The NHL training camps are a month away, but hockey betting training camp starts today! Many sportsbooks have posted their Stanley Cup futures odds but have yet to post conference odds, division odds, and season point totals for teams.
Whether you are a betting beginner or veteran, it is useful to review the basics before the NHL regular season starts.
In this weeks Frozen Assets, I have put together a quick list of websites to visit when you are doing research for hockey betting season (other than Illegal Curve).
New to betting? Forget what the different types of bets are?
Try the Hockey Betting Guide at Puckline.
Puckline has done a good job explaining different types of bets (Puckline, Moneyline, Canadian Line, Total, Parlay, Futures, Props) and different styles of odds (American, Decimal, Fractional). However, I would definitely avoid their sportsbook recommendations.
Not sure where to open a sports betting account?
Before you open an account you need to do your research. Visit Sportsbook Review to learn about which sportsbooks are safe and which ones are scams. I have written about Sportsbook Review in detail here and here is a link to an old article discussing Ari’s top 5 NHL betting sites. The article is still accurate, though I would remove Will Hill and insert 5Dimes.
What about Pro-Line?
Canadians are able to bet legally on sporting events through provincially run sports lottery parlay games. Each jurisdiction posts their odds online and British Columbia and Atlantic Canada allow residents to place wagers online. Here are the links to the five jurisdictions: BCLC, WCLC, OLG, Loto Quebec, ALC.
These lottery games are generally a big rip-off; the odds are significantly less favourable than a person would find offshore and players must play a minimum of two and sometimes three games in order to have a valid selection. There is a way to improve your edge in pro-line: all you have to do is compare the pro-line odds to the offshore odds.
Where should I do my research before betting on a game?
The most popular and best site I have seen is Covers.com. They have been recommended pay by phone casino websites and have stats and trends on all NHL games for the past 10 years. Rotoworld is also a good site to find out about player injuries and Goaliepost has emerged as the best spot to find out who will be between the pipes
What do I do if I have additional questions?
Send me an e-mail at ari@illegalcurve.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
