How to make money betting NHL Futures

By Sports Handicapper Ron Raymond

Sept 27^th 2007

One of my biggest mistakes in the early years of betting on NHL futures was trying to pick the Stanley Cup winner in September and not even one game had been played yet. Think about it, the bookmakers throw these Stanley Cup odds out there and the betting public is thinking more about the payout then the actual outcome. When bettors see the Phoenix Coyotes at 85 to 1 to win the Stanley Cup, players everywhere are looking at the payout instead of the Coyotes actually being competitive to win the Cup.

However, having been down this road before, when I see 85 to 1 on the Coyotes to win the Stanley Cup, I don’t see Stanley Cup futures ticket, I see a hedging opportunity. If you’re new to the sports betting scene, “hedging” means to win some money on your initial investment on going against your futures bet team. For example, in order to be able to hedge your bet on the Coyotes at 85 to 1, you need for the Coyotes “to make the playoffs” and then start betting against them at different stages of their games in each round. If they are down 2-1 in the first round, then you can start betting on the other team for game 3. If you’ve been around in 2004, I took the Calgary Flames to win the Stanley Cup at 44-1 and was able to hedge out a nice profit on a $500 investment.

The 2007 NHL regular season starts on Saturday Sept 30^th 2007, as the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks are playing 2 games in London, England and the rest of the teams will start on October 3^rd here in North America. Investing money on the favorites like the Anaheim Ducks at 5 to 1 or the Ottawa Senators at 8 to 1 is not a good business decision, when you can take a risk on the Chicago Black Hawks at 80 to 1 and have a hedging opportunity.

Here’s my recommendation, put $100 on each of these teams and by having just 1 or 2 of these teams making the playoffs will put a nice profit in your pocket.

All of these bets can be made at Bookmaker.com, as this is where I got the futures wagers.

Chicago Black Hawks +80000: When you look at the Stanley Cup playoffs, the first thing you handicap is the goaltending situation. Nikolai Khabibulin won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004 and they’ve made some pick ups that might cash in if they stay healthy. Picking up Robert Lang from Detroit will take pressure off Martin Havlat who needs to stay injury free. Yannick Perreault is a face off specialist and Martin Lapointe brings leadership to this squad. Goaltending is the main reason why I like the Black Hawks to make the playoffs.

Atlanta Thrashers +3500: Bob Hartley is one of my favorite coaches in the league, he brings great intensity to the rink and it reflects off his players. Atlanta is loaded with offense up front and they play in a division in which they can load up on points to grab that 6^th to 8^th position in the conference.

Montreal Canadiens +3000: One of the main reason I like Montreal to make the playoffs is because of the environment they live in. If you think the Yankees have pressure from the media and public in New York, try being a Montreal Canadiens for 24hrs on a 2 game losing streak. The Habs are like the New York Yankees of baseball with their 24 Stanley Cup banners hanging in the rafters and the public will not allow them to take a night off at home. Montreal has a decent team, they had a playoff team last year, but for whatever reason, the team folded like a pop tent after the holidays. The Canadiens play in a tough division with the Senators and Leafs, but they should be able to make a run for the 7^th or 8^th spot. The reason Montreal did well in the first half last season was because of Cristobal Huet play in the first half and they will need him to be more consistent this season. 

New Jersey Devils +2000: The main reason for this selection, Brent Sutter and Martin Brodeur. Anytime you put the word “Sutter” in a sentence, you just think of a winner. Brent Sutter had a perfect junior coach record in Canada, as he never lost a game coaching the Junior hockey team on the international stage. In fact, he had something like a 19-0-1 record for Team Canada and won 2 gold medals in the process. Another reason to put the Devils on your futures ticket, Martin Brodeur! All this guy has accomplished in his career is winning Stanley Cups and the Devils have enough talent up front to score goals. I see the Devils fighting for 4^th to 5^th spot in the Eastern Conference.

Calgary Flames +2000: The Mike Keenan era begins in Calgary and one thing we know for sure, the Flames will be a high intensity club. Keenan brings experience to this club who is loaded with talent, but weren’t able to get the job done under Jim Playfair. Not sure why the Flames struggled so badly in ’05, but I look for Flames goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff to bring the Flames back to the playoffs. If you look at last seasons Stanley Cup series between the Ducks and Senators, one thing stood out and that was sand paper. You need to have an edge to your team to win a Stanley Cup, as the Stanley Cup is a very grueling tournament and it’s survival of the fittest. Owen Nolan was a nice pick up, as long as he can stay healthy, but I see him more effective on a 3^rd or 4^th line role. Flames at +2000 are worth the investment, especially when you look at that blue line led by tough guy Dion Phaneuf. You know what they say, defense wins championships and Kiprusoff and Phaneuf are a nice tandem.

Therefore, on a $500 investment, you will have $15,000 of potential hedging opportunities waiting for you come April and may all your picks be winning ones this NHL season.

If you’re interested in my season long NHL package and would like to receive every NHL hockey pick I release, check out my subscription page.

Ron Raymond