Puckline Betting

What is Puckline Betting?

Puckline betting is another way to bet on hockey. If you’re smart and pick your spots right it can also be a great way to increase your hockey betting profits.

There are some beginner bettors who say that figuring out the puckline is too complicated. I don’t think so. If you can figure out point spread betting and moneyline betting then you already understand the basics of puckline betting whether you know it or not.

If you know the moneyline then know this. The only difference between the moneyline and the puckline is the addition of a 1.5-goal spread to the moneyline favorite. This simple spread plays a major impact on the odds and payouts though. To show you how it works here’s an example of the same game with the moneyline and puckline listed.

First here’s an example of the moneyline at Bodog:

Montreal +170
San Jose -200

And, here’s the puckline for the same game at Bodog:

Montreal +1.5 (-180)
San Jose -1.5 (+160)

Quite the change in odds isn’t there? Just is case you’re unfamiliar with spreads and odds here’s what they mean. The Sharks are a 1.5-goal favorite on the puck-line which means they basically begin the game trailing the Canadiens by 1.5 goals. So, to cover the spread the Sharks must beat Montreal by at least 1.5 goals. Now coming into play is the +160 odds. This is the payout for a winning bet on the Sharks. It means that if you bet $100 you will win a profit of $160. By comparison on the moneyline of -200 you must bet $200 to win a profit of $100. This is how the 1.5-goal spread changes the odds.

If the Sharks were to defeat Montreal 5-3 then anyone who bet on the Sharks on the Puckline wold win their bet because they covered the 1.5-goal spread. But, if San Jose only won 5-4 any puckline bets on the Sharks would lost because they failed to cover the spread. However, on this 5-4 score anyone betting on the Canadiens on the puckline would win. To win on the puckline Montreal doesn’t have to win the game, they only have to lose by fewer than 1.5 goals.

Puckline betting can be very profitable if you pick your spots right and can figure out when it’s a better betting option than the moneyline. One other thing to know is that the puckline is also called the Canadian line at some sportsbooks so be sure to check the terminology used at your preferred book.