Props to Props
As Rich mentioned in his Wednesday Editorial, hockey betting isn’t exactly a big draw in Vegas, nor is it a big player in the online betting industry. One of the drawbacks of the lack of interest in hockey betting is that there are rarely interesting hockey propositions.
A proposition bet is a bet made on an outcome or proposition (thanks for nothing Wikipedia). Examples of proposition bets are: will the coin toss land on heads or tails in the Superbowl, which team will score first, and which coach will be fired first.
Finding an interesting proposition bet in hockey is rare, but it does happen. As of today, the most interesting hockey proposition bets I could find was on Betsson, where you can bet on which of two players will score more points in tonight’s contest. Nothing earth-shattering.
There have been some interesting propositions this year:
- Gamebookers had a proposition on which Conference would win the Stanley Cup (both Conferences were -111).
- Betsson had a penalty minutes prop up last month (who will get more penalty minutes between Douglas Murray and Jarkko Ruutu).
- At the beginning of the season, Bet Direct offered “six-packs” where you could bet on who would have the most points out of a group of six players, and which Canadian team would finish with the most points.
Some of my favorite propositions from the past include:
- Wagerstreet offering who will win the NHL goalscoring race (the year Jarome Iginla won).
- Beted offering odds on who will win the Calder trophy between Crosby and Ovechkin.
- Pinnacle used to offer daily over/under odds on individual point producers.
Given the lack of available interesting propositions, I thought I would make up my own. Unlike sportsbooks, I don’t have any juice.
1. How long before Brian Burke is announced as future GM of the Leafs (thanks to IC reader Bob for this idea)?
- Over 2 weeks +100
- Under 2 weeks +100
2. How many team from the Southeast division will make the playoffs?
- Over 1.5 -125
- Under 1.5 +125
3. Will the New Jersey Devils make the playoffs?
- Yes +110
- No -110
4. What team will the NHL points leader be from?
- Pittsburgh Penguins +120
- Washington Capitals +120
- Field +1011
5. Who will finish at the bottom of the NHL standings?
- New York Islanders +270
- Atlanta Thrashers +700
- Florida Panthers +1000
- Los Angeles Kings +270
- Toronto Maple Leafs +400
- Field +2200
6. Who will win the IC Handicapping Challenge for November?
- Frank C +300
- Casperitis +600
- Ezraginsburg +900
- Rossco +2000
- Bob Roberts +1000
- Andrewm +1300
- Field +420
Have your own ideas for propositions? Share them in the comments section.
