AFL odds, rules and betting tips for Round 1

Australians always seem to do things a bit differently than the rest of the world, which right now means that even amidst the coronavirus outbreak, our friends down under continue to provide us with sports betting options. 

If you like impressive catches, booming kicks, brutal hits and tireless athletes, Australian Rules Football might be the thing for you. And wouldn't you know it, the Australian Football League just kicked off its season this week.

The AFL is the only men's professional Aussie Rules competition in the world and is the most watched sport in Australia with more than 100,000 fans in attendance for last year's Grand Final between Richmond and Greater Western Sydney. 

We break down the basics of Australian Rules Football, bring you the AFL odds for this weekend and even give you some resources you can check out for research and betting predictions. 

WHAT IS AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL?

For those new to the sport here is a look at the basics of Aussie Rules:

• Points are scored by kicking the ball through the four posts on either end of the field. The two middle and taller posts are the goal posts while the two outer posts are the behind posts. Kicking the ball between the goal posts, without another a player touching the ball, counts as a goal and is worth six points. Kicking the ball between the one of the goal posts and one of the behind posts (or hitting a goal post and having it bounce back) counts as a behind and is worth one point. 

• Aussie Rules is played on an oval pitch that is much larger than any football field. There are no standard dimensions for an oval but in the AFL the largest boundary is UTAS Stadium which is 175m long and 145m wide, while one of the smaller fields is Blundstone Arena in Bellerive which meaures 160m by 124m.

• Each team has 18 players on the oval and four on the bench as interchange substitutions. There is no limit on the amount of times a single player can be substituted but each team has a maximum of 90 total interchanges a game (that is not a typo so expect lots of subs).

• A game consists of four 20 minute quarters. Extra time may be added on at the end like soccer.   

•  Players may run with the ball but they must bounce the ball every 15 metres. 

•  Players may pass the ball by kicking or by "handballing" which is when a player holds the ball in one hand while punching the ball (with a closed fist) with the other hand. 

•  A "mark" is when a player catches a ball off a kick that has travelled at least 15 meters without hitting the ground or another player. This results in the player who caught the ball getting a protected area of ten metres around them which they can then use for a free kick. One of the most important skills in Aussie Rules is to grab a mark in mid-air. While defenders can't tackle a player while in the air, a player that is making an attempt to play the ball may use an opponent to jump off. 

•  Defenders can tackle the player playing the ball but the tackle must be above the knees and below the shoulder line. Tacklers do not have to make an attempt to wrap their arms around the ball carrier, so shoulder charges and body checks are legal hits. Pushing in the back is not allowed. 

HOW TO BET ON THE AFL 

Head to Head Betting

This is simply the more common way to refer to moneyline betting in the AFL, where you bet on which team will win the match. The favorite will have a negative (-) sign besides the number while the underdog will have a positive (+). 

For example, in Sunday's match between West Coast and Melbourne, West Coast is a big favorite at -300. That means that a bettor has to wager $300 to win $100 by betting on West Coast. Melbourne is listed at +235 which means that a bettor stands to profit $235 for every $100 wagered on them. 

If both teams are listed at -110 or PK (for pick'em), then both sides have even odds. 

Line Betting

Line betting is the handicap or pointspread for a match and gives greater incentive to place your money on a contest that is expected to be one-sided. Betting a favorite on the handicap as opposed to the moneyline will give a better payout, while taking an underdog with the pointspread gives you a better chance of winning than betting on them outright. 

For example in the example used above, the line has been set at -19.5 in favor of Gold Coast. If you bet them at -19.5 you need them to win by at least 20 points in order to win your bet, and if you put your money on Melbourne at +19.5 you profit if it wins or loses by fewer than 20 points.   

Total

Also known as the Over/Under this bet is based on the total amount of points scored in a match. Bettors can wager on the Under if they think the total amount of points scored will be lower than the number given, or bet the Over if they think the points total will be higher.

Keep in mind that a score for a match might look like this: Away Team 13.8 (86) Home Team 5.4 (34). The first number is the number of goals scored, the second number the amount of behinds scored, and the final number is the total points. 

Margin Betting

Margin betting is very popular in AFL betting and allows you to pick how much your selected team will win by. In the above example, West Coast is listed at +100 on a winning margin of 1-39. The odds represent much better value than the -300 for them to win the match. However, if West Coast loses or wins by over 39 points the bet will not be successful. Generally you will find margins of 1-39 and 40+ for AFL matches.

Derivatives

You can also bet on odds for the first and second halves as well as the first quarter. This is a great way to have some early action in a game and can be a profitable option for bettors who research which teams tend to play better or worse early on in matches.   

Proposition Bets

In addition to derivative betting there are a host of other proposition bets you can make in AFL play. These include betting on player props, the first score of the game the amount of goals and behinds scored etc.

Live Betting

Live betting allows you to bet on a game that is in progress. Watching a match can give you a good idea of the flow of a game and live odds will change depending on the early scoring. Confident that the better team will win despite falling behind early? Well you might want to consider them on the live in-game spread.

Keep in mind that if you are streaming the match you might be a few seconds behind the live action so consider placing your wagers during a stoppage in play so you don't get burned. 

Futures

Futures betting allows you to place wagers on future results such as the winner of the AFL Grand Final which is scheduled for September 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Richmond is currently the favorite to win the Grand Final at +325 while Adelaide has the worst odds at +8,000.

AFL BETTING TIPS AND RESOURCES

Note: Covers is not affiliated with any of the websites or organizations listed below. 

AFL.com

If you're looking to expand your AFL knowledge what better way to start off than the official home of the AFL. This site has tons of news, analysis, previews, videos and stats.

Fox Sports AFL

Fox Sports' AFL section has plenty to sink your teeth into from live-streams, news, scores and stats, to a panel of tipsters.

Footywire 

This website might have a slightly dated layout but it's got loads of great AFL stats and info, and is a great resource if you play AFL Fantasy. 

Before You Bet

Before You Bet has AFL betting odds, previews and predictions for all your footy needs.

BettingPro.com

Another website specializing in Australian sports. It's also chock-full of betting tips, previews and predictions for the AFL Premiership.

Palmer Bet

Palmer Bet is a blog style website with loads of in-depth AFL previews and betting tips. You can also follow them on Twitter @PalmerbetAU 

AFL ODDS FOR ROUND 1

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