Ladies and Gentlemen,
If you are interested in capping Hockey, October is closing in and September games are around the corner. If you new to Hockey handicapping and you are looking for some pointers to sharpen you skills, lets see if we can give you a running start.
As my basic rules I have some things that I use as cornerstones of my hockey handicap.
1. Power Rankings, basic is fine stat based, past performance what ever your experience serves you best. I does not have to be perfect as trades injuries and performance will adjust numbers thru the season.
2. SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE look at it. See what games you really want to play, your favorites rivals or situations.
3. Work on the numbers, Evaluate the games that you want to play in when? what should the puckline be? How about the vig? Over Under?
Compare those to what you see the numbers really are and look for an advantage, based on past performance or what ever you think your edge is. Where your outcomes are wrong you can adjust your numbers. Test your theories. For that reason don't force anything. Being selective and observing will pay dividends in the future. Although some basic rules are all the same handicapping styles vary and you should choose what ever fits you best.
Here are some things you should avoid. Vegas does not have a bunch of nice buildings and hotels because they have bad lines. Trust me if something does not look right as far as a line, 95% of the time it's you that has not accounted for something not them. With that said if you are starting out, and you have a basic system in place you should not see more than 3 or 4 lines that might be off. If you are seeing more than that, that should tell you something is wrong right away.
One thing you must avoid at all costs in not to get trapped in the HOCKEY TRIVIA SAND PITT!
Knowing plenty of Hockey's history does not make and great handicapper instantly, it's a great weapon to have in your arsenal, specially in the playoffs, but by itself it will not bring you to the 55% comfort zone you want to be at for the season.
That should give you enough to get started with.
You can follow me on twitter for some of my plays and the rest are posted on Pregame.comhttp://pregame.com/forums/forums/7.aspx my user name is ozzie2005
Cheers,
Ozzie
