PokerStars Sports has really increased its range of sports offered from the small number that were offered on its initial release. Not only does the site offer a range of bets on the most 
popular sports, such as Premier League Football, Golf, Cricket and Tennis, but the site also offers a wide range of bets across a more select group of sports.
While perhaps not as familiar to the UK-based punter as the main sports in the country, these sports nonetheless can offer outstanding betting opportunities and as such, if you are serious about your sports betting, then you should take a look at the different options available.
So to broaden your canvas of sporting options, over the coming months we are going to take a look at the sports available to bet on at PokerStars Sportsbook UK and this week we are starting with arguably one of the most physically demanding sports on offer on the site. Australian Rules Football.
What is Australian Rules Football?
For those of you that don’t know Australian Rules Football is a hybrid of Football, Gaelic Football and Rugby played chiefly in Australia on a large, oval shaped pitch with two teams of eighteen players. Teams score points by kicking the ball through the two middle goalposts (termed a goal which is worth 6 points) or between one of the middle posts and one of the shorter outer posts (this is a behind and scores one point).
In between goals, players compete for the ball and can pass it between themselves by punching, tapping the ball or kicking it. The ball cannot be thrown. A player can run with the ball but it has to be bounced at least once every 15 metres. Players can be tackled between the shoulder and knees, but not from behind.
Given the size of the pitch, the speed of the game and the physicality of the action between the players, Australian Rules Football is without doubt one of the most physically brutal and demanding games you can play.
What are the main Competitions I can bet on?
The main competition you can bet on at PokerStars is the Australian Football League (AFL), which is out of season at the time of writing. Seasons usually run from the Australian autumn through to spring (from March through to September).
The main competition in the AFL is the Premier League title, which is the Australian Rules equivalent of the Premier League for soccer in England. The league consists of 18 teams that are spread across five Australian states (there is no league club in Tasmania).
The league season starts with a pre-season competition called the NAB Challenge, and there is then a 23-game Home and Away season. After this the top eight teams play off against each other in the finals series, which culminates in the AFL Grand Final, held at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The winner of the Grand Final is named the AFL Premiership winners, or “premiers”.
What are the most popular bets PokerStars Sports betting offers on Australian Rules?
Currently, you can bet on who the outright winner of the AFL Grand Final will be from the 18 teams that will compete for the title this year. Hawthorn are the current favourites for the title, and current holders of the AFL Premiership title, with PokerStars Sport. They have won the Premiership title in each of the last three years and were a Grand Finalist the year before.
During the season, you are able to place bets on a number of different markets for the different games that are being played during the course of the week. Bets are similar to those you would place on Rugby and Soccer, such as which team will win, Over/Under points markets, margin of victory and similar.
Current betting has three-time premiers Hawthorn as the 16/5 favourites to win the title for the fourth year in a row. West Coast are the 7/2 second favourites and these two teams are the clear favourites with the bookies as all other teams are 8/1 bar.
The rank outsides include St Kilda and Melbourne at 100/1, Brisbane and 150/1 and Carlton who are the 200/1 outsiders.
