An AFL round checklist before comparing bookmaker odds

Identify the fixture first

Start with the official AFL fixture: clubs, round, venue and scheduled bounce. Clubs can meet more than once during a season, so team names alone are not enough to identify the market. Confirm the location and local start time before reading an odds row.

A delayed or rescheduled match may change the status of a bookmaker market. The public board should never treat a missing fixture as a zero price or quietly substitute a prior meeting.

Match the bet, then the bookmaker

For head-to-head, match the same club to win. For a line, add the selected club's signed points number. For a total, add the over or under side and exact combined-points line. Only after these fields agree should the decimal prices be sorted.

A bookmaker with no quote has not offered a comparable price in that snapshot. Displaying the other available books is useful, but a single quote cannot support a best-price claim. Recheck the current market and settlement rules at the bookmaker.

Add context without inventing a cause

Official team selections and venue information may help explain what a reader wants to check. If an article discusses a move from one price to another, it needs two recorded capture times and the matching market. A team announcement near a move is context, not proof of causation.

• Fixture: clubs, venue, round and bounce.
• Market: selection, line, period and bookmaker.
• Evidence: capture time, missing quotes and current price check.