SO you know your rugby. Maybe you play a bit, maybe you’ve been watching for years. You understand the ins and outs of the rules, the tactics, the top players, and the best teams.
There is, however, a level of rugby knowledge that is more demanding than that of the fanatical rugby fan.
For professional rugby bettors, success depends on knowing everything there is to know and staying constantly on top of the game.
If you check out the UK best online rugby betting sites, you will see an array of rugby betting options, but beating the bookmakers takes hard work and dedication.
For most of us, being a professional rugby bettor is not an option or something we want to devote any time to, but it still helps to understand the basics of rugby betting if you want to have an occasional bet.
And looking at rugby from a betting angle can enhance your knowledge of the game.
Match Winner
This is the most popular betting market in the rugby betting world and is simple to understand. For example, let’s take a typical Six Nations Match Winner market:
· England 4/9
· Scotland 5/2
· Draw 25/1
Sometimes there may not be a draw option, and in this case, all bets on the market are refunded if the game ends in a draw.
Tournament Winner
Another popular market with rugby betting fans, the Tournament Winner option means you can bet on the team you think will win a tournament.
In some cases, you will also be able to bet each way on a team to reach the final, at reduced place odds.
Tournament Winner markets are usually made available well in advance of the tournament itself and will change while the tournament is ongoing, allowing you to adjust your strategy.
Handicap Betting
As rugby is a relatively high-scoring game and produces far fewer draws and fewer surprise results than a game like football, rugby bettors often find themselves faced with a match winner market that has a very short-priced favourite.
The handicap betting markets, therefore, offer an alternative:
· England -10.5 10/11
· Scotland +10.5 10/11
In this case, the bookie has set a handicap of 10.5 so if you bet on England and they win by 11 or more, you will win your bet.
The odds on an England win are bigger than in the match winner market, which makes the handicap betting market a good option in some circumstances.
Other Markets
It is impossible to list all of the rugby betting markets available, but here are some of the main options and the key things to bear in mind with each:
· First Tryscorer – Betting on which player will score the first try
· Total Points – Betting over or under the bookie’s quote on the total points in a game
· Winning Margin – Betting on which team will win and by how many
· Total Tries – Betting on how many tries there will be in the game
· Try Scoring – Betting on a player to score two or more tries
The Golden Rugby Betting Rule
This is it. The secret of rugby betting. The golden rule that all rugby bettors should bear in mind at all times is: never bet with money you cannot afford to lose.
It is highly unlikely that you will make a profit long-term from betting on rugby, as the work and time required to achieve this is enormous and frankly most of us have better things to be doing with our time.
But betting on rugby as an occasional leisure activity also comes with risks. Gambling addiction is real and can sneak up on you, even if you think you are immune.
The best way to ensure that you steer clear of trouble is never to bet with money that you cannot afford to lose.
If you are unable to set aside a small amount of money to bet, in the same way that you might put aside money to go to the cinema or a restaurant, then don’t bet and wait until you have spare money.
Betting on rugby should be fun, occasional and harmless. Make sure that you bear this in mind at all times so that you stay safe when you’re betting.
