Puck Line in Sports Betting: How Hockey Spreads Work and When to Use Them

Betting on the NHL and other ice hockey events can be a whole lot of fun for hockey enthusiasts who enjoy the big hit and fast pace of the game. For those hockey fans who are familiar with hockey handicap betting, the spread or puck line can be a great market for hockey handicappers. Spread betting in hockey is essentially the same as moneyline betting in hockey. Instead of betting on the side to win straight up, the typical hockey spread is set at 10.5 goals for the entire match. This is known as the puck line and is designed to offer hockey bettors a way to place a wager on hockey with a more balanced point spread than a straight up moneyline bet. Puck line betting can be used by fans of hockey handicap betting to attempt to guarantee a profit by analysing information to guarantee that the bettor will receive a positive return on investment for his hockey spread wager. Learn more about hockey handicap betting and the puck line, and when to use it for NHL and other hockey bettors.

A Simple Explanation of Hockey Betting Lines and the Puck Line

The hockey spread or the puck line is one of the most well-known hockey betting markets. If you have ever placed a moneyline bet on sports like hockey, baseball or football then you will already be familiar with the puck line as it is simply known as the run line in baseball. The way a hockey spread bet is settled is also very similar to a run line bet as the goal spread is always set at 10.5 goals. Using the above NHL matchup, for example, if you placed a winning puck line bet on the underdog team then they can actually lose the match by a goal or even more in order for you to receive a payout as if they had won the match with a goal difference of 1 goal.

How the Puck Line Works in Practice

Bet the hockey puck line. In order for the puck line to be an effective and fair market in the eyes of the sportsbook, both the favorite and underdog must have nearly identical full-game hockey lines. As a result, typical NHL lines for a full-game will be nearly identical for both the favorite and the underdog and will each be set at a 1.5 goal spread. Typically a sportsbook will list the hockey spread lines for an NHL game in the following format: Team A -1.5 (+125) and Team B +1.5 (-145). Also, bettors will have the opportunity to wager on the puck line for individual periods of the game as well as on special alternate lines for individual NHL games. Some of the lines that will be offered for each period of the game include the Regular Season Puck Line, Overtime Puck Line, Shootout Puck Line, and the Puck Line for individual periods in games that are being played using 3-on-3 or 5-on-5 players.

The Standard +1.5 and -1.5 Format

For the vast majority of full-game NHL wagers placed at online sportsbooks, the standard hockey spread will be set at -10.5 goals for the favorite and +10.5 goals for the underdog. When wagering on a favorite at -10.5 goals, for example, the favorite must win the match by two or more goals for the wager to pay out as a winning bet. If the favorite were to win the match by a single goal or lose the match outright then the favorite at -1.5 spread would lose the wager. As for the underdog at +10.5 goals, for example, the underdog would win the wager if they were to win the match in regulation or lose the match in overtime or a shootout by a single goal.

Why Hockey Uses a Fixed Spread

There are many reasons that the hockey spread is not as dynamic as NFL or NBA point spreads, but the biggest is the average number of goals scored in a game of hockey. The NHL average is around 6 goals per game with both teams scoring an average of 3 per contest. Because of these low numbers, the use of a 1.5 goal spread is a design choice on the part of the sportsbook to create a relevant and interesting market for customers to bet on. Instead of constantly moving the spread to account for the large discrepancies in goal scoring ability between two teams of unequal skill, the spread is kept at 10.5 goals while the moneyline odds are adjusted to reflect the likelihood of each team to win with a 1.5 goal spread.

See also: What does over under mean in betting? A complete guide to totals betting

Example of a Hockey Spread Bet

Here is an example set of NHL lines for a full-time game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Anaheim Ducks played at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. In this example, the Colorado Avalanche are favored to win by two or more goals in the game. The Anaheim Ducks are underdogs in the game by 10.5 goals. Therefore, a bet on the Avalanche at -1.5 would require them to win the game by two or more goals for the bet to be considered a winner. A bet on the Ducks at +1.5 would be considered a winner if the Ducks win the game outright.

Here’s an example of what a hockey spread bet might look like at an online sportsbook such as BookHereMaker.eu:

• Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+125)
• Anaheim Ducks +1.5 (-145)

In this case, the Colorado Avalanche would need to win the hockey game by two or more goals in order for the bet to pay out, netting the sports bettor a $125 profit on a $100 bet. On the other hand, the Anaheim Ducks can win the game outright or lose by a single goal in order for the bet to pay out. Thus, the sports bettor would receive a $100 profit on a $145 bet.

Puck Line Odds Explained

Contrary to the most common moneyline juices found in sports betting (typically -110), the puck line found in most hockey markets has a set 1.5 goal spread handicap. The odds to win a bet on the favored team to win by 2+ goals are “plus-money” in nature (e.g. +115 to +150), while the odds to win a bet on the underdog team to either win the game outright or lose by 1 goal typically have a high juice to reflect the increased likelihood that the underdog team will cover the 1.5 goal spread handicap and are typically found in the -130 to -170 range.

Puck Line vs Run Line: Comparing Hockey and Baseball

Spread betting in hockey is much like the run line in baseball, allowing the bettor to bet on the favorite to win by more than a 1.5 goal margin or the underdog to win outright or lose by less than a 1.5 goal margin. Instead of placing a moneyline bet, where the bettor is betting on a team to win straight up, a spread bet allows for a lower risk of losing, while also earning a lower return on the investment. For example, instead of placing a moneyline bet on the heavily favored team, a puck line bet allows the favorite to lose by less than 10.5 goals for the underdog to win.

When to Bet the Spread in Hockey

There are a couple of different instances in which betting the hockey spread would make sense. The first instance in which to use the puck line is when betting the favorite at -1.5 gives better odds than the moneyline for a very dominant team playing against a below-average team. The second instance would be for someone betting the under for a very close game. This would be in the event that the underdog lost in regulation for the under 0.5 goal margin for the bet to win.

See also: What do plus and minus mean in betting? Understanding odds and payouts

Strategy Tips for Betting Hockey Spreads

To win hockey spread bets, look beyond a team’s win-loss record and delve into that team’s statistics to gain more insight into the upcoming game. For example, a team’s empty-net goals are important to know in NHL games, as a team that is losing late in the game pulls their goalie for an extra skater in hopes of scoring to tie the game. This late goal typically turns a one-goal game into a two-goal game and thus covers the 1.5 goal line spread for the favorite.

Also, it is very important to know how many one-goal games a team participates in during the course of a season. Teams that play with a very conservative and defensive style of hockey are typically involved in low-scoring games. Alternate lines and reverse lines are two other types of lines that are typically offered by sportsbooks. For example, the full-game 1.5 line for a particular game may not have any value, but the 2.5 goal line or the reverse 1.5 line for the underdog might.

Why Bettors Use This Market Instead of Moneyline

A hockey spread bet allows the bettor to take a risk on the favored team and receive a return if the favored team wins by more than a goal and a half. The return will be greater than even money and is usually in the range of +115 to +150. The underdog in a hockey spread bet can return a large profit if the underdog team wins the game or loses the game by a single goal.

FAQs

What is the puck line in sports betting?

This market is known as the run line in baseball betting, but the term has been transferred to hockey betting to become known as the puck line. There are two different types of puck line wagers that are placed on hockey games. They involve betting the favorite with a negative number in front of the margin, or betting the underdog with a positive number in front of the margin.

How does a puck line bet work?

There is more than one way to structure a hockey spread bet, and what your individual hockey spread bet will be is dependent on the score that is posted at the end of the match. All hockey spread bets begin with the pre-determined handicap that was established prior to the contest beginning. When the end score for the two teams is applied to the pre-determined amount of 10.5 goals for the standard full-game market, the amount that the favorite must win by in order for the bet to win will be determined. An example of this would be if the favored team is listed at -1.5 and they win by a score of 3-1 or greater, then the bet would win. If the underdog for the same hockey spread is listed at +1.5 and they lose by a score of 1-0, or the underdog were to win the contest outright, then the underdog bet would win.

Why is the puck line always 10.5 goals?

Full-game NHL markets are often set at 10.5 goals for the hockey spread, but other markets, including in-game or period-specific hockey spread markets, are often set at .5 goals or more to try to have the alternative line(s) offered for that market have more appeal to bettors. Reverse lines as well as alternate lines (2 goals for example) for the puck line are also offered in hockey spread markets for example. The ending with a score in such markets (as well as most others) is when both teams have completed their required playing time for that market. In the case of a first period hockey spread market, for example, the market would end when both teams have completed playing 20 minutes in that period; in a full-game market, the market would end with a score when both teams have completed 60 minutes of playing time.

Is puck line betting better than moneyline?

Spread betting in hockey games can allow for greater returns on investment for bettors than moneyline wagering, depending on the odds for the moneyline favorite. Moneyline favorites for NHL games typically have odds ranging from -180 to -250 to -300 or greater to win $100. Spread betting on hockey favorites can allow for greater returns on investment. For example, a hockey favorite might have odds of -115 to -150 to win $100 on the moneyline for a given game. By betting the favorite on the spread, such as -10.5 goals, the bettors would have the opportunity to receive plus-money odds on their spread wager for the given hockey game.

Can you include puck line bets in parlays?

Almost every sportsbook that offers hockey for betting allows puck line hockey bets to be used in parlays. Note that, as with all wagers used in parlays, each individual line must win for the parlay to pay. Thus, betting a 20.5 goals line (or higher) in a parlay makes for a very volatile wager.

See also: What does Spread mean in Betting? Understanding point Spreads and how to bet them