NRL Betting Guide

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Read on below for a comprehensive guide on how to bet on rugby league (otherwise known as NRL in Australia), including all the various markets you can punt on.

SEE ALSO: Our latest NRL betting tips, previews, odds and predictions

Winner

This market is as simple as it gets in betting on both rugby league and any other sport. Here, you will simply back Team A or Team B or, if you feel neither are worthy of your backing, you can back a draw.

Handicap

This market allows you to back a team with a points handicap, meaning it often gives more value than the standard winner market. If Team A are the big favourites you can back them with a -10 point handicap which means they must win by 11 points or more in order for you bet to be a winner. The value in doing this comes from the fact that your team will have to be victorious by a larger margin rather than just by winning the game, meaning Team A may be 8/11 in the match winner market, but with a -10 point handicap, they may be 13/10, provide more value. This can also work the other way too, with an underdog being given, for example, +10 point handicap, meaning as long as they don’t lose by more than the handicap, your bet will win.

First Try Scorer

This market sees you betting on the player you feel will score the very first try of the game. Therefore, you may feel a flying winger has the best chance of scoring the first try of the game as he comes into this one with five tries in his last five games, but be careful, a forward is just as likely to go crashing over the line after going on a rampaging run, meaning this market should be utilised with caution.

Check out Bettingpro.com.au’s expert NRL first tryscorer tips and best bets.

Anytime Try Scorer

Unlike the above, in this market you are simply backing a player to score a try at anytime throughout the match. This means that he could be the tenth person to score a try in the game but, as long as he goes over at some point to score a try, your bet will still win.

Last Try Scorer

This market is much like the First Try Scorer market, just in reverse. Here you will be betting on the player you thinking will go over for the final try of the game.

Team To Score First

This market is like the First Try Scorer market, but it also takes into account all other scoring methods such as penalties and scores via the boot. While there may be an overwhelming favourite in the game, this will not always stop ill-discipline, with the underdog sometimes a good bet to score first.

Hal-Time/Full-Time

This market sees the bettor putting money on who they think will be ahead at half-time and at full-time. Simply put, if you think Team A will lead when the teams go into half-time and then at the end of the game you will put your money on them. Often though, it offers more value to back a side to be leading at half-time and then for the other side to win the game, so, for example, for Team A to go in in the lead at half-time and Team B to win the game. You can also back the two teams to be drawing at either of the two points which tends to also offer good value.

Draw No Bet

This market, like football, sees the bettor backing one side to win the game, but they have the protection of knowing that if the match ends in a draw, they will be refunded, meaning they do not win or lose.

To Score A Hat-Trick

This market allows the bettor to put money on the player they feel will score a hat-trick in the game. This market usually offers pretty tasty odds considering scoring a hat-trick (three tries in one game) is very unlikely to happen.

See also: Official NRL site

Winning Margin

Here the bettor can bet on how big they think the margin of victory in the game will be. Backing the favourites to win by +6 points may offer very little value, but backing them to win by +19 will offer more, while it is also possible to back a team to win in a points span so, for example, to back Team A to win by 11-20 points, which also tends to offer fairly good value depending on the two teams.

To Win To Nil

This market allows the bettor to back a side to win the game to nil. This is a market that will tend to offer good value as beating a team to nil is not something that often happens, even if the in-form side in the league is playing the side at the bottom. Both sides will always get chances in the game, meaning a to nil scoreline is often quite rare.

Total Tries

Simply put, this market allows the bettor to put money on how many tries will be scored in the game. It will usually follow the over/under format, meaning you will be given a number of tries and you will have to decide whether more or less than that number will be scored.

Drop Goal?

This market sees the customer putting money on whether there will be a drop goal in the game. A drop goal is where a player purposefully drops the ball in front of them and then tries to kick it between the posts on the half-volley. This type of kick is hard to do as the opposition will be putting the kicker under pressure and they will therefore have little time to set themselves before their effort.

Highest Scoring Half

This market allows the customer to put money on which half they feel will see the most points. It is often a good idea to look at the form of the two teams in this one as Team A may be very miserly going forward in the first-half before opening up and scoring tries in the second-half against their opposition, while Team B may be good at defending from the off but struggle to match that same intensity in the second-half as fatigue sets in, meaning that backing the second-half to be the top scoring one is the way to go.

Team A To Win Both Halves

This market sees the punter putting money on a certain side to win both halves. Much like backing Team A to win the first-half and second-half in the half-time/full-time market, this one allows you to back Team B to win both halves.

Gambling Awareness

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