A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby League Betting

Rugby League Competitions 

Rugby League takes place around the world and there are a huge number of different leagues and competitions that you can bet on. 

Super League Rugby is the United Kingdom’s top competition (and arguably Europe’s), and it actually includes teams from France as well. It is the top division of a multi-tier league system and in terms of betting, it offers both match bets and outright bets.  

On the other side of the world is National Rugby League. It was formed in 1998 and it is the highest level of domestic play in the Southern Hemisphere. Sixteen teams take part, fifteen from Australia and one from New Zealand, and they compete in a league and knockout system each year for a place in the National Rugby League Grand Final.  

In addition to these leagues, there are also competitions such as the Rugby League World Cup, which has been taking place since 1954. The Australians regularly dominated the tournament, having won 10 of a possible 14 titles, but both Great Britain and New Zealand have also lifted the trophy.  

In other words, there is nearly always some Rugby League action taking place and fans of the sport should have plenty of opportunities to bet.  

Betting on Rugby League 

Each Rugby League match and competition brings you a huge number of different betting markets. Not only are there pre-game markets, but you can also enjoy live in-play betting. There are many different options and it is definitely worth taking the time to understand the different kinds of bets. Here is a quick explanation of the most common of them.  

Match Outcome 

This is really the simplest of all bets and it is just a bet on which team will win the match. You can back either of the teams or bet on a draw and the bet is determined at the end of the game. There are also very similar betting markets for the first and second halves of a match. You can bet on which team will ‘win’ individual halves, which adds some more excitement to the games. 

10 Minute Betting 

This is a bet that is not found in many sports. It requires you to predict what the game score will be in the first ten minutes of the match. Often, there are a number of markets associated with this type of bet. For instance, you may be able to place an Over/Under bet on the score (which simply means that you are betting that the score will be more or less than a specific number), or you could bet on the Total Tries, the Total Team Tries, the Total Team Points, or the Winning Margin. These different types of bets are all fairly self-explanatory and just present you with different ways of betting on the score. 

1st Team Try 

As the name suggests, this is simply a bet on which team will score the first try in a match. 

Will the 1st Try be Converted 

This betting market needs very little explanation; simply predict whether or not the first try in the match will be converted. 

Total Match Points 

This is a bet on how many points will be scored between the two teams in the match. It is usually an Over/Under bet. 

Total Match Tries 

This is another Over/Under bet. You simply need to predict whether the total number of tries in a match will be more or less than a specific amount. 

Total Team Points Odd/Even 

This is a bet on whether a specific team will score an odd or even number of points. It is a bet that relies heavily on luck, but it can be a lot of fun. 

Total Team Tries Odd/Even 

Similar to the previous market, this is a bet on whether the total number of tries scored in a match by a specific team will be an odd or even number.  

Total Team Points Home and Away / Total Team Tries Home and Away 

These are very similar markets and they are both presented as Over/Under bets. As the names suggest, you are simply betting on the total number of points or tries scored by one of the teams.  

Race To Points 

Race to bets require you to predict which of the teams will be the first to do something. In this case, it is which of the teams will be the first to reach a certain number of points.  

Time of 1st Try / Time of 1st Try 2nd Half 

These two markets simply require you to predict when the first try in either of the halves will be scored, before or after a specific time. For example, if you think a team is going to come out and score quickly, then you could use this market to capitalise on it.  

First to score/Last to score 

These two markets simply allow you to bet on which team will be the first to score in a match and which will be the last.  

Highest Scoring Half 

This is simply a bet on whether more points will be scored in the first half or the second half. 

Winning Margin 

This is a bet on which team will win and how many points you think they will win by. For instance, you could bet on a team to win by 6 points. Often, this market can also be used for individual halves of the match as well.  

Tryscorer Betting 

This is a very enjoyable market if you are looking to back particular players. You can bet on who will be the first, last or anytime tryscorer. If your chosen player scores at the appropriate time, then you win the bet. 

Outrights and Futures 

There are many different outright and futures bets available in Rugby League. For instance, you can bet on who will win the league right at the start of the season (or any time during it). You can also bet on who will win tournaments, back specific players to win awards, and so on. These bets are a great way to keep some betting action going all season and they can be a huge amount of fun.  

What to Consider When Betting on Rugby League  

As with all sports, the key to placing bets that have a chance of winning is to do your research. Of course, you can never guarantee anything, but proper research will certainly help. 

It goes without saying that you should be studying the league and the teams in it. You will need to stay up to date with all the latest team and player news. For example, even the best teams may suffer slumps in form from time to time, and it is this type of thing that you need to be aware of.  

Take a look at the teams’ recent results and consider whether they have been winning consistently, winning easily, struggling, and so on. If you are aware of the relative forms of the teams, then you will have a much better chance of placing a successful bet. You can also look at team’s head-to-head records, while historical data should be treated with caution when placing bets, it can still provide you some insights that can be very helpful. 

As well as looking at a team as a whole, you should also be looking at the individual players. If a star player has been struggling recently or is injured, then you need to be aware of it. If a team is missing even just two or three of its regular players then it can have a massive impact on how they perform. If you can gage the effect individual players have on a team’s performance, then it can give you some excellent betting insights.  

Of course, you also need to look at the playing styles and tactics of each time. Try to get a sense of each team’s strengths and weaknesses and see how they match up against their opponents. Is one team particularly defensive or conversely, extremely aggressive? Try to assess how the teams’ relative styles match up against one another. 

In other words, the more details you are able to analyse and the more information you are able to consider, the more success you are likely to have betting. Rugby League is a hugely exciting sport and it will only be made more so by placing bets. Use the information in this guide and hopefully, you will soon be having lots of fun backing your favourite teams.