by Dan Adkisson
Lovers of the National Hockey League have never had it so good. We are spoiled for choice on how we watch our favorite teams with an increasing number of matches shown live on television and through HD quality live streaming sites. Get yourself along to the stadium and sample the unique big match atmosphere on game night alongside thousands of energetic fans. If you can’t make it to the ice, you can watch on TV, at a sports bar or on your smartphone thanks to the best live streams.
Hockey is a sport that is loved for its entertainment, passion and unpredictability. That’s why the leading online sports betting sites can’t get enough of the NHL. They offer fans the chance to back their predictions on the outright winners of the season or each game played in a season. Pick your side, make the call and get your stake money down on the team or player you think will shine.
Keep it simple or shoot at the specials
Before an NHL game begins, you will find the game winner betting. This is the simplest but most popular market in hockey. Pick the team you expect to win the match, place your stake and confirm. If you’re right, you land the profits. If you’re wrong, the bookie keeps your stake. Simple, clear-cut and easy to understand.
In addition to the game-winner betting, you can also bet on several interesting specials. The best of these include: total points, handicap, highest-scoring quarter, first goal scorer, half-time/full-time, and much more. There’s an NHL bet for everyone at the best bookies and you are guaranteed to find a wage that will spice up your interest in a game.
There is also another way to bet, one that isn’t as widely known as the markets already mentioned on this page but a feature that could seriously improve your chances of beating the bookies. It gives you more knowledge on a game, better odds and you are in complete control of when you bet and how much you stake. It’s in-play betting and, in this article, we tell you everything you need to know. By the end of the article, you’ll understand what in-play betting is, how you can use it and the reasons why it’s so popular.
NHL in-play betting explained
In-play betting is sometimes known as live or in-game betting, depending on which bookmaker you use. They are all the same thing, so please don’t let the different terms put you off finding out more about this exciting way to bet on hockey. You can bet in-play on all sports but the speed and all-action nature of NHL matches lend themselves perfectly to in-play betting and you’ll often find betting value.
When you look at an NHL match before the advertised start time, you’ll see a list of available betting markets. As soon as we reach the start of the match, most of these betting markets move to in-play betting. Now the odds are updated by an in-play betting trader to reflect the flow of play and live score. This means you can bet at any stage of the game; before the start, during the first quarter or in the dying minutes. You are always just a click away from a bet on a live ice-hockey game.
How to back a winner
Like pre-match betting, there’s no guaranteed way to beat the bookies, but there are ways to use in-play to increase your chances of landing a profit. Watch the game on television or a live stream offered by your betting app. Keep a close eye on the play and look out for any trends or clues.
Is a player looking likely to score? Will this be a high-scoring match or a tense face-off? What kind of mood is the referee in? Will the crowd have an impact on the game? You won’t know these things before the start, but you’ll get an answer quite quickly after the game has begun. You are now in a better position to make a well-informed bet.
When you have all the details you need to make a bet, you should click the odds of the selection you are after before the in-play trader suspends the market or cuts the odds. A successful in-play bet isn’t just one that wins. It’s one placed at the right time and the best price.