The International Ice Hockey Federation governs International Hockey competitions.  These include the World Championships held every spring, the World Junior Hockey Championships (also known as the Under-20s) held at the end of every year, and the Olympic ice hockey tournament.  OddsJet compares IIHF betting odds from several reputable Australian online bookmakers that offer AUD accounts.  This allows OddsJet to display the best IIHF odds for Money Line, Puck Line, Total and 3-Way 60-Minute betting markets for every game on the schedule, helping Australian bettors maximize their potential returns.  Simply use the buttons above the event schedule to toggle between the main markets and 3-Way 60-Minute markets. 

IIHF Odds explained

Money Line

When you are betting on the Money Line, you are betting on the team you think will win a given IIHF game, including any overtime and shootout results.  There is no handicap.  Favorites and underdogs are determined through the odds pricing. 

Puck Line

For the IIHF, the Puck Line is the most popular type of handicap betting.  However it is different than basketball and American football where the point spreads vary widely from game to game.  Much like the ‘Run Line’ in baseball betting, an IIHF Puck Line involves a static handicap where the favorite is assigned -1.5 goals, and the underdog is assigned +1.5 goals. For a favorite to win a Puck Line wager, they would need to win by two goals, for example by a score of 4 to 2.   If the favorite wins by just one goal, they will not have successfully overcome the handicap, and the underdog will have won.

Total or Over/Under

For the IIHF, the Total or Over/Under refers to a figure set usually between 5.5 and 7.5 for the total number of goals to be scored by both teams through the course of a game including overtime.  The sportsbook sets this goal total figure and sets odds pricing for the respective Over and Under outcomes.  Given the handicap, these prices tend to be fairly even.

3-Way 60-Minute

3-way IIHF betting is focused on the game result through 60 minutes of play.  This means that bettors may wager on a tie in addition to home or away wins.  Overtime or penalty shootout results do not apply.  OddsJet displays these odds in a way that is very similar to 1X2 soccer betting.  If you are unfamiliar with 1X2 soccer betting, note that the home and away team order is different than you may be used to reading for hockey.  The home team is listed first and the away team is listed second.  As such, the home team is designated as ‘1’, the tie is designated as ‘X’ and the away team is designated as ‘2’. 

IIHF Odds expressed in American, Decimal and Fractional Formats

For American odds format, keep in mind the difference between positive and negative expressions.  Both use the figure of $100 to express their odds.  Negative figures are used when the odds are below even-money and express how much one needs to wager in order to return a profit of $100.  For example, if Team Canada is favoured, you might see a figure of -225.  This means you would need to stake $225 to potentially receive $100 in profit, a total return of $325.  When you see a positive figure, the odds are above even-money and express how much profit you may gain when you wager $100.  At +184 on Team Switzerland, a winning bet of $100 would return your stake plus $184 for a total return of $284. 

For the Decimal odds format and IIHF events, you simply multiply your stake amount by the decimal odds price to see the full amount that would be returned on a win including your stake amount.  The first 1.00 of the odds price represents your potential stake return.  If you wagered $100 at 1.76 on Team USA, your total return would be $176, a profit of $76. 

For Fractional odds format, the figures represent the profit return that could be achieved over and above the stake amount.  To calculate your potential payout, simply divide the numerator by the denominator.  Then, multiply this number by your stake amount.  For example, odds of 1/3 (one-to-three) on Team Russia and a stake of $50 would yield a potential profit of $16.67 for a total return of $66.67.