How to Bet On Sports- Betting NHL 3-Way Lines

The moneyline is the primary way to bet on hockey games in the NHL. The online sportsbooks also post a total line on the combined score and a puck line with a 1.5-goal spread between the favorite and the underdog along with adjusted moneyline odds.

All three ways to bet on NHL games can offer value in the posted odds if you know how and where to look. As an alterative to the standard money line between the favorite and the underdog in a straight-up bet, some books will tweak things a bit by offering a 3-way NHL line that brings a tie at the end of regulation into play.

Smart Sports Bettors Have Several Bookies, Comparing Odds Pays Off

Looking back at this season’s NHL results, the average number of overtime losses per team is 6.3 with most teams playing at around 60 games. This equates to more than 10 percent of the games played ending as a tie in regulation. Colorado has the most with 11 overtime losses and the Columbus Blue Jackets have the fewest with three.

A sample listing of a traditional NHL moneyline bet and a 3-way line is presented as follows:

Moneyline

New York Rangers +125

Pittsburgh Penguins -140

3-Way Line

New York Rangers +185

Pittsburgh Penguins +115

Draw +310

In this case, betting on Pittsburgh as the home favorite would cost $140 to win $100 on the SU moneyline bet. By bringing the Draw option into play, you can earn $115 by betting $100 that Pittsburgh wins the game in regulation. If that game does go to overtime, you would lose even if Pittsburgh ends up winning the game.

Choosing the right online sportsbooks for your betting portfolio

Getting the favorite at a much better price can often times outweigh the risk that the game does end as a tie. Even if New York went on to pull off the upset, you would still be saving the $40 owed if you bet the Penguins to win on the moneyline.

One tip for finding the best value on a 3-way line is by making note of the recent results in that particular matchup. Some teams have a way of playing other teams really close on a  regular basis. This will often result in one-goal games either way, including some in overtime. It makes sense to stay away from these types of matchups on the 3-way line (as well as the puck line if you are betting the favorite).

Not all Price Per Head Services Providers are Equal

Moneyline odds for NHL games are typically released a little more than 24 hours before the scheduled start. Most online books offering 3-way lines for the same game might wait until early afternoon to post the numbers ahead of that night’s start. This gives you ample time to track any line movements from the original moneyline in comparison to the posted 3-way line. By waiting to pull the trigger on an actual bet as close as possible to the actual starting time, you can squeeze the best value out of whichever way you decide to go.

First period betting is the most popular of the hockey period bets

It also pays to shop any NHL lines among the books you use to bet the games. Sometimes you can find much better value in the posted moneyline odds. As a general rule, NHL 3-way lines tend to remain rather consistent across most of the bigger online books offering this betting option.

Earning a better return on the underdogs you do bet along with the juice you save on losing bets on favorites may not vary that much for a single game across three or four different books. However, the money won plus the juice saved will add up over the course of an entire NHL season if you are an avid hockey bettor.