NHL Moneyline Betting Explained

NHL moneyline betting online is one of the simplest wagers you can make, you just choose who you think will win. This is often called picking a team to win “straight up.”

NHL moneyline betting is the most common bet type in hockey and differs from picking a game against the spread (ATS). In those bets, the favorite must win by more than a specific number of points, while the underdog must not lose by more than a specific number of points.

Your NHL moneyline wager can also be combined with other moneyline bets, or different markets entirely, to form parlays.

With a parlay bet, it is still classed as a single wager, but all your selections within that parley must hit in order for it to succeed.

Here’s an NHL moneyline betting example to help. Washington is hosting Detroit, and the Capitals are -270 on the moneyline, while the Red Wings are +220.

Here’s how it typically looks on a sports betting site:

When you see a minus (-) in front of a moneyline, it means that team is the favorite, the larger the number, the bigger the favorite. If you want to bet on Washington, you must wager $270 for every $100 you would like to make. Thus, a winning $270 bet would return $370 total. You risk more money because your team has a better chance of winning.

A plus (+) in front of an NHL moneyline indicates that team is the underdog. And unlinke a bet on the favorite, the odds show indicate the amount you can win from a $100 bet, rather than the amount you need to bet. So, a $100 bet on Detroit will win you $220. You risk less to make a profit because your team isn’t favored to win.

When you make your pick, you don’t have to wager $100. You can bet any amount you want. Our Odds Calculator can help you determine how much you’d win based on the amount you bet.