fantasy hockey betting

Have you ever dreamed about managing your own professional sports team? Do you enjoy the game of hockey and watching the puck slide into the back of the goal at lightning speed or impromptu skirmishes that defend the honor of the team? Then, fantasy hockey is exactly what you need.

Fantasy sports have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. Thanks to this opportunity, players can be at the helm of their favourite NHL squads, for example, and exert maximum control over all aspects of the organization. Also, those who enjoy sports betting can engage in premium fantasy sports betting and compete for substantial prize pools with fellow hockey enthusiasts at any top sports betting site.

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Multiple online fantasy hockey betting

There are now multiple online fantasy hockey betting sites where you try different forms of competitions based on real-life leagues, such as the NHL. Before you get to them, we would like to see you become equipped with the necessary knowledge, so that not only can you have fun playing, but get a chance to get prizes in the meantime.

In this article, we are going to tell you more details about fantasy hockey betting, such as:

What is fantasy hockey?
What types of fantasy hockey competitions exist?
How does betting on fantasy hockey work?
Fantasy hockey scoring
How to draft the best team?
Daily fantasy hockey tips

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What is Fantasy Hockey?

Fantasy hockey is one of the most popular online fantasy sports gambling competitions in Canada and the US. It is a competition where players assume the roles of team managers, coaches, presidents, and owners — pretty much everything. The total control of the team allows you to assemble the best possible group of feisty players through a draft and under certain rules, and square up against other competitors in different leagues and contests that can be season-long.

As a manager, you are given a set budget or a salary cap, and your job is to pick the best possible group of guys while staying under that budget. Usually, each NHL fantasy team consists of at least nine players. The roster needs three wings, two defensemen, two centres, a goaltender, and one utility player who can occupy any of the previously mentioned positions.

Fantasy sports are connected to their real-life counterparts. Namely, you win or lose in fantasy hockey based on the actual performances of athletes you have drafted. Their performances are measured according to 30 different categories, where each is specific to the position the players occupy.

What is unique to fantasy hockey and most other fantasy sports is the fact that they follow a timeline that is in complete sync with the actual hockey competition you are playing in. In the case of the National Hockey League, you start somewhere in mid-October, and the season will reach its climax with the Stanley Cup finals in June.

What Types of Fantasy Hockey Competitions Exist?

There are many types of fantasy hockey tournaments and competitions you can participate in – from customized leagues just for you and your friends to large-scale tournaments with thousands of participants. All the action happens on a daily and weekly level, and sometimes even longer.

The most common distinction among fantasy hockey competitions is between the daily fantasy contests and those that last throughout the entire NHL season, but there are other distinctions too. These are the most common types of fantasy hockey duels we see in online fantasy hockey sports betting sites.

Daily Fantasy Hockey

Daily fantasy hockey contests are among the most popular ones when it comes to fantasy hockey betting simply because you won’t have to use the same line-up throughout the whole year. Rather, these competitions last only one day, and for them, you will make a new selection of athletes each night. Daily fantasy leagues are faster and attract a huge number of bettors. Betting on daily fantasy hockey involves paying a small fee to participate, and the winners get the biggest share of the prize.

Rotisserie Leagues

Rotisserie leagues are competitions that last as much as the real professional season and where teams get ranked from best to worst. You begin the league by drafting individuals at the start of the competition, and based on their performances throughout the year, your team will accumulate or lose points. Each rotisserie league keeps track of statistical categories according to which players are given points. The team with the most points at the end wins the biggest share of the prize pool.

Head-to-Head Leagues

Head-to-Head leagues typically consist of anywhere between 8 and 16 teams that compete against each other in a preset time, usually between one and two weeks mostly. Every statistical category counts as one game, which means that whoever wins in most categories at the end of the week is credited with a total win. These wins and losses are tallied at the end, and the teams that have the best record over the indicated time will face each other in a playoff format to determine the league’s champions.

How Does Betting on Fantasy Hockey Work?

Fantasy hockey wouldn’t be so much fun if it weren’t for online fantasy hockey betting. The thrill that comes from betting on fantasy league matchups rivals that of regular sports betting and gambling, and why shouldn’t it since you stand to win real money from NHL fantasy betting as well.

Betting on fantasy competitions works a bit differently, though. The main distinction is seen in the way bets are placed. Namely, bettors are required to pay an entrance fee to participate in fantasy hockey leagues and matchups, be them season-long or happening on a daily level.

Most of the aforementioned leagues are formatted as guaranteed prize pool tournaments, where only 20% of the top finishers get the money. Participants are required to pay an entry fee to partake in the online NHL fantasy league. The fee depends on the type of the competitions, its duration, the number of participants, and other contributing factors. However, these GPP tournaments entail high risk and great payouts for those in the upper echelon when all is set and done.

Another popular form of online betting on fantasy hockey we see often are cash games. These are seen mostly in head-to-head duels. Contestants would stake some money on their fantasy hockey team in a direct duel against other players. The winner takes it all. However, cash games can also work on another model, called 50/50s. According to this betting model, 50% of all participants win the same amount, while the other half gets nothing. This model is quite interesting since you don’t need to finish in the top position to get paid.

There are also a number of satellite tournaments, freeroll tournaments (free to join), and other competitions where players don’t even need to pay an entry fee to compete for a prize. Some platforms use these betting and competition formats to attract new players who can play fantasy hockey for free. When they add a lucrative welcome bonus to the mix, no player would dare to miss the opportunity to sign up and start with a little help from the bonus funds.

Any top betting site is bound to offer both free tournaments and those with substantial entry fees to make the site appealing to all types of bettors.

Fantasy Hockey Scoring

Scoring in fantasy hockey might seem a bit complicated for newcomers, but in essence, it is quite simple. For starters, you need to realize that different platforms have different scoring systems, but most of them give points for goals, shots on goals, power play points, assists, save percentage, blocked shots, goaltender wins, GAA, shutouts, and many others. There are approximately 30 categories according to which all athletes’ performances are scored. Of course, these categories also depend on the player’s position, as you can’t expect a goaltender to be scored on how many goals he scored or to measure the rating of a forward based on how many blocked shots he had in a game.

The rating of the performance of Forwards and Defensemen is typically measured in 20 categories, while goalies alone are scored in 11 categories. Players may also have their success measured differently based on the type of the fantasy format, and not just the betting platform and site.

How to Draft the Best Team

Getting the best players is as tricky in fantasy hockey as it is in a real game. A lot of things are on the line here, but that’s what we like about the game. Before we go on to discuss how to assemble the best group of athletes, let’s learn what types of drafts there can be.

The most common form is the Snake Draft. In this format, teams are assigned a position in the selection, and can select the players in that order in the first round. In the second round, the order is reversed, so the team that got to pick last in the initial round is now going to pick first.

Next up is the Standard Draft where teams get to choose athletes in a specified order depending on their position, and that position remains the same throughout the whole process. Last but not least is the Auction Draft, or just the Auction. Here, you bid for players using a budget previously set. Thanks to this type of player selection, you can acquire them at any stage and thus finalize the roster.

Tips on How to Draft Your Fantasy Hockey Team

When drafting your line-up, some things are key and shouldn’t be overlooked. To begin with, we should consider a familiar saying we hear a lot in all professional sports – defence wins championships. This may be true for real-life sports and the NHL, but in fantasy hockey, things are a bit different. Namely, offence is the most important segment of winning and being successful at fantasy hockey betting. The more firepower you have, the better the chances of success. Note that even shots on the goal can be worth half a point.

Secondly, goalkeepers are the single most vital part of a winning strategy. You need them to stop forwards from scoring, and the fewer goals they concede, the more fantasy points they will score.

Thirdly, you need to pay attention to the medical condition and fitness of athletes. Opt for those who are not prone to missing games due to injuries such as concussions, as these are frequent in hockey and can affect their overall rating.

Lastly, you need to conduct thorough player research and make sure to follow major hockey sites like the NHL as they regularly release info about the players, their rating, projection articles, tips, and many useful hints on a daily basis.

Daily Fantasy Hockey Tips

We have already laid out some advice regarding drafting, but we shall now go into more details that can help you elevate your daily fantasy hockey game to the next level.

First, be wary of hot and cold streaks. Players who haven’t been putting up the expected numbers in hockey games lately could be in a slump, which is a clear signal to skip them when drafting as they won’t be much of a help, and their rating might be low.
Secondly, make sure to pick a goalkeeper that will start the match. The more games your goalie starts, the more points he can score in NHL games.
Don’t bet on shorthanded points because predicting who will score a shorthanded goal is among the most difficult predictions you can make. For example, in the entire 2018 NHL season, only two players scored more than six shorthanded points.
You should bet on players most likely to strike a power play. These power plays are offensive opportunities for forwards on the squad, and even if your pick does not score a goal, he is most likely to have many tries and shots on goal. Each of these will be worth at least half a point.
Make sure to keep tabs on the rumours and happenings in the league because that inside knowledge will prove invaluable when drafting players. Remember, your sports betting success is on the line. For example, you don’t want to fill your squad with players on the injured players list or with ones that don’t see eye to eye or who have had some scuffles in the past as they certainly won’t cooperate well on the ice.

24 May, 2021

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