bets
The wide range of hockey betting options available is potentially good news for Betwinner customers, but only provided they fully understand the significance of the various markets and can make effective use of the betting options on offer. In case you are a complete beginner to betting, we have prepared a detailed guide on how the main markets work – we hope this will help you avoid any pitfalls.
Match Outcomes (1X2), Double Chance
In any sport, the most obvious bet is to back one of the competing sides to win; this market is correctly referred to as a ‘match outcome’ – you simply pick the winner, without specifying the score. A draw is a separate, third option for betting on the match outcome. It is important to note which part of the match your predicted outcome applies to: is it just normal time, normal time plus extra time, or the entire match including penalties; the latter option, for obvious reasons, does not allow for a draw.
When betting on the outcome, you can take the opposite approach, predicting not what will happen, but what definitely will not happen. This market is called a double chance: for example, you claim that the away team will at least hold on for a draw, or even win – that is, there will be no defeat for the visitors.
Totals and handicaps
The Total is the most popular market among those that do not involve predicting the winner of the match: in this case, you must indicate whether the total number of goals scored by both teams combined throughout the entire game will be over or under a specified number (again, bear in mind that the market may cover only regular time, or include overtime as well). Furthermore, the total can also be individual (the scoring of a single specific team) or linked to a specific period (how many goals will be scored in a single period). You do not need to specify the exact number of goals – simply predict whether there will be more or fewer than a certain number.
A handicap bet does not necessarily indicate the winner of the match either, but it does give an indication of the level of competition in the fixture. A negative handicap is placed on the favourite, whose victory is beyond doubt, and therefore carries very low odds; whereas a bet on the home team to win with a -3.5 handicap means they must not only win, but do so by a margin of at least four goals, which is no easy task even against a clear underdog. Conversely, a clear underdog is backed with a positive handicap to show that they are not quite so hopeless: for example, a +1.5 handicap means that the formally weaker team may well lose, but by no more than one goal, and they are also capable of causing a minor upset. As with the total, the handicap may apply only to a single period: it makes sense to bet on this if you know for certain that one team tends to step up at this stage of the game, whilst the other, conversely, has not yet found its rhythm or is already tired.
Rates by period
Even if a match seems fairly unpredictable overall, certain patterns may emerge regarding how a particular team plays. For example, some teams throw themselves into the fray right from the start, quickly build up a lead, and then may switch to testing their substitutes or even simply messing about. Then there are teams where the opposite is true: they take a while to get going, feeling out their opponents, but eventually step up a gear, playing a much more purposeful game towards the end of the match. In a clash between two such opponents, you may not know who will win, but you can take a chance by predicting that the first team will lead in the first period and the second in the third. Such bets are particularly relevant in live betting, when you’re not just basing your prediction on pre-match odds and previous statistics, but can clearly see emerging trends.
Live betting and its features
Most fans aren’t particularly keen on poring over pre-match statistics, especially as ice hockey is bound to throw up surprises anyway – even for those who’ve read all the news. It would be far more effective and interesting to place bets once you know the starting line-ups for certain, and can see who is in what form and in what frame of mind going into today’s match – you can do just that thanks to the fact that Betwinner is ready to accept bets during the match as well, whilst the suspense is still there. However, players should bear in mind that in ice hockey, the score can change very suddenly, and the odds will shift accordingly, so you need to take advantage of a favourable quote without delay.
We should also add that you can watch many ice hockey matches directly on Betwinner – both on the website and in the app. There is no extra charge for this – you can simply place your bet if you wish.
