First goal scorer betting: first try scorer and anytime rules

Key facts

A first goal scorer or first try scorer bet wins only if your player scores the opening goal or try. An anytime bet wins if your player scores at any point.
The TAB says a first try must be scored during the regulation period, so a golden point try does not count.
A price of $9.00 to score first implies 11.11%: you need one winner in every nine bets just to break even.
Under the TAB's rules, an own goal or a penalty try is skipped: the bet is settled on the goal or try that follows, unless those outcomes were priced.
Try scorer bets stand regardless of whether your player takes or leaves the field or is sent off, under the TAB's Victorian and NSW rules.

How first goal scorer betting works

First goal scorer betting is a bet on which player scores the opening goal of a match: in AFL, the first goal kicked; in soccer, the first goal; in rugby league and union, the same idea is called first try scorer. You pick one player and take a fixed price. If your player opens the scoring, you are paid. If anyone else does, the bet loses.

It is one of the simplest bet types explained on our hub, and the TAB's description of its first try scorer market is short: "If you pick the player that scores the first try of the match, you win", with one condition, "Try must be scored during the regulation period". For its anytime market the condition is wider: "Your player must score a try during the game."

First, anytime and the price gap

The two markets look similar but pay very differently, because a player has many chances to score at some point and only one chance to score first.

Market	Example price	$5 returns	Implied chance
Player to score first	$9.00	$45.00	11.11%
Same player to score anytime	$2.40	$12.00	41.67%

These are illustrative prices. In our calculation, the first scorer price implies the player opens the scoring about one game in nine, while the anytime price implies he scores in about two games out of five. Neither number is a fact about the player; both are the bookmaker's view, with its margin added.

An anytime goal kicker bet in AFL, or anytime try scorer in rugby league, is the steadier of the two. First scorer is a much longer shot that can be wiped out by a single moment from anyone else on the ground.

The break-even table

Long prices feel generous, but every price is also a strike rate you must beat.

Price to score first	Implied chance	You need at least one winner every
$4.50	22.22%	4.5 bets
$6.00	16.67%	6 bets
$8.00	12.50%	8 bets
$11.00	9.09%	11 bets
$15.00	6.67%	15 bets
$21.00	4.76%	21 bets

Put it another way: if you think a player's real chance of scoring first is 10% and the price is $8.00, in our calculation each $1 bet loses 20 cents on average (0.10 x 8 - 1 = -0.20). If you rate the chance at 14%, the same price is worth +12 cents per $1. The difference between a good and a bad scorer bet is a few percentage points of chance, which is very hard to judge. Our odds converter turns any price into its implied chance.

The rules that settle scorer bets

Scorer markets have more edge cases than most, and the TAB's rules handle them as follows.

Situation	TAB rule	Outcome
First try scored in golden point or extra time	Help page: try must be scored during the regulation period	The extra time try does not count for first try scorer
First rugby try is a penalty try	VIC 11.1.7.1(a): settled on the try following, unless a penalty try was priced	Look to the next try
First soccer goal is an own goal	VIC 11.1.8.4 and NSW 6.2.7.4: settled on the goal following, unless an own goal was priced	Look to the next goal
Your player leaves the field or is sent off	VIC 11.1.7.1(b), NSW 6.2.5.1: bets stand regardless of whether the player takes or leaves the field or is dismissed	No refund
Soccer match called off with no official result	VIC 11.1.8.1: undecided bets void, but bets already determined, "e.g. first goal scorer", stand	If the first goal was scored, it is settled
AFL time of first goal market	VIC 11.1.18.1: based on the official AFL count-up clock, including time-on	The broadcast clock does not decide it

Two practical points follow. First, with the TAB a first try scorer bet is a regulation time bet: a try scored in golden point does not count as the first try. Second, for soccer the TAB settles results at the end of normal time unless it tells you otherwise (rule 11.1.8.3).

Pundit tip: "stands regardless of whether the player takes or leaves the field" is the clause to read twice. Before you back a player who is in doubt for selection, check how your bookmaker treats a player who is named but never takes the field.

Scorer markets by code

AFL. Goal kicker markets can include the first goal, a goal at any time and a set number of goals. An anytime goal kicker bet lets you back a forward without needing them to open the scoring. See our AFL betting guide for the other AFL markets.

NRL and State of Origin. First and anytime try scorer markets cover players from both teams. The regulation time rule matters most in this code because of golden point; our NRL betting guide explains golden point settlement, and State of Origin betting covers the Origin series.

Soccer. The own goal rule is the key difference. A first goal scorer bet on a striker is not lost to an early own goal; it carries on to the next goal. Our soccer betting guide covers three-way results and goals markets.

Scorer bets in multis

Scorer markets can also be legs in same game multis, but they are long odds on their own and only get longer when combined. Each leg brings its own margin, and a first scorer leg brings a low strike rate too. Scorer bets are also player props, and the general rules for player markets are in our guide to prop bets.

All scorer bets have to be placed before the start if you bet online: in-play sports betting online is illegal in Australia, except for bets placed entirely by phone. If chasing a scorer every week has become a habit you want to break, our gambling help page lists free, confidential services.

Frequently asked questions

How does first goal scorer betting work?

You pick the player you think will score the first goal (or the first try in rugby league and union). If that player scores first, you are paid at the fixed price you took. Any other first scorer means the bet loses.

What is the difference between first try scorer and anytime try scorer?

A first try scorer bet needs your player to score the first try of the match. An anytime bet only needs your player to score at least once. Anytime pays shorter because it wins far more often.

Does a golden point try count for first try scorer?

Not with the TAB. Its help page says the try must be scored during the regulation period. Check the rules of other bookmakers, as each sets its own.

What happens to a first goal scorer bet if the first goal is an own goal?

Under the TAB's soccer rules, unless an own goal price was offered, an own goal is ignored and bets are settled on the goal that follows.

What happens to my first try scorer bet if my player is sent off or replaced?

Under the TAB's Victorian and NSW rugby rules, first and next try scorer bets stand regardless of whether the player takes or leaves the field or is dismissed. Read your bookmaker's rule on players who are named but do not play before you bet.