Hockey Prop Bets

Hockey proposition bets were first introduced in the Super Bowl games and have found a sizeable gathering amongst the gambling community because it is unique and often throws up exciting and unexpected scenarios. They were initially accused to be ‘gimmicky’ and not many people felt they measured upto the more traditional forms of betting like straight bets and goal line betting. This was mainly on account of poorly constructed betting odds. Nowadays, hundreds of hockey proposition bets are offered on the Super Bowl alone. There is perhaps not even a single online bookmaker worth his salt, who doesn’t offer hockey proposition bets these days. In fact many online bookmakers have a dedicated team of experts who devote their time and resources to formulating interesting proposition bets and devise appropriate odds for them.

In simple terms, a hockey proposition bet is a wager that is dependent on the outcomes of two or more single events, all of which have no direct bearing on the final outcome of the main event. What distinguishes hockey proposition bets from parlay bets or any other kind of combination bets is that hockey proposition bets are highly evolved types of wagers which are normally not offered by bookmakers as part of parlays or combination bets. Hockey proposition bets are also referred to as exotic or specialty bets. Most of the hockey proposition bets offered are single bets.

Proposition Bets Vary

Hockey proposition bets vary across bookmakers. Some proposition bets are offered only by a select few bookmakers whereas others may be more popular and offered by a larger populace. A popular hockey proposition bet is to bet on which team scores first. Every hockey proposition bet devised will display its odds. Gamblers need to judge how viable these odds are. Because not all bookmakers offer these bets, punters could be in a fix as to how best to compare odds and determine whether the odds are fair or not. For this they can make use of statistical data and information about players and teams available online. Most gamblers like to look for a statistical edge while placing hockey proposition bets. Better still it is always safer to bet on any one particular team that the gambler has been faithfully following all season. This way he can be confident of all the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the team based on current form and take a call on whether to go ahead with the proposition bet of not.

Straight Proposition Bets

Even though there are head to head proposition bets and ‘betting to win’ prop bets available online currently, these have little relevance in a team sport like hockey. Hockey proposition bets are mostly always straight bets. Group betting with matchup betting is also practiced. In matchup betting, the gambler can attempt to predict the fortunes of a particular team or teams in a tournament. For example he can bet on which team will finish at the top of the league table by the end of week 3 or which teams will finish at the bottom of the league table. In a straight bet, a single outcome is wagered upon. Examples of straight proposition bets include which team will score first in a match, which player will make the first goal and which team will win the coin toss, among others. Broadly hockey proposition bets can be classified as team bets, player bets or game bets.

Study the Lines

Most straight hockey proposition bets come with a preset 30-cent or 20-cent line to offset any inconsistency there might be in setting the odds. As such they do not always pay even money. Thus, gamblers might need to bet $110 to win $100 in case of a 20 cent line and $120 to win $100 in case of a 30 cent line. This is a way by which bookmakers can improve their margins and earn higher commissions. The astute gambler could still make a profit in the short run if he breaks down each proposition bet carefully and studies them properly before deciding to wager money on them. At the end of the day proposition bets is a unique and interesting way to wager money on a hockey game and gamblers could still make money out of them, even if bookmakers do set lines on games.