Throughout hockey and all the top sports betting markets, handicap betting is becoming more and more popular, with bookmakers offering a range of great handicaps! Handicap betting means that one side will get an advantage over their opponent, therefore affecting the odds and changing how many points a team will need to win the match. As hockey continues to grow, so do the betting options! Here, we will look at all the elements you will need to know about hockey handicap betting, how it works and how you can use hockey handicap betting to make the most of your betting. You can also use handicap betting in your value betting strategy, making it an extremely versatile betting market!
What Is Handicap Betting In Hockey?
Handicap betting is something that is now available throughout a variety of different sports, and it is used to give a team or player an advantage over the other. By doing this, you can even the odds between teams, as you can give a theoretical advantage to the lower-ranked team, or you can back the favourite to win by a large margin to create new betting opportunities. By placing the theoretical handicap on one of the sides, this means the real-life fixture might go against you, but the handicap can overturn the result, meaning your bet can still be successful even if the team or player loses. The hockey handicap betting system is not the only handicap betting tool, as it is found across all different types of sports. If you would like to learn more about handicaps, check out our matched betting blog where we go into plenty of detail.
The most popular way to use the handicap betting system throughout sports is to back the lower-ranked team, as you can give them a head start with a handicap. This gives the lower-ranked team a better chance as they will start with an advantage. As this will clearly affect the odds, it makes it more likely that the teams considered to be worse can succeed, therefore creating a more viable betting option. If you are interested in learning more about these types of sports, we have an ice hockey betting guide which will walk you through all the different elements you need to know about betting on ice hockey! Here are some quick examples of a hockey handicap bet that you might find across specific bookmakers.
We are using an example from the FIH Women’s Nations Cup, but handicap betting is usually seen across all different types of hockey tournaments.
Now that we have gone through the basics, we will look at how these handicap bets work and what different forms they come in.
How Do Hockey Handicap Bets Work?
When we are trying to understand handicap bets, there are a couple of different ways that you can place these bets. However, handicap bets all have the same principle, which is that one side gets a theoretical advantage over the other.
There are two different ways to visualise how handicap bets work, and these two ways can be used to help understand exactly how handicap betting works.
- Points are adjusted before the game begins – Using the example from the FIH Women’s Nations Cup, Italy Women have been given a handicap of -1.5. This means that Italy Women will start 1.5 points down before the game begins, meaning they will have to win by 2 or more points to succeed.
- Points are adjusted after the game finishes. Let’s say the game finished 2-1 with Italy against Czechia. With no handicap, Italy would clearly win the game; however, with the -1.5 handicap, Czechia would win the game 1-0.5, as 1.5 would be taken away from Italy’s points total.
As hockey games can end in ties throughout other tournaments, most handicaps come with a decimal place, meaning the handicap betting system takes out the possibility of a draw. This is something that is similar to Asian handicap betting, which is explained in more detail on our Asian handicap betting guide available on site.
| Handicap | Outcome Needed For the Bet To Be Successful |
| Italy +1.5 | Italy must win by 2 or more points |
| Italy -1.5 | Italy to win or to lose by 1 point |
As we can see, the decimal place is used to make sure that no draws can occur, as it is not possible to score half a point in hockey. If you are looking for other betting options, then you can check out our matched betting blog at OddsMonkey, which is full of different types of sports betting guides!
Most of the hockey handicap betting options revolve around the points scored; however, this can sometimes be altered to other metrics and requirements, such as players scoring and shots taken.
Hockey Handicap Betting Examples
Hockey handicap bets can come in a variety of different ways, whether you are placing bets on regular hockey or ice hockey, they can be used in different ways to create new betting opportunities and fascinating gameplay moments.
Here, we have an ice hockey matchup at Sky Bet, which is offering two different betting options. As you can see, the Charlotte Checkers are the favourites, so they have been given a minus handicap, whilst the underdogs are given a plus handicap.
In this specific example, the Charlotte Checkers would have to win the game by 2 points to overcome the handicap, whilst the Abbotsford Canucks can still lose the game and win the selection, as they have been given a plus handicap.
Let’s have a quick look at how the different results of the match could affect the outcome of the bets.
| Handicap | Match Outcome |
| Charlotte Checkers -1.5 | Charlotte Checkers must win the game by a 2-point advantage |
| Abbotsford Canucks +1.5 | Abbotsford Canucks need to win or lose by no more than 1 point |
It is always important to check how many points the handicap uses, as if it were 2.5, the teams would have to either win by 3 or could lose by 2, depending on whether it was plus or minus. If the handicap is altered, then the odds will be affected too, as this will directly impact how likely it is for the bet to be successful. If the handicap is too large, it may be too unrealistic for the other team to overturn the handicap, creating odds that have no value.
How To Use The Hockey Handicap
When looking to make the most of a hockey handicap betting, it is important to find matches which benefit from the handicap betting system. If the odds do not benefit from using the handicap betting system, it might be worth looking for a different type of betting selection. Despite handicap betting not being something that we use in matched betting, it is something that is extremely viable throughout sports and value betting.
Here, we are going to look through some quick tips which you can use to make the most of your hockey handicap betting.
- Researching Teams and Opponents – Hockey is a sport which is all about form, with teams going through spells of good and bad runs. We can use this form and any other trends you notice to place your bets. For example, if you know that one team plays better against another opponent throughout their past fixtures, you could use the handicap betting system to give the other team an advantage.
- Watch Out For Rotation – Whilst rotation might not be as common as it is in football, hockey still features players dropping out due to fatigue or injury. If this is one of the star players, this can affect the team’s ability to score, defend and win games. By paying close attention to rotation and team news, you can make the most of hockey handicap bets.
- Backing The Favourite – Similar to other handicap bets, many people will look to back the underdog. However, if you think the favourite has a chance of winning the match by a huge margin, then you can use the handicap betting system to enhance your odds compared to an outright win bet.
Hockey Handicap Vs Other Handicaps
As hockey is a team sport, it can be quite hard to compare it to other sports such as golf and tennis, as they are predominantly individual sports. If you are interested in learning more about other handicap betting, check out our football handicap betting guide and our tennis handicap betting guide.
As hockey is a team sport, upsets might not be as common as in solo-player sports; however, with the decimal places used, there is no possibility of a draw, which is a positive for hockey handicap bets.
Here, we will discuss the pros and cons of hockey handicap betting so you can decide whether you would like to use it!
✅Handicap betting can even the odds between competitors, creating betting opportunities when possible
✅Handicap bets can be used frequently throughout hockey matches
✅No draws or ties, meaning there is only a 2-way betting market.
❌Requires plenty of strategy and research
❌Can be more complicated compared to other strategies
❌Not every bookmaker offers handicap bets
Hockey Handicap FAQs
Hockey handicap betting is continuing to become more and more popular throughout the industry. We are going to look at some of the most popular questions when it comes to the hockey handicap.
Where Can I Find Hockey Handicap Bets?
To find hockey handicap bets, you must first find the ‘Hockey’ section on the bookmaker you are using. For most bookmaker sites, you can find a list of sports on the left-hand side of the screen.
Then, you will find the different games which are available. By clicking on the selected game, you can then find the betting markets. If the selected bookmaker allows for handicap betting, this is where you will find it.
Why Should I Use The Hockey Handicap Betting System?
Handicap betting is a technique which can create betting opportunities out of clearly mismatched contests. By giving one side an advantage, we can even the odds between the competition, which will therefore affect the odds and can even make them more valuable compared to other selections.
How Is The Hockey Handicap Betting System Different From The Asian Handicap?
The Asian handicap is similar to traditional handicap betting; however, if the game results in a draw, then the stake you placed will be pushed. This offers some slight insurance for players, which means that the odds are not as high compared to traditional handicap betting.
