Esport Betting
Esports betting expands your video game experience by allowing you to win money based on your knowledge of the best players and teams. But, thanks to the rising esports industry, you don’t even have to be good at these games to enjoy them.
Every video game with professionally organized competitions and dedicated players who train for several hours each day to preserve their role as the best of the best is considered an esport.
Furthermore, esports must be played for the sake of audience participation. This is more than a pastime; it’s a multi-million-dollar industry that attracts big sponsorship deals, all because it’s watched by some of the most difficult-to-reach populations.
Most Notable Esports
With each passing year, the list becomes longer and longer. There is now a dozen or more titles with active esports betting markets. However, when it comes to the bigger ones, these five top the list:
CSGO
CSGO is frequently referred to as the “Father of Esports Betting.” The game’s Steam community market made major online bookmakers understand how much gamers enjoy betting on professional events.
After nearly a decade, CSGO remains one of the most popular games with the most active gambling community. There is always something to wager on, and there is always adequate coverage. Really, CSGO betting fans have nothing to complain about. Their game has always represented the pinnacle of a well-managed esports betting market.
League of Legends
Let us not forget Riot Games’ MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) masterpiece, League of Legends. If Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was the driving force behind esports betting, League of Legends (and Starcraft) was the driving force behind esports as we know it.
More than a decade after its initial release, League of Legends remains one of the world’s most popular video games. Even while it’s betting market isn’t as large as that of CSGO, it is second only to CSGO due to the high betting demand for LoL Worlds, the League’s premier event.
Dota 2
Dota 2 is yet another masterpiece from Valve. Dota 2 is a MOBA game that is extremely similar to League of Legends. It’s comparable in mechanics to League, but it features a completely different competitive ecosystem. The championship series is known as the Dota Pro Circuit.
If you’re going to wager on Dota 2 in the future, make it during the most important event, The International. The Internationals boast record-breaking prize pools year after year and are watched by millions of fans all over the world. If you’re one of them and want to spice up your TI experience, a few bets might do the trick.
Valorant
Valorant is a newer game. It’s the most recent IP in the tumultuous world of esports. Valorant, developed by Riot Games, was destined to be the next big thing on the competitive FPS scene. It’s a game that generated a lot of buzz from the start. However, it did not disappoint later on when it mattered the most.
When the first major tournaments began, Riot Games made certain that the game’s VCT series was a success right away. This created a significant demand for Valorant betting action. Fortunately, esports bookmakers were quick to respond as well. Valorant is now one of the most well-represented esports betting markets.
Call of Duty
Last but not least, there’s Call of Duty! Even though the popularity of the Call of Duty League is no longer admirable, people still want to wager on it. The competitive environment in the game revolves entirely around the CDL. It’s a nearly a year-long competition with a closed-off franchising system that brings together the world’s greatest players in one area.
If you enjoy Call of Duty and want to start betting on esports, the CDL is a no-brainer.
7 Esports Betting Strategies
Most of the same restrictions that apply to sports betting will apply when betting on esports online. There are certain things you should do and look for before placing bets, and how you go about your business can have a direct impact on your chances of winning.
Winning big once is exciting, but it should not be the primary goal here. We constantly want to keep bankroll management and smart betting in mind. With that in mind, let’s go through some ideas and methods to assist you win esports bets:
1. Understand the Game
There are various popular games utilized for large esports events, but simply knowing which games are popular or what they are roughly based on is insufficient.
It’s a good idea to play the games and observe how easy/difficult different activities, goals, and skill-sets are in the game. You’ll also want to assess the significance of these various elements in the game.
The main takeaway will be the type of game you’re dealing with (and eventually wagering on). There are various to consider, but the most common are as follows:
- FPS
- Melee
- MOBA
- RTS
- Sports
These are all quite distinct types of games that need very different skill sets.
2. Know the Players
Once you’ve memorized all of the games – or at least the ones you intend to bet on – you’ll want to learn everything you can about the finest players who compete in these sports.
The odds provided by the esports betting site you select will usually give you a sense of who the “favorite” is to win a match, but depending solely on favorites is not a good strategy.
For starters, favorites do not always win.
Second, even if the favorites win most of the time, they usually have weak lines, which means you’ll have to bet a lot of money to earn a lot of money back. This increases your risk, so when we can, we prefer favorites with modest lines or underdogs who make sense.
Actually, researching player strengths, such as who ranks first in specific games and contests, will be the difference between winning and losing most nights. This is just one step toward determining player talent and dependability when placing bets, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to brush up on some of the greatest esports players ever.
3. Hunt for Value
Value hunting is unquestionably a strategy. This is related to which esports betting sites you use, where your research takes you, and what kind of odds you find. Just because esports is a different beast than traditional betting does not mean we should stop looking for value. You’ll always want to look for favorites with low lines and attack underdogs who feel like favorites.
Scouring multiple sites is also important, since some sites will not provide the same event to bet on, will have limited wager kinds, will not have appealing odds, and/or may offer esports prop bets that are not available elsewhere.
Always search for value, whether it’s based on personalities, game types, team play, or the sites themselves.
4. Reflection
Reflecting on what you’ve bet on and what you haven’t gambled on is a valuable asset for every bettor. Going over a full betting slate before placing any bets can be extremely beneficial to this method, as you can then reflect on both how you evaluated the bet the day before and how you really wagered.
The goal here is to learn to trust your logic and instincts. This can also have an impact on your personal opinion of value, what you think of certain players and clubs, and how you view other websites.
This thought should likewise be used to winning. You don’t want to develop a giant ego and believe you’re invincible (which also plays into rigorous bankroll control), because esports, like any other sports betting genre, may adapt on the fly.
Record your accomplishments and learn from your disappointments, and they will gradually mix together to keep you educated and thinking of every option you have.
5. Don't Overthink It
You don’t want to overthink your wins and losses, and you also don’t want to get bogged down in uncertainty and analysis when it comes to betting. You’ve done a lot of research and know what you’re doing, so trust the statistics and, most importantly, follow your gut.
It is fine to eat a loss if that’s what happens as long as you’re not going “all in” at random. As previously stated, losing isn’t the end of the world and can actually teach us valuable things.
Don’t be scared to lose (or win), and don’t limit yourself by complicated bets that don’t require it.
6. Be Selective
You’ll want to be quite picky. This goes hand in hand with bankroll management because you will never have enough money to play every bet on every site, therefore it should not even be a consideration in your mind. Instead, you wager on games you know, on players you know, on the best value you can find, and on sites you trust. There’s no reason to think outside the box, ignore your instincts, or over bet.
The easier our betting decisions are, the less risk we take on and the less intimidating the entire process becomes.
7. Simplified Betting
One of the biggest limitations in esports betting is betting or wagering with no foundation. You don’t want to get caught up in frequent pitfalls like odds chasing, emotional betting, or chain betting. Every player/team/competition should be treated uniquely. You can use this type of data over time if the numbers are large enough, but your bets should rarely be controlled by a single factor. Odds chasing might be entertaining and sometimes profitable, but it effectively throws everything we’ve talked out the window. The same is true for emotional betting, which might manifest as betting big after a severe loss, going all-in after a long drought, or betting in favor/against clubs or players simply because you like them.
Conclusion
Every wager you place should be based on logic, research, data, and value. Don’t bet simply to bet, and don’t put bets just because the payout potential is enormous. Finding the right esports strategy, on the other hand, is not something that can be accomplished by coming across a site like this. Instead, this should serve as a reminder to thoroughly think out your bets and know what you’re doing before you put money on the line.
This is your money, and each wager/player/team/site should be evaluated for what it is. You’ll have your basic esports plan and be ready to win big once you’ve mastered everything individually and together.
It may sound silly, but esports betting is fun. This is supposed to be enjoyable, so if it becomes too strenuous, dull, or unprofitable, simply take a break or pace yourself. This is a growing betting genre that shows no signs of slowing down. Take the time to master it, just as all professional gamers took the time to master the games in which they compete.
