Canadians love to do world junior hockey betting on the annual holiday tournament. (Photo credit: Uncleweed / IWoman / CC BY-SA)

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World junior hockey betting can make the annual holiday junior tournament even more exciting.

Here are seven different ways to bet the tournament this year, so you can even make that Canada/Latvia game a thriller. See updated world junior odds for the current odds on each team to win the tournament.

 

Looking to bet the tourney this year? The following sportsbooks are the best for world junior hockey betting.

 

 

1. Moneyline

All you have to do is pick the winner. This can be great for games involving evenly matched teams like Canada, the United States, Russia, Sweden or Finland.

The downside to moneyline bets, however, is that if you want to take Canada or other powerhouse countries against weaker teams, you’ll have to risk a lot to win a little. For example, Russia was -5208 on the moneyline to win its first game of the 2015 world junior hockey championship against Denmark. That means you’d have to risk $5208 to win $100 if you take Russia on the moneyline. No thanks.

2. Puck line

The puck line is just like the point spread in football and basketball. It handicaps the two teams’ abilities to make the betting odds roughly even, rather than the lopsided moneyline. If you took Canada on the puck line against Norway, you might only have to risk $110 to win $100, but Canada might have to win by 8 goals for you to win your bet.

Pinnacle Sports is likely your best sportsbook to use for this, especially if you want to bet on Canada, since they offer the fairest odds.

3. Totals

Also known as over/unders, totals are another way to do world junior hockey betting at relatively even odds. The oddsmakers will give you a number of goals, and you bet on whether the teams will score more than (over) or less than (under) that amount.

Again, Pinnacle Sports is your best bet here.

4. Periods

Sometimes the big favourites roll up the score early and then sit back the rest of the way. Other times, the underdog hangs tight for a while before eventually being blown out. Either way, periods betting allows you to bet on just one period at a time, rather than the entire game.

5. Live betting

World junior hockey live betting allows you to bet on the action after the game begins. This way, if Canada or the U.S. give up the first goal to a team you’re sure they’re going to beat, you can bet on them at more favourable odds. If you sense a shift in momentum or see a player get injured, you can use live betting to take advantage as well.

Sports Interaction and Bodog offer great live betting during world junior games.

6. Futures

With futures betting, you can bet on who will win the world junior hockey title before the tournament begins. Canada paid +130 on the 2015 world junior hockey odds to win the championship, followed by the U.S., Russia and Sweden. You can also do futures betting on who will win the groups.

Some sportsbooks also allow you to bet on futures after the tournament begins, at adjusted odds based on the results so far.

888Sport is the best sportsbook at offering futures throughout the tournament

7. Props

World junior hockey prop betting includes betting on who will win the tournament’s top player award, who will score the most goals, and so on.

Sportsbooks like Sports Interaction and Bodog are known for offering fun prop betting like this.

 

Need help selecting or joining an online sportsbook? Check out our Start Betting In Minutes tool and get into the game right away!