Electronic sports, commonly known as eSports, have become a major force in the competitive sports arena, featuring thrilling competitions and engaging league events. The global fascination with eSports has spurred the emergence of numerous betting platforms that cater to fans wishing to wager on popular games like Overwatch and Dota 2. In this article, we’ll explore the ins and outs of eSports betting. Keep reading to discover essential tips and strategies for betting on eSports like a pro.
What Is Esports?
Esports, short for electronic sports, refers to the expansive world of competitive video gaming.
What qualifies a game as an esport? The category includes first-person shooters, sports simulations, real-time strategy games, and card games, to name a few. Essentially, any game that facilitates competitive play, allowing players to compete against each other and that attracts significant interest from the gaming community, is likely to develop a competitive scene.
The esports industry has witnessed remarkable growth over recent years, showing no signs of slowing down. With millions of enthusiastic fans, along with substantial sponsorship and investment, esports events can attract thousands of spectators in venues filled. Some esports tournaments have even exceeded traditional sports in terms of prize money and viewership.
The evolution of esports is evident not only in tournaments but also in the professional environment that supports gamers. Today, most professional players receive a livable monthly salary from their teams and sponsors. Many belong to teams that provide housing, cover travel expenses for tournaments, and facilitate athlete visas—all standard in traditional sports but a recent development in esports. This underscores the rapid expansion of the industry and hints at the potential for future growth in new areas.
Esports thrives thanks to the daily support from millions of fans worldwide. Platforms like Twitch.tv connect these fans, who revel in watching professional matches with significant stakes or follow streams to enhance their gaming skills.
The question of why people watch esports rather than play games themselves mirrors inquiries made about traditional sports. Millions enjoy observing top-level play in their favorite games, finding the viewing experience as thrilling as sports fans find watching a live football match.
Popular Esports Games
As mentioned earlier, the esports landscape is diverse, with each game offering a unique experience despite superficial similarities.
Take, for example, Dota 2 and League of Legends. Both are categorized as MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas), featuring a top-down perspective where players control a single hero or champion to destroy opposing towers and bases. However, a closer examination reveals distinct differences in their gameplay mechanics and strategic depth, which help to distinguish each title and appeal to varying audiences of gamers and bettors.
In the following section, we’ll highlight some of the leading esports titles. You’ll find a button that directs you to a detailed guide for each game, where you can explore the fundamental gameplay elements and the dynamics of its esports community. Visit hellagoodmarketing.com to discover the best sites for eSports betting, where you can find expert reviews and top recommendations.
Counter-Strike2: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike 2 has stood as a titan in the gaming world since its debut in the late 1990s. This first-person shooter remains arguably the most recognized video game globally. Its most recent version, Counter-Strike 2: Global Offensive (CS2), continues to thrive within a bustling esports environment, featuring numerous tournaments year-round.
CS2 challenges players with its intense competitiveness and seemingly limitless skill ceiling. For fans of the game, watching professional matches offers immense excitement and entertainment. Despite the ebb and flow of gaming trends, Counter-Strike’s 2 allure has been unwavering for nearly two decades. The game’s community is not only dedicated and passionate but also actively participates in esports betting, making it a staple at many conventional sportsbooks.
Dota 2
Dota 2 has long been a leading force in the esports industry. Many attribute the monumental growth of esports to Dota 2’s The International in 2011, a landmark event that was the first to offer a prize pool exceeding $1,000,000 and was hosted at a major LAN event during Gamescom in Cologne.
Now, Dota 2 continues to excel, hosting numerous esteemed tournaments annually. It dominates the esports landscape with unparalleled prize pools and soaring viewership figures.
For those betting on Dota 2, the game’s robust and stable esports ecosystem offers numerous advantages. With its significant presence, bookmakers regularly provide extensive coverage of Dota 2 tournaments, ensuring a variety of betting options. Compared to many other esports, Dota 2 also presents a rich diversity of betting markets, allowing enthusiasts to leverage their knowledge for potential gains.
In terms of gameplay, Dota 2 features two teams of five players each, engaging in strategic battles that require sharp mechanical skills and, crucially, effective teamwork. The game is free to play, with all playable heroes available from the start, inviting players to dive in and experience the competition without barriers.
League of Legends
League of Legends stands as the premier MOBA in terms of popularity. Although it doesn’t match Dota 2 in terms of tournament prize pools, it surpasses it with a much larger player base and higher viewership numbers.
The League of Legends World Championship spans the entire year, culminating in a LAN final hosted in various international locales. For those interested in betting on League of Legends, there’s a consistent lineup of matches available, and it receives the most comprehensive coverage from sportsbooks among all esports titles.
Like Dota 2, League of Legends is free to play, which makes it accessible to a wide audience. For those looking to enhance their betting skills on League of Legends, getting familiar with the game is a beneficial first step. Additionally, our betting guide can provide valuable insights to help you get started.
Overwatch
Overwatch, a first-person shooter crafted by Blizzard Entertainment, echoes the classic speed and strategic demands of the iconic game Quake, introducing a fresh dynamic to the FPS category that had been absent for years.
Following its launch, Overwatch quickly gained traction, inevitably giving rise to a vibrant competitive arena filled with high-stakes tournaments. Although there’s still potential for growth within the game, Overwatch is commonly featured at numerous sportsbooks, though it offers fewer betting options compared to the larger esports titles.
Call of Duty
Call of Duty may not top the list of most popular games for eSports betting, but it is still widely available on most eSports betting platforms. What should bettors focus on when placing their wagers?
It’s usually best to stick with simpler bets, such as predicting match or tournament winners, as these are more straightforward to assess.
Compared to complex games like LOL or DOTA, Call of Duty is relatively simple to grasp, which levels the playing field among players and teams. This tends to result in more balanced matchups and, as a result, more competitive odds for betting on the winner of a match or specific maps.
However, the close competition in Call of Duty can make predictions more challenging, which could be beneficial for savvy bettors. By gaining a deep understanding of the players and staying informed about their recent performances, whether they’re performing well or poorly, you might spot valuable opportunities to bet on underdog victors before they make their mark.
Reasons to Bet on Esports
Video games are distinct, varied, and entertaining, qualities that translate effectively into the esports arena. Each game presents unique betting scenarios. For instance, in Dota 2, you might wager on which team will slay the first Roshan, whereas in CS2, you could predict who will defuse the first bomb. The rich variety in esports provides numerous thrilling betting options, enabling you to leverage your expertise for potential profits.
The dynamic nature of video games, with frequent updates disrupting the competitive landscape, adds a layer of unpredictability. This is unlike traditional sports like football, where odds for matches can be set well in advance. In esports, the outcomes are less certain, and sportsbooks are still refining their coverage, often with limited resources dedicated to it.
This scenario of evolving and sometimes unreliable odds can benefit you as a bettor. By applying your in-depth knowledge of the games, you can identify undervalued bets and gain an edge over less informed gamblers.
Different Ways to Bet on Esports
Betting with Game Items and Skins
Skin betting represents a more informal approach to wagering. It’s a form of gambling prevalent only in certain games that allow for the betting of in-game items and skins.
CS:GO stands out as the leading game for item betting, thanks to its extensive variety of weapon skins. These skins are purely for aesthetic enhancement and do not influence gameplay. They serve as a form of currency on numerous betting platforms due to their ability to be traded on the Steam marketplace. Although the funds from skin sales can’t be directly withdrawn from Steam into personal bank accounts, these skins possess actual monetary value.
Real Money Betting
Real money betting is quite straightforward and is the primary focus of this discussion. The availability of esports for betting at conventional sportsbooks has grown significantly. A few years ago, it was rare to find an esports match open for betting. However, today, the tournaments featuring the most popular esports titles consistently receive extensive coverage, and many matches offer a variety of betting markets.
While esports betting hasn’t yet reached the level of traditional sports in terms of volume and ubiquity, it is progressing in a positive direction. As the esports landscape continues to develop and stabilize, there will be more incentives for bookmakers to enhance and broaden their esports betting offerings.
Popular Esports Betting Options
Typically, esports matches offer up to a dozen different betting markets at most sportsbooks, with some exceptions. In games like Dota 2, CS:GO, or League of Legends, you might find unique betting options such as first barracks, first blood, first Roshan/Baron, or first knife kill, although these specific bets are not always available. Here are some of the most common types of bets you can place on esports matches:
- Moneyline Bet – This is the most basic type of bet, where you simply wager on the winner of a single match or series.
- Outright Bet – This bet involves predicting the overall winner of a particular tournament.
- Handicap Bet – Increasingly common in esports, handicap betting adjusts the odds to level the playing field, offering a more substantial return for those with deep game knowledge, making seemingly uneven matches more interesting to bet on.
- Over/Under – Given that many esports matches are played in either best of three (BO3) or best of five (BO5) formats, you can place bets on the total number of maps played in a series.
- Map X Winner – This type of bet allows you to wager on which team will win a specific map within the series, where X denotes the map number.
Advice for Betting on Esports
Understanding the Games
The esports world is vast, with each game offering distinct challenges and opportunities. To truly maximize your profit potential, it’s advisable to specialize in a single esport. Attempting to master all at once can be overwhelming.
Deep expertise in the game you bet on allows you to identify details that might escape bookmakers. For instance, in a Dota 2 match, if a team is heavily favored, their odds will naturally be lower in all betting markets, including specific ones like “First Roshan Kill.” However, bookmakers might overlook the importance of hero compositions, which can greatly influence a team’s ability to defeat Roshan early. Recognizing when a lineup is particularly suited for such a task can lead to highly valuable betting opportunities.
Choosing an esport to specialize in should be a careful decision. Opt for a genre you enjoy, whether it’s first-person shooters, strategy games, or battle royales. It’s crucial to select something that you’d enjoy playing, even if you don’t play it, to maintain engagement and enjoyment in your betting endeavors.
Understanding Match Formats
In esports, matches are often structured in formats like best of three (BO3) or best of five (BO5) series, while single games are referred to as best of one (BO1). In large tournaments, group stages generally use the BO1 format, shifting to BO3 for the knockout rounds, and culminating in a BO5 or even a BO7 for the final. Due to the complex nature of most esports, a single game often doesn’t accurately represent a team’s true capabilities.
The format of a match significantly influences its outcome, making it a critical factor to consider when placing bets. Upsets are far more common in BO1 matches, where even a much weaker team has a greater chance of overcoming a top-tier team compared to traditional sports. A favorite might lose due to unexpected strategies, a lapse in focus, or underestimating the opponent.
For example, Na’Vi, a renowned Dota 2 team known for its historical success, has often shown weak early performance in tournaments only to advance impressively through the knockout stages to the finals. Betting sites typically favor such teams due to their overall strength, but keen observers who track their progression can exploit these dynamics to achieve substantial gains.
Understanding the Competitors
Understanding the teams and/or players involved in any esport you bet on is vital for a robust betting strategy, just as it is in traditional sports like football or horse racing.
Take League of Legends as an example: thorough knowledge of the teams you’re wagering on can provide several advantages. A team might be struggling with recent game changes due to a new patch, or they could be in a slump.
Consider if Team X’s star player is assigned a champion they seldom play, potentially diminishing their usual impact, or if Team X is competing in a minor tournament and opts to include a stand-in, disrupting their usual team dynamics. Such nuances might not be fully captured by the betting odds, presenting savvy bettors with valuable opportunities to capitalize on.
Handling Your Betting Funds
The cardinal rule of betting is never to wager money that you cannot afford to lose. Doing so often leads to dire consequences. It’s wise to set a specific betting budget and adhere strictly to it.
You might consider dividing your bankroll into units and employing a structured betting strategy, limiting your bets to just a few units per match. Whether a unit is worth $1, $5, or $10 should depend on what your total bankroll allows.
Similarly, it’s crucial not to chase your losses. Losing is an inevitable part of betting, and attempting to recoup losses impulsively can exacerbate your financial situation. This underscores the importance of maintaining discipline and sticking to your predetermined budget.
Control Your Betting Speed
Every day sees a flurry of esports matches, yet this doesn’t necessitate daily wagers. While the allure of quick profits is strong, the cornerstone of effective betting lies in discerning not just what to bet on, but also when to place your bets.
Should you struggle to spot a worthwhile wager on any given day, it’s wise to refrain from betting until a more promising opportunity presents itself. Patience in waiting for the ideal betting moment often yields better results than risking your money on a match about which you’re uncertain. With a focus on your long-term betting success, you can enhance your chances of becoming a more proficient bettor.
