Get your carbon fibre stick out - it's time to learn about hockey betting. 

Field hockey is kind of like football, except that the ball is a lot smaller and harder and people use big sticks instead of their feet to hit it around. 

Other than that, two teams of 11 - including a goalie on each side - face off to put that ball in the opponent's net (which is also smaller). The team with the highest score at the end wins - simple.

Even the kit is similar to football - players wear shorts, shin pads and a jersey. The only difference is that they add a mouthguard on top. Did you know that hockey balls get hit around at about 70 mph? Yeah, that's why.

In this guide expect hockey history, basic rules, hockey betting strategies, hockey betting odds explained and general hockey betting tips.

Field of dreams

Depictions of hockey go right back to Ancient Egypt, around 4,000 years ago. That's right, hockey is one of the oldest sports known to man. It properly came into its own in the 1800s before joining the Olympics in 1908 (when only four teams played; England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland). It became a permanent fixture of the Games in the 1928 edition.

In total, 45 countries have competed in men's field hockey at the Olympics, compared to 21 in the women's game. In fact, it's estimated that field hockey is the third most popular sport in the world with two billion fans. Interested in hockey betting now?

So while hockey - and hockey betting - might not get much of the spotlight, there's a massive undercurrent rippling throughout the entire world. And news.williamhill.com is right here with it, offering hockey betting tips and hockey betting strategies along the way.

Rules of hockey

Before we move onto hockey betting odds, let's understand what we'll be betting on. The basic rules of hockey are as follows;

• A hockey pitch measures 100 yards by 60 yards (about the same size as a football pitch).
• Two teams of 11 - made up of attackers, midfielders, defenders and a goalkeeper - go head-to-head.
• In a divergence from football, hockey teams have an unlimited number of substitutions in a match.
• Players must use the flat side of their hockey stick, otherwise they incur a foul.
• Similarly, there's no foot-to-ball contact and no use of hands allowed - except for the goalkeeper who's allowed to use their feet, hands, arms, or any body part to push the ball away.
• Free hits are awarded for a foul outside the scoring circle. For fouls inside the circle, a penalty stroke is given should the foul block a probable goal.
• Penalty corners are awarded for a number of reasons, including a foul in the scoring circle which doesn't stop a probable goal, an intentional foul against a player without the ball and more.
• In terms of discipline, a green card is a warning which comes with a two-minute suspension; a yellow card is a warning with a 5-10 minute suspension and finally a red card, which is a suspension for the rest of the match.
• After two halves of 35 minutes each, separated by a five-minute interval, the game ends.

Depending on the format of the competition, full-time either means it's a draw or that the teams go into extra time. And remember, hockey bets at William Hill don't take into account extra time unless specified - so don't go celebrating a winning bet that hasn't actually come in.

Life's a pitch

At William Hill, we pride ourselves on offering the most and best odds on as many sports as we can. Of the ‘smaller' sports, hockey is a particular highlight. 

You'll find hockey betting odds and markets on competitions happening across the globe. It isn't just the Olympics that we offer hockey betting on – it's the World and European Championships as well. If you're looking for some hockey betting tips, swing by when they're back in action.

Making its debut in 2019 is the FIH Pro League - replacing the prestigious Hockey Champions Trophy. Fan of live betting hockey? We offer that as well - just tune into William Hill when the ball hits the ground.

Drawing the (money)line

So what kind of hockey betting is there? The previously mentioned similarities with football extend past the premise of the game and the players' kits; hockey betting odds are comparable as well.

The easiest one is match betting. Known as the hockey betting line in some circles, it couldn't be more straightforward - simply take a look at the hockey betting odds on who will win and place your money where you think is best. Easy. Remember, when it comes to backing a winner, extra-time doesn't count. That would go down as a draw.

A twist to match betting is handicap betting. It works the same way as match betting, except that points are adjusted at the final whistle. For example, if you back the favourite at -1.5 then when the game is over, 1.5 points are subtracted from their score and bets are settled accordingly.

The last piece to the hockey betting puzzle is the number of goals. At William Hill, hockey betting odds include over and under a number of goals in a game and also whether the number will be odd or even. If it's goalless, that counts as ‘even'.

Going for gold

When major tournaments come around, you'll find hockey betting odds at William Hill - like backing an outright winner.

Generally speaking, if a hockey match is abandoned, all bets are void unless an official result is declared. If it's postponed, then all bets are void as well. The only exception here is during the Olympic Games, where matches have until the end of the competition to go ahead.

Those are the basics - now it's time for some hockey betting strategies.

Making it stick

So that's your quick intro to hockey and field hockey betting. Now it's time to explore those hockey betting odds and develop some hockey betting strategies.

Like everything else, the best way to get better at judging a sport is by watching it. 

There have been more than 20 different countries to take a medal home from the Olympic Games and the hockey world rankings are always a tight affair. 

As such, it can sometimes be hard to call a winner when it comes to hockey betting, but that means that there are plenty of opportunities to win as well. Once you whet your whistle on outright match bets, you can start to explore handicap bets and total goals markets. 

If you're serious about getting into hockey betting, then it's time to do some research. Take a look at the result of past tournaments and take them into consideration for the next ones. Before you know it, you'll be fluent in Olympic hockey betting odds.

Consider field hockey betting odds explained - now it's over to you. You're not totally alone, though. For free hockey betting tips and hockey betting strategies, just tune in to news.williamhill.com. We're your hockey betting forum, remember?

Face off with our latest sports betting promotions. They feature Scratch of the Day, where you can win prizes like free bets, boosts and exclusive offers.