How To Bet On Winter Sports? Learn All About The Modalities!
Ice and snow sports are increasingly conquering New Zealanders!
Despite the fact that it does not snow in the country and the practice of these sports is for few, the popularity of bookmakers and the broadcasting of sporting events, such as the Winter Olympics , increase the curiosity of bettors.
In this article we will explain how betting on winter sports. And a tip: you don't have to wait for the Olympics for this!
Some modalities, such as ice hockey, it is possible to bet every year!
By the end of the reading, you will know:
- Sites to bet on sports
- The main winter sports
- Common and profitable betting types of the modalities
Sites to bet on winter sports
Main Modalities Of Winter Sports
Winter sports modalities can be divided into two categories: Sports On Ice and snow.
Among the first category, the most famous sports are: Ice Hockey, Bobsled, skating and Curling.
Snow sports are: Skiing and snowboarding.
Below we will detail each of these modalities, explaining what they are, their origin and the Basic Rules.
Ice Hockey
O Ice hockey it is one of the best known winter sports among New Zealanders, mainly due to the NHL, League broadcast on pay-TV channels.
The matches take place on an ice court, being two teams, each with 6 players, facing each other.
The goal is to score a point. Wins the match, of course, whoever scores the most points.
The difference here is that they use sticks to guide the puck (the puck) on the court.
Bobsled
This sport is known as the “ Formula 1 ice", because it unites adrenaline and a lot of speed.
Bobsled emerged in the 19th century and the first bobsled track was built in Switzerland in 1870. It has since expanded to America and Asia.
It is a very present modality in the Winter Olympics and it consists in getting on a "sled", which can reach up to 80 km/h.
The most common are disputes between doubles or quartets. Each team makes two to four descents and wins who totals the shortest time.
At the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, there will be the women's individual competition, a novelty until then.
Skating
A ice skating it is one of the quite popular activities around the world when the coldest season of the year arrives.
But skating doesn't just happen for fun. There are two sports that involve practicing:
- Figure Skating
- Speed Skating
A Figure Skating it's a mix between dancing and skating. There is a choreography, which follows the rhythm of the music, and several exercises from a series that must be fulfilled.
It is the same principle of Artistic Gymnastics for example.
It can be played individually, in pairs and as a team. Whoever makes the presentation with the highest score wins.
The Speed skating it is considered one of the oldest ice sports in mankind.
There are reports of people who wore special shoes with animal bones to cross frozen rivers in northern Europe.
The sport as we know it today became famous in the 19th century and has been a part since 1.the edition of the Winter Olympics.
The sport can be played on long tracks. Competitions take place in rinks , a kind of oval ice rink, which can be 400 m (long run) and 111 meters (short run).
In the short tracks, the competition is with 500 m, 1,000 m and 1,500 m events, which can be individual or team relay.
On the long track, the races are either pursuit or sprint teams, and can be from 500 m to 10,000 m.
Like any speed test , wins who is faster.
Curling
One of the oldest team sports in the world and which emerged in Scotland in the 16th century. So we can define the Curling.
Despite being born in Europe, the great power of this modality is Canada.
It is very common to see Curling games at the Winter Olympics. But how does this sport work?
Curling consists of throwing stones using a kind of “broom” towards a target on the ground.
It can be played as a team or doubles.
Whoever scores the most points in the end wins the match.
Ski
O Ski it is a well-known sport in New Zealand. Basically, it is to make a path in the snow, with jumps and overcoming winding curves.
The modality can be separated into 3 categories:
- Alpine Skiing: the athlete makes a course mounted on a steep mountain, with mandatory passing points and between stakes placed in the snow. The winner is the one who completes the route in the shortest time.
- Cross Country Skiing: this is skiing practiced on flat, undulating terrain covered with snow. Skiers have to cover great distances. Whoever is faster wins.
- Freestyle Skiing: these are the famous acrobatic jumps on skis and descents at high speeds. Athletes are judged on the maneuvers and technical skills, winning who makes the most points.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding mixes three modalities into one: skiing, skateboarding and surfing . So it is a sport with maneuvers and high speed.
The athlete uses a board attached to his feet, and he needs to go down snow-covered slopes. It can be played individually or in teams.
There are several categories in Snowboarding, but as a rule, the competition is won by the one who is faster or who receives the highest score according to his maneuvers.
How to bet on winter sports?
The first step to betting on winter sports is to make your registration on a betting site.
The step by step is very simple:
- Click " Register”
- Enter your personal data
- Make first deposit, which varies with each bookmaker.
If ICE and snow sports are your style, we suggest you place your bets at one of the following houses:
Not all the modalities that we have mentioned in this article are available all year round on betting sites.
The main reason is that they are not as popular among New Zealanders. Therefore, bookmakers do not invest in making these markets available here.
Does this mean that you will only be able to bet when you have the Winter Olympics? Not really!
Ice hockey and skiing, for example, are more frequent in bookmakers, as they are more popular around the world.
We prefer to focus on this article to explain the market they are suitable for most modalities. Thus, you have more freedom to bet.
1. Moneyline
This is the most common market in online betting and that most homes offer on ice sports.
The Moneyline is nothing more than betting on the winner of the match or in the draw.
To make your guess, of course, a good tip is to study and analyze the two teams before the competition starts.
We see this market most often in Ice Hockey. But he also appears in competitions such as snowboarding and skiing.
In this case, as they are competitions that can be held individually, the market has the name of “clashes”, between one athlete and another.
There is also no tie option.
2. Winning
This is a market that is available in long-term bets.
It consists of choosing an athlete or team to bet on who will win the competition or event before it happens.
See in the example of Bodog . You can already bet on what you believe will lead to gold medal Cross Country Skiing:
Already in the Sportaza , it is possible to bet who will lead the Atlantic Division in Ice Hockey.
Bets on futures markets have the odds higher, but they are also much riskier.
After all, as the competitions go on, the favorites will appear, greatly modifying the odds.
3. Points margin
Another more common market in winter sports is the points margin.
Most modalities have categories that evaluate with scores.
It works similar to the market of Over / Under football goals.
That is, you have a fixed value of points added to the value of more or less that you believe can happen in a given match.
This same market is also common in ice hockey matches, as we see on the website of Bet365 :
Tips for betting on winter sports
There is no mystery about winter sports. At first it can be scary, because they are competitions that New Zealanders are not used to following on a day-to-day basis.
However, betting follows the same universal language of sport: it can be done by everyone!
Apart from some peculiarities of the exclusive competitions and markets, in general, the most basic betting tips they also fall under the modalities of ice and snow sports.
See what they are:
1. Study The Rules Of Competitions
This tip is worth gold, as winter sports are somewhat different from the most popular sports.
Therefore, do a lot of research on the competitions, understand how the scores are made, see what the main rules are.
Thus, you will be able to put together more reasoned strategies for your bets, in addition to being able to choose which modality best suits your bettor profile.
2. Follow The Games
A good way to understand a modality is to keep track of everything about it. So, watch the games.
See how athletes and teams behave in matches.
You don't have to watch everything about the sport, but you can choose the most important or popular competition to follow.
For example, have you defined which Ice Hockey will be the sport you will bet on? So you need to follow the NHL.
Want to understand more about Curling? Don't miss the Winter Olympics!
If you don't know where to watch, check to see if the bookmakers are broadcasting any matches. Most have livestreaming!
3. Avoid Betting On Futures Markets
At least in the beginning, avoid placing bets on future markets.
If you have not yet mastered the modality can be riskier this type of BET. After all, it still does not quite know the best athletes or teams.
Hold the anxiety in betting on high odds and focus on finding in value bets.
Conclusion
Winter sports are gaining ground among New Zealanders. We already see market offers in the bookmakers of these modalities.
Surely with our tips you will be able to start exploring these sports and diversify your bets.
Just remember to always study your chosen competition before making your guess!