Guide · 5 min read
Ice hockey betting markets: 60 minutes, overtime, puck line and periods
Ice hockey is hugely popular with bettors in Slovakia and Austria, from the Tipos extraliga to the ICE Hockey League. It is also the sport where beginners most often misread a market, because the same game has two results: one after 60 minutes and one after overtime and the shootout. This guide explains the main markets, shows a correct three-way sure bet, and shows how mixing settlement rules creates a false one.
Updated 22 October 2026
Contents
One game, two results
Regulation time in ice hockey is three periods of 20 minutes. If the score is level after 60 minutes, regular-season games in most European leagues go to a short overtime and then, if still level, a shootout. Playoff games usually continue with full overtime periods until someone scores.
For betting this means every hockey market belongs to one of two families:
- Regulation time (60 minutes): only what happens in the three periods counts. A draw is possible.
- Including overtime and shootout: the final result counts. There is always a winner.
When a game is decided by a shootout, most bookmakers add one goal to the winner's score for markets that include it. A 2-2 game won in the shootout is settled as 3-2.
1X2 and match winner
- 1X2 (three-way, 60 minutes). Home, draw or away after regulation time. If the game is 2-2 after 60 minutes, "X" wins, whatever happens in overtime. Draw odds in hockey are often around 4.00 to 4.50.
- Match winner incl. overtime (also "money line" or "2-way"). Two outcomes: the team that wins the game. Odds are lower than in 1X2 because the draw is no longer a possible result.
- Draw no bet / double chance. Variants of the 60-minute result, explained in our guide to draw no bet and double chance.
In Slovak, 1X2 often appears as "Zápas" or "Riadny hrací čas"; in German as "Dreiweg" or "Reguläre Spielzeit". "Víťaz vrátane predĺženia" and "Sieger inkl. Verlängerung" include overtime. Our overtime betting rules guide has the full list.
Puck line and handicaps
The puck line is hockey's handicap, usually set at ±1.5 goals. Favourite −1.5 must win by two or more; underdog +1.5 wins if it loses by one or wins. Example: you bet €20 on the home team −1.5 at 2.40. A 4-2 win pays €48 (net +€28). A 3-2 win loses.
Check whether the line is on 60 minutes or includes overtime. For ±1.5 a 60-minute draw and a one-goal overtime win usually settle the same way, but other lines (such as −0.5 or +2.5) and totals can differ. Teams often pull their goalkeeper late when trailing by one, which can lead to empty-net goals; the puck line odds already take this into account.
Totals and period bets
- Total goals. Over/under 5.5 is a common line. European bookmakers often settle hockey totals on 60 minutes; lines on North American hockey often include overtime and the shootout goal. Read the market name.
- Period betting. 1X2 or totals for a single period (for example "1st period over 1.5"). Draws in a single period are common, so the "X" is often priced around 2.00 to 2.30.
- Highest-scoring period and team totals exist at many bookmakers, with lower limits.
Worked example: a 3-way sure bet
A correct hockey sure bet uses markets with the same settlement. The simplest is covering all three 60-minute outcomes at three bookmakers.
Home win at A: 2.45. Draw at B: 4.30. Away win at C: 2.95. Sum of inverses: 0.4082 + 0.2326 + 0.3390 = 0.9797, about 2% below 1.
| Leg (60 minutes) | Odds | Stake | Return if it wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home at A | 2.45 | €41.66 | €102.07 |
| Draw at B | 4.30 | €23.74 | €102.08 |
| Away at C | 2.95 | €34.60 | €102.07 |
Total stake €100. Any 60-minute result returns about €102.07: roughly +€2.07. What happens in overtime does not matter, because all three legs are settled after 60 minutes.
More on three-outcome sure bets in three-way arbitrage.
The false-arb trap
Now imagine you see the home team in 1X2 at 2.45 and the away team as match winner incl. overtime at 2.05. The inverses add up to 0.4082 + 0.4878 = 0.8960: a 10% "sure bet". It is not one. If the game is level after 60 minutes and the home team wins in overtime, the 1X2 home bet loses (the 60-minute result was a draw) and the away bet loses too. Both stakes are gone.
A suspiciously large margin in hockey almost always means mixed settlement periods. The same trap exists with totals and puck lines when one side includes overtime and the other does not. Before you place any hockey sure bet, check that every leg is either "60 minutes" or "including overtime", never a mix.
Leagues you will see in AT and SK
- Tipos extraliga (Slovakia). The Slovak top league, widely covered by Slovak bookmakers with many markets per game.
- ICE Hockey League (Austria and neighbours). The cross-border league with teams from Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
- NHL, Czech Extraliga, SHL, Liiga, DEL and international tournaments such as the IIHF World Championship, which draws particular interest in Slovakia.
Smaller leagues have lower limits and prices that move sharply on team news, such as a starting goalkeeper. Start with modest stakes and use a tracking sheet. Hockey is compared with other sports in sure betting by sport.
Frequently asked questions
Is ice hockey 1X2 settled after 60 minutes?
Yes. The 1X2 market covers regulation time only, three periods of 20 minutes. If the score is level after 60 minutes, the draw wins, whatever happens in overtime or the shootout.
What is the puck line?
The puck line is the ice hockey handicap, usually ±1.5 goals. The favourite at −1.5 must win by two or more goals; the underdog at +1.5 wins the bet if it wins or loses by one goal.
How is a shootout counted in betting?
For markets that include the shootout, most bookmakers add one goal to the winning team's score and to the match total, however many shootout attempts were scored. Markets on 60 minutes ignore it completely.
Why do some hockey sure bets look too good to be true?
Usually because one leg is settled after 60 minutes and the other includes overtime. Then a draw after 60 minutes followed by an overtime win for the wrong team makes both bets lose. Every leg must use the same settlement period.
Sources
- International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF): rule book
- ICE Hockey League: official site
- Slovenský zväz ľadového hokeja (Slovak Ice Hockey Federation) (in Slovak)
- NHL: Official Rules 2025-26 (overtime and shootout)
- Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt: permitted ice hockey betting markets (in German)
As of October 2026. Bookmakers' rules, odds and offers change; their current terms and betting rules always apply.
Betting involves risk, even with sure bets: prices move, bets get voided, accounts get limited. Only use money you can do without. Our responsible gambling page lists free help in Austria and Germany.
Information, not betting, legal or tax advice. 18+.