Although not the most popular sport in terms of betting volume, hockey has gained in popularity over the last five years. As in all other major sports, as the number of teams has increased over the last 2-3 decades, the quality of play has diminished.

Just as in all other sports, the best way to handicap hockey, with teams playing 2,3, and 4 games per week, is time-consuming. You need to know how a team is playing right now. With a game that is so fast-paced and based on momentum and emotion, unless you follow the teams, and their personnel changes and schedules, it is a difficult task indeed to handicap hockey. For those who do, it can be very rewarding.

There are several ways you can bet a hockey game. You can use the money line which bears a distinct resemblance to the run line in baseball or the split line, a feature that is rarely seen outside of hockey. It derives its name from the fact that the half goal is split between the favorite and underdog A typical line might read:

Split line Money line

Calgary +1.5 Even + 1.5 +120

Detroit -2 Even - 1.5 - 140

If Detroit wins by 2 goals, Detroit bettors lose by half a goal, while Calgary bettor tie and get a refund

One word of caution before you jump on this bet. The split hockey line has the largest expected hold percentage of any team sport bet in Las Vegas, i.e. the books win more of this type of bet than any other.

The money line bet acts like any other money line. In this example, Detroit is the favorite needing to win by 2 goals or more to make their backers happy. Those who bet on Detroit also must lay $140 to win a $100.

For the underdog Calgary bettors, they are wagering that their team comes within a goal of Detroit or wins the game outright and they get back $120 for every $100 they bet.

Hockey parlays are figured in the exact same method as baseball parlays, according to the individual prices on each team selected. Please refer to the section on baseball parlays for more information