NRL Betting Guide: How to Bet on Rugby League
While it’s the AFL which garners the most attention in the winter throughout most of Australia, in New South Wales and Queensland, rugby league and the NRL reign supreme. Kicking off in March and typically finishing on the first Sunday in October, the league has run in some form for well over 100 years, developing into the biggest rugby league competition in the world during that time. With membership numbers growing significantly over recent years and television audiences following suit, there are clearly plenty of eyes on the league, and invariably that means that there’s plenty of punting action on it too. Throughout the season, there are a multitude of markets on each and every one of the 200 games played, and in this guide we’ll talk about some of these markets, and how to bet on them.
How to bet on NRL
If you want to get involved with NRL betting, head to the TopSport homepage and log into your account, or create a new one if you haven’t already. From there it’s simply a matter of locating the NRL markets, which you can find in the list of sports on the left-hand side of the page, and scrolling through the available games to find the one you want.
During the off-season there will obviously be less markets available, with Premiership winner as well as head-to-head and line markets for the first round of games the only things available to bet on. Once the season begins, however, the number of options begins to grow. As Round 1 nears there will be an increasing number of markets on each individual game in the first round, and for each ensuing round there will be a plethora of things to bet on for each and every upcoming game.
NRL Bet Types Explained
There is no shortage of bet types available for those looking to have a punt on the NRL. Whether you’re looking for the typical markets like head-to-head and line betting, prefer to have a flutter on player props or have an inkling about which half will be the highest scoring, there will be a suitable market available. With that in mind, let’s take a look at all the NRL bet types you have to choose from.
NRL Head-to-Head Betting
Head-to-head betting is the most common market when it comes to NRL betting, and indeed betting on most sports. It’s for that reason that, when scrolling through the different games available each week, you’ll be greeted with the head-to-head odds first, with other odds available by clicking into an individual matchup. The odds for this market are simply a reflection of the chance of winning that a bookmaker thinks each team has, and betting on it is as simple as deciding which team you think will win the contest.
NRL Line Betting
Line betting is similar to head-to-head betting but with one key difference; the teams are handicapped based on the expected margin, meaning that you’ll get equal odds on both teams. The benefit of this is that if you think one team is over the odds but don’t see value in betting on them to win outright, then line betting can provide the value that you’re looking for. For example, this could be the case if you think the underdog could still lose but is a better chance than the odds suggest, or if you think the favourite will win easily but their head-to-head odds are particularly short.
NRL Margin Betting
Like line betting, margin betting allows you to bet on the result of the game while getting a little more value than you would with head-to-head betting. The standard margins offered on NRL games are either 1-12 or 13+. Each team has these two margins available, meaning there are four different potential outcomes. If you think it will be a tight game, for example, you might bet on the team you think will win to take out the game by 1-12 points, which will offer more value than their outright win odds.
NRL Half Markets
Half markets come in a variety of different forms, and allow you to bet on specific intervals of the game rather than the game in its entirety. You can bet on the outcome at half time, including outright winner of the first half, and also place a line bet for the first half, while you can also bet on half/full time markets, which entails selecting who will be leading at both half time and full time. You’ll also typically be able to bet on the total number of points to be scored in each half and which half will be higher scoring, rounding out what is a fairly popular form of NRL betting.
NRL Totals
We move away from the game result now to another popular NRL betting market; totals. As the name suggests, this requires the punter to correctly pick the total number of points which will be scored throughout the course of the game. Typically there will be an over/under market for totals with even money on both sides of the coin, while you can often also bet on more specific totals. For example, you may be able to bet on the game finishing with between 30 and 35 points, which will obviously offer greater value than the over/under market.
NRL Total Tries
This is another way to bet on the number of scores in the game, but focusing specifically on tries scored rather than just total points. You may be able to bet on an over/under market at a specific number – for example, total match tries over or under 4.5 – or you may be able to bet on a particular number of tries. You’ll also be able to find such markets for individual teams, so if you have a hunch that one team may score either a bunch or very little, this can be a good avenue to take.
NRL Anytime Tryscorer
To player props now, beginning with one of the most popular individual player markets available in NRL betting. As the name suggests, this is a relatively straightforward market and simply requires you to select a tryscorer from the game. Obviously the odds here vary substantially from player to player, so if you recognise that a particular player who doesn’t often score a try may have a favourable matchup, this can be a good place to find a little bit of value.
NRL Most Tries
This market is a little more difficult to pick, requiring you to select the player who will score the most tries in the game, but obviously the odds are substantially higher as a result. This is an interesting market as, if you pick a player who scores two or even three tries, you have a good chance of winning outright. There are, however, many games where no player scores multiple tries, and as a result everyone who scored one is the equal winner of this market. In such situations, your payout will be divided by the number of players who scored the most tries; for example, if your selected player had scored the most tries outright you might stand to win $100, but if three other players shared the same number of tries, you’d only receive $25.
NFL Futures
You can also bet on future markets in the NRL, which are season-long bets related to outcomes which won’t be determined until the conclusion of the year. Examples here are Premiership winner, top four and top eight finish, as well as individual player awards such as Dally M Medal and Clive Churchill Medal winners.
NRL Betting FAQs
Where can I bet on the NRL?
You can get involved in NRL betting at a number of places, including TopSport, where we offer a multitude of different markets and great fixed odds. All that you need to do is create an account, deposit some funds and you’re ready to browse our wide range of NRL markets.
What types of bets can I place on the NRL?
NRL betting is a popular pastime among Aussie punters, and you can place many different types of bets on the NRL. If you like to stick to the most basic markets like head-to-head, line bets and totals, you’ll find it at Topsport, while we also have a range of other markets, including:
– Anytime tryscorer
– Most tries
– Big win/little win
– Half time/full time leader
How does line betting work in the NRL?
Line betting is a popular form of NRL betting, but not everybody understands how it works. Once you get the hang of it, however, it’s pretty simple. The two teams in a match are handicapped based on the expected result; for example, the favourite might be at -10.5 and the underdog at +10.5, meaning the favourite is expected to win by around 10 points. The odds for each team to win with this handicap will then be roughly even. At the end of the game, either subtract 10.5 points from the score of the favourite or add 10.5 points to the score of the underdog, and if you’re on the team with the most points your bet is a winning one.
