While the St. Louis Blues might not be as popular as the Cardinals or Chiefs in the state of Missouri, there is still a passionate following for the state’s NHL team.
Much like the real world, hockey doesn’t get much attention in the sports betting world. It’s a clear No. 4 behind football, basketball and baseball in terms of popularity. With that being said, there are games almost every night from October through June and each game has various markets available to bet.
Legal Missouri sports betting begins at midnight CT on Monday, December 1. Coincidentally, the first local team they’ll be able to bet on will be the Blues, who host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
Sports betting might seem overwhelming at first, and most how-to guides will focus on football or general betting advice. If you’re looking to bet the Blues or any other NHL game, you might not have any clue where to begin. We’ve got you covered in this article.
Hockey betting explained
Here’s an example of the betting lines for a St. Louis Blues game in late November:
An example of NHL odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.DraftKings Sportsbook
This example from DraftKings Sportsbook Missouri, the new MO partner of the Blues, highlights the three main hockey betting markets.
NOTE: Users can sign up and deposit $5 before Dec. 1 and then claim a $300 bonus on launch day. No DraftKings Missouri promo code is required.
Moneyline
The moneyline is the most popular way to bet on hockey. You are simply picking which team will win the game, including any potential overtime or shootout. The odds are adjusted based on the implied probability of each team winning.
In this example, at -142, the Rangers are slight favorites and have about a 56.4% probability of winning according to these odds. The Blues are the underdogs and at +120, their winning percentage is about 43.6%.
If you wanted to make $100 in profit on the Rangers, you would need to risk $142. If you bet $100 on the Blues and they won, you’d make $120.
Total
The total, or over-under, is a betting option in every sport and hockey is no different. You’re simply betting on whether the two teams will combine to score more or less than the listed amount of goals.
The Rangers have scored just 13 goals in nine home games. However, their goaltending is amongst the best in the league. For that reason, the total for this game is set at 5.5 goals. In a game between more offensively gifted or defensively challenged teams, totals will often get to 6 or 6.5 goals.
The under is a slight favorite in this game at -118 odds. You would need to risk $118 to win $100. The over (-102) requires a $102 bet to win $100.
Any combination can cash your over bet, whether it’s a 4-2 game or a 6-0 game. When betting hockey totals, be aware that teams often pull their goalies for an extra skater when down a goal or two late.
Puck-line
The puck-line is hockey’s equivalent to spread betting. However, due to the low-scoring nature and high variance in the sport, it’s almost always set at 1.5 goals.
If you bet the favorite to cover the puck-line, you’d need them to win by 2+ goals. Often, this would carry plus odds. The underdog needs to either win the game outright or lose by just one goal. These often carry negative odds.
In the above example, the Rangers are +180 to win by 2+ goals while the Blues are -218 to keep the game within a goal.
While spread betting is the most popular way to bet on basketball or football, hockey bettors tend to focus on moneylines.
Other hockey markets
While the three markets mentioned above are the traditional and most popular ways to bet on hockey, there are plenty of other markets available on a game by game basis. Here’s a list with a basic explanation of each type of bet:
60 minute line: A three way line where you can bet either team or draw. If the game goes to overtime, only bettors who bet on “draw” would win. If the team you bet on wins in overtime, you still lose your bet. With less options to win, these odds are slightly better than the traditional moneyline. Alternate total: Change the total for the game and the odds will adjust based on the new total you selected. For example, if you think a game will be 2-1, you can get much better odds on an alternate under 3.5 goals compared to the normal under 5.5 goals.Alternate puck-line: If you’re forecasting a blowout, a puck-line of -3.5 goals would pay much more than the normal puck-line of 1.5 goals. Of course, you would need your team to win by 4+ goals in the former example.Quick hits: Bets that will be decided relatively early in the game, for example, will there be a goal in the first 5 or 10 minutes? Which team will win the opening faceoff? Which team will get the first powerplay? Which team will score first? Goalscorer props: Props centered around a certain player scoring a goal. You can bet on a player to score at any time, a player to score in the first period, a player to score his team’s first goal, a player to score the first goal in the game, a player to score multiple goals and a player to score the last goal of the game. Other skater props: You can bet on skaters to record over/under a certain amount of shots on goal. You can also bet on a player to record an assist, point or powerplay point. Other props include blocked shots Goalie props: Common goalie props include number of saves, number of goals allowed and whether they will record a shutout. Game leaders: You can bet on a player to lead each game in shots, goals or points. Dead heat rules apply. Period props: Bet on different props for each of the three periods in the game such as who will win the period, number of goals scored in the period, the correct score of the period and whether both teams will score in the period. Team totals: Bet on whether a specific team will score over or under a set amount of goals. You can also bet both teams to score and both teams to score 2+ goals. Game props: Common game props include predicting the exact score and the margin of victory.
Sportsbooks often offer promotions for NHL games. One of the more popular NHL promotions can be found at BetMGM Sportsbook, where they offer the NHL Hat Trick Jackpot.
Bet a player to score a goal, and if he scores a hat trick, split an additional jackpot of bonus bets with all other bettors who bet that player to score that night.
DID YOU KNOW: New users who sign up for BetMGM Missouri using BetMGM bonus code MOLOCAL before Dec. 1 can claim $100 in bonus bets if they deposit $10 before launch day. On launch day, BetMGM will issue a bonus bet matching your stake, up to $1500, if you don’t win your first wager.
Other popular promotions for NHL games include parlay profit boosts, same-game parlay (SGP) parlay profit boosts and profit boosts on specific markets such as first goal scorer.
St. Louis Blues’ futures odds
It hasn’t been a great start to the season for the St. Louis Blues, but this is nothing new for them. Last season, they got off to a horrid start, fired their coach and then went 34-18-7 under Jim Montgomery to make the playoffs.
Even more famously, the Blues were the worst team in hockey midway through the 2018-19 season. They caught fire and ended up winning the Stanley Cup.
If you believe in the Blues, now might be a good time to bet them in the futures market. The futures market is simply a way to place a bet on an event that will be decided in the future. Here are some common ways to bet the Blues right now:
Stanley Cup: +12500 (tied with Philadelphia for 22nd best odds)Win Western Conference: +5000 (10th best odds)Win Central Division: +22500 (6th best odds)Make playoffs: +250 odds (10th best odds in West)Point Total: Over/under 84.5 points (-113)
All futures odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. New users in Missouri who sign up before Dec. 1 will receive a $100 no-deposit bonus. On launch day, they’ll get $300 additional bonus bets after placing their first $5 wager. A FanDuel Missouri promo code isn’t required.
How to sign up for a Missouri sportsbook
Signing up for a sportsbook might seem overwhelming, but it’s actually a simple process. By signing up during the early registration period, you can secure additional bonuses for the Dec. 1 launch. Here are the promotions currently available for Missouri residents:
SportsbookEarly sign-up promoPromo codeDraftKings Missouri SportsbookGet $300 launch day bonus when you wager at least $5 on December 1No promo code neededFanDuel Missouri SportsbookGet Up To $400 in Bonus BetsNo promo code neededBetMGM Missouri SportsbookGet up to $1,500 paid back in bonus bet if you don’t win your first bet
and $100 in bonus bets if you deposit before December 1MOLOCALFanatics Missouri SportsbookDeposit $50 and get 15 x $200 No Sweat Bets, up to $3,000 in FanCashNo promo code neededCaesars Missouri SportsbookDeposit now, get 5 profit boosts and bet $5, get $150 in bonus bets if you winClick here
Once you register for a sportsbook, finding the hockey markets is a simple scroll through the app. Follow these steps to sign up:
Click any of the links under the “promo code” column in the table above, or any of the banners on this page.Enter all necessary information to confirm your identity and register for an account.If necessary, deposit money into your account using any of the available funding methods.Return on December 1st ready to place your first bet.
On that day, you’ll find any bonus bets that you claimed will be added to your account. You’ll also be able to scroll through the markets and find the NHL lines under the NHL tab.
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