Ice hockey is a powerful and fast-moving sport where the puck can reach speeds of up to 100mph. The game comes with plenty of thrills and spills, and you can expect to see a couple of brawls during a match. This is what helps to make ice hockey a really good game to watch. Those who love to watch might be tempted to place a bet on it, but before you go and risk your hard-earned money there is one thing that you should do and that is take a look at the following betting tips.
Keep an Eye on the Elite Ice Hockey League
The Elite Ice Hockey League is one of the Europe’s most popular leagues, and if you are betting on it, or any other ice hockey league, it is vital that you know all about its schedule. Ice hockey demands a lot from its players, so you will need to be aware of the games that are scheduled to be played. You will need to find out what teams will need to travel long distances or have to play games in quick succession. Due to a tight schedule, players and teams will all have ups and downs in form. Furthermore, they will usually save their best performances for matches against their rivals.
Bet on Lots of Goals
The goals market for this sport are dynamic and varied and can offer savvy ice hockey bettors plenty of opportunities. If you make sure that you register with a quality bookie, then you can take advantage of plenty of different goal markets like total goals, both teams to score, and correct score.
It is wise to start with total goals as there is not much risk involved. The number of goals scored in an ice hockey game is quite consistent, so by doing research and looking at current form and goals scored, you should be able to find some great bets for this type of market. Clean sheets are pretty rare in ice hockey, so betting on both teams to score is something that can see you make a profit quite often. However, the odds will be pretty low due to the how common shut outs are. On the other hand, it is really hard to guess the correct score in a hockey match, so if you make this type of bet and get it correct, you will be in line for a handsome payout.
Know the Keepers
We are definitely not exaggerating when we tell you that the keeper is one of the most valuable players in this sport. Most teams will have plenty of good backups for outfield first-team players that get injured, it is rare for a team to have two goalkeepers that are of the same quality. Therefore, if a team needs to field their reserve keeper because of suspension or injury, there can be a huge drop in the team’s results. Therefore, researching the weaknesses and strengths of each keeper and staying up to date with a team’s starting line-up is a tactic that will certainly help you.
Value is Key
The key to having a successful time when betting is being able to locate value. If you can regularly hunt down bets where the bookie’s odds are higher than they should be, then you can end up make a lot of profit. However, finding these value bets are not as easy as it might seem, and doing so requires plenty of analysis and the ability to react quickly when you do find high valuable odds. You will be glad to find out that value cannot only be found in the result market. In fact, it is probably easier to locate it in markets like over/under, correct score, or handicap markets. Whatever market you are betting on, the best way to find value is to devise your own odds based on probable it is that an event will happen.
For instance, let us pretend that the Sheffield Steelers are taking on the Cardiff Devils in the Elite Ice Hockey League. You believe that the Steelers odds of winning stands at about 40%, which gives odds of 2.50. If the bookie’s odds for the Steelers to be victorious are higher than your estimate, then you might have located a value bet. Creating your own odds and getting them accurate is something that takes practice and time, but it is worth making an effort to practice as the rewards can be great.