Despite the popularity of this sport in a number of European countries and overseas, bets on hockey still cannot reach the volumes of not only bets on football and tennis, but even bets on basketball and baseball. And if in the case of European competitions this is due to the small number of broadcasts of matches, then in America bets on hockey simply cannot compete with bets on baseball, American football and basketball. All this leads to the fact that in most bookmakers in the world, the upper limits on hockey bets are usually low, and the margin is very significant.
Benefits of betting on hockey
A large number of comebacks
Hockey matches are traditionally distinguished by a large number of sensations and unexpected comebacks, when one of the teams, like Phoenix, rises from the ashes in a seemingly already lost match. It is for this feature that many dislike hockey bets. At the same time, professional players who know how to bet on hockey believe that such unpredictability can be the real advantage of hockey, since with a skillful approach it makes it possible to win, including at high odds.
High match frequency
Just like basketball teams, hockey clubs hold their matches every two or three days, which allows you to keep abreast of their current game form all the time, as well as track the psychological state and team lineups. In addition, the high frequency of matches makes hockey suitable for qualitative statistical analysis, which is also one of the most obvious advantages of this sport.
Disadvantages of betting on hockey
Few broadcasts
High-speed Internet does not allow you to get around the delay of the broadcast from real time, which makes playing live at hockey matches very difficult, and sometimes even impossible. Yes, and only a few gambling establishments accept bets during the game for hockey matches.
Low betting limits and large margins
Not the highest rating of hockey among bookmakers is also determined by the fact that the upper limits of betting on this sport are traditionally modest. The only exceptions are NHL matches, and even then the maximum amount available for betting in this case is invariably less than in the same NBA. In addition, the hockey line is also subject to a fairly solid margin.
Pre-match analysis
The hockey betting strategy largely depends on the analysis that the bettor made before the game. Pre-match analytics of hockey matches is in many ways similar to basketball.
Just like basketball, hockey has one significant drawback – a small number of broadcasts. This is especially true for European competitions. The games of the leading continental championships can most often be seen only on national channels, which in no way contributes to the widespread popularization of this sport in Europe.
The current form of rivals. Despite the fact that hockey is most often played with three fives and it would seem that the decline in this case is not so noticeable, you cannot miss this important element of pre-match analysis from your attention. Pay special attention to the last four or five matches. Also, do not forget that the home and away games of the team are a huge difference, so before betting, analyze the results of these fights separately, taking into account which of the opponents in the reporting match plays at home and who is away.
History of head-to-head confrontations. Despite the fact that many people neglect the history of face-to-face confrontations, concentrating their attention on other indicators, this point of statistical analysis is one of the key points in such a tactically complex sport as hockey. The game models of the teams are often incompatible here, and one of the opponents in this pair feels extremely uncomfortable, which leads to serial results. As a result, one of the teams turns out to be an uncomfortable opponent for the other, and no standings, no recent matches will let you understand this like the history of face-to-face confrontations.
Tournament position and motivation. Motivation is one of the basic and most obvious points that you need to take into account when making a match prediction. The role of the class of teams should not be overestimated when it comes to super-motivation. After all, it is not for nothing that the finals are considered unpredictable precisely because of the extreme motivation of both rivals. So don’t forget to keep an eye on the tournament table before you pay attention to the titles of the teams!
List of injured and disqualified. Given the fact that by the middle of the season all the players are already quite tired, every injury, even if it is a substitute player, is extremely important and can affect the outcome of the match. To be confident in your prediction, you better study the lineups for the match in detail, so that at the last moment you don’t grab your head, trying to cover your bet in a small minus.
