<\/p>\n
What is puck line betting?<\/strong><\/p>\n Puck line betting is a method of betting on hockey. It is one of the most popular markets for hockey betting.<\/p>\n Puck line betting is more commonly known as spread betting, or handicap betting. It is only known as puck line when betting on hockey.<\/p>\n Puck line is used by bookmakers to essentially even the odds of a hockey game, giving bettors the option of backing both teams with a relatively even chance of winning.<\/p>\n Betway only offer puck line betting on NHL.\u00a0<\/p>\n How does puck line betting work?<\/strong><\/p>\n Puck line betting works through the application of a spread, or handicap, to a hockey game.<\/p>\n This means that the team that are favourites to win will start at a disadvantage, and the underdogs will start with an advantage.<\/p>\n The 2-way puck line is always a decimal number and is usually set at 1.5, but we do offer alternative puck line betting with bigger spreads.<\/p>\n On the sportsbook, the favourite will be denoted by a minus sign (-) followed by the spread, e.g. 1.5. This means that 1.5 will be subtracted from their final score at the end of the game.<\/p>\n So, if you back a favourite on the 2-way puck line, they need to win by two or more goals for your bet to come in. This is known as covering the spread.<\/p>\n The underdog, meanwhile, will be denoted by a plus sign (+) followed by 1.5. This means that 1.5 will be added to their final score at the end of the game.<\/p>\n If you back the underdog and they lose the game by just one goal, then your bet is a winner. Backing the underdog in puck line or spread betting is known as betting against the spread.<\/p>\n An example of a 2-way puck line bet<\/strong><\/p>\n To help you understand puck line betting more easily, here is an example.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say the Toronto Maple Leafs are playing the Ottawa Senators.<\/p>\n The Leafs enter the game as clear favourites, with the Senators the betting underdogs.<\/p>\n The 2-way puck line market on the sportsbook would look something like this:<\/p>\n Toronto Maple Leafs (-1.5) Ottawa Senators (+1.5)<\/p>\n If you back Toronto in the puck line market, they must win the game by two or more goals for your bet to be a winner.<\/p>\n If you were to back the Senators, then your bet is a winner if they win or lose the game by one goal.<\/p>\n Do puck line bets include overtime?<\/strong><\/p>\n Puck line bets always include overtime and shootouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, if you are betting on the 2-way puck line and a game goes to overtime, then the result of your bet has effectively already been decided. This is because overtime in hockey is over once a single goal is scored. Or, if the game goes to a shootout, then the game is also only decided by a single goal.<\/p>\n So, if you backed the favourite, you cannot win your puck line bet once a game goes to overtime, as they need to win by two clear goals for your bet to win.<\/p>\n Therefore, if you back the underdog and a game goes to overtime, your bet is guaranteed to be a winner.<\/p>\n What is 3-way puck line betting?<\/strong><\/p>\n There is another form of puck line betting called 3-way puck line in which another outcome \u2013 the draw \u2013 is introduced.<\/p>\n The 3-way puck line market is useful if you want to apply an even bigger handicap to the favourites or provide more of a buffer when backing the underdog.<\/p>\n It is a good market to bet on if you think a team is going to win a game easily \u2013 sometimes by three goals or more.<\/p>\n With a draw included as an outcome you can bet on, the spread in the 3-way puck line market is always a round number instead of a decimal.<\/p>\n An example of a 3-way puck line bet<\/strong><\/p>\n To help you understand 3-way puck line betting, let\u2019s take the example from above.<\/p>\n With the Toronto Maple Leafs being clear favourites over the Ottawa Senators, the 3-way puck line market may look something like this:<\/p>\n Toronto Maple Leafs (-2) Draw (-2) Ottawa Senators (+2)<\/p>\n If you back Toronto, then they must win by three or more goals for your bet to come in.<\/p>\n If you back Ottawa, then they must win or lose by one or fewer goals for your bet to be a winner.<\/p>\n If you back the draw, then your bet comes in if Toronto win by exactly two goals.<\/p>\n