The National Rugby League, or NRL, is one of Australia’s most respected sporting institutions. The high standard of Rugby that the League maintains is admirable, and watching the games is always a treat. The investigation and consideration that goes into betting on NRL matches can make them even more enjoyable for spectators and armchair experts. To get started doing just that; check out the guide to betting options below.
General Pointers
When betting on NRL games in any way there are 2 basic things to remember. First of all, although it is true that odds will go up and down throughout the season, earlier bets will usually yield the most favourable deals. Also, if possible, it’s a good idea to have accounts with a few reputable sportsbooks to ensure that the best odds of the day can be used. This is easier online than offline, but all punters should try to use this principle as much as possible. These issues should be borne in mind when investigating the wagers outlined below.
Head-to-Head Bets
Head-to-head bets are quite basic, and are a good idea for those who are betting on NRL outcomes for the first time. Essentially, it is just a case of punters putting money down on which team they think will win. Extra time and golden points are usually taken into consideration, and prices are set according to what bookies think public opinion is and what they think themselves. This means that historical trends, weather, form and other factors are taken into consideration before odds are set, so as bettors get more familiar with the NRL and with analysing these things, they’ll get better at placing head-to-head wagers and will find them more interesting.
Over/Under Bets
Here online or mobile based punters predict whether a game’s final score will be over or under a bookie’s prediction. These are quite easy, so should form a large part of total wagers.
Exotic Single Bets
After betting for a while, punters may be ready to investigate more than the simple single wagers mentioned above. Exotic stake options include predicting a team’s exact score, winning margin, number of tries and many other variables.
Line Bets
Also called Handicap bets, these wagers make contest more even by giving both sides roughly the same odds. The team that doesn’t have the advantage of a head start is given a handicap start.
Margin Bets
Bettors need to select the margin of the leading team at quarter, half or full time in these wagers. These can be quite tricky, and should only be considered if punters have very reliable information.
Unique Double and Multiple Bets
These punts are even more of a challenge. They involve 2 or more variables, or legs, and all must be successful for anything to be paid out. For example, in the Half-time/Full-time wager, bettors must predict who will be in the lead at half- and at full-time, and both stakes must be correct. The more exotic these bets are, including naming the first try scorer together with picking the margin, the greater the odds, but the greater the rewards as well.
More Options
There are even more options for bettors such as Futures bets on later outcomes like the top 4 squads at the end of the season, which will deep punters’ understanding and appreciation of the game even more. The further along an individual progresses, the more involved and interesting betting on NRL games becomes.